Health
Ideal weight calculator
Ideal body weight formulas were made for clinical dosing, not as personal goals. This page shows four of them next to the BMI 18.5 to 24.9 range so you can see how much they differ.
What this means
- The four formulas give 154.0 lb, 150.8 lb, 148.2 lb, and 148.8 lb.
- The BMI healthy range for your height is wider: 121.7 lb to 163.8 lb.
- None of these account for muscle, frame, or age. Treat them as reference points.
What if
About this calculator
What this calculator does
It applies four published ideal body weight formulas. Each starts from a base weight at 5 feet and adds a fixed amount per inch above that.
How it is calculated
Devine: men 50 kg + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 ft, women 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg
Robinson: men 52 + 1.9, women 49 + 1.7
Miller: men 56.2 + 1.41, women 53.1 + 1.36
Hamwi: men 48 + 2.7, women 45.5 + 2.2 (kg); in pounds, men 106 + 6 lb, women 100 + 5 lb per inch
How to read the result
The formulas disagree by several pounds, which is a reminder that there is no single ideal number. The BMI range is a broader screening band.
Sources and method
Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi formulas from the Pai and Paloucek review, plus the CDC healthy weight BMI range. Hamwi is computed in pounds for imperial users.
Questions
Which formula is best?
None is best for everyone. Devine is the most widely used in clinical settings.
Why do they start at 5 feet?
Each formula was built from a base weight at 60 inches. Below that they are not designed to work.
Should I aim for this weight?
Not necessarily. Talk with a clinician about a goal that fits your health and body.
Do they account for muscle?
No. Muscular people often weigh more than these formulas suggest.