Weight and height
Ideal weight calculator: healthy weight for your height
Enter your height to see the weight range the World Health Organization counts as healthy for it, a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Below it you will find the four classic "ideal body weight" formulas (Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi) for comparison, with an explanation of where they come from and why a range is the more useful answer.
Enter your values above to see your result and what it means.
Healthy weight for your height
The healthy weight range is the WHO adult BMI band of 18.5 to 24.9 written out as weights. To get it yourself, multiply your height in metres squared by 18.5 and by 24.9. Example: at 1.70 m, 1.70 × 1.70 = 2.89, so the range is 53.5 to 72.0 kg. The table lists common heights.
| Height | Healthy weight range |
|---|---|
| 4 ft 10 in (58 in) | 89-119 lb |
| 5 ft 0 in (60 in) | 95-127 lb |
| 5 ft 2 in (62 in) | 101-136 lb |
| 5 ft 4 in (64 in) | 108-145 lb |
| 5 ft 6 in (66 in) | 115-154 lb |
| 5 ft 8 in (68 in) | 122-164 lb |
| 5 ft 10 in (70 in) | 129-174 lb |
| 6 ft 0 in (72 in) | 136-184 lb |
| 6 ft 2 in (74 in) | 144-194 lb |
| 6 ft 4 in (76 in) | 152-205 lb |
How to calculate ideal body weight
The four classic formulas all start from a base weight at 5 feet and add a fixed amount for every inch above it. Devine (1974): men 50 kg + 2.3 kg per inch, women 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg per inch. Robinson (1983): men 52 kg + 1.9 kg, women 49 kg + 1.7 kg. Miller (1983): men 56.2 kg + 1.41 kg, women 53.1 kg + 1.36 kg. Hamwi (1964): men 48 kg + 2.7 kg, women 45.5 kg + 2.2 kg. Example: a woman 5 ft 5 in tall (5 inches above 5 feet) gets 45.5 + 5 × 2.3 = 57 kg (126 lb) from Devine.
| Formula | Woman 160 cm | Woman 170 cm | Man 170 cm | Man 180 cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devine | 52.4 | 61.4 | 65.9 | 75.0 |
| Robinson | 54.1 | 60.8 | 65.2 | 72.6 |
| Miller | 57.2 | 62.5 | 66.0 | 71.5 |
| Hamwi | 52.1 | 60.7 | 66.7 | 77.3 |
Where the ideal weight formulas come from
A review in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy (Pai and Paloucek, 2000) traced these equations to old life-insurance height and weight tables. Devine's 1974 equations came into use because the way some drugs are handled by the body tracks ideal body weight, and the later formulas refitted the same kind of tables, which is why they give similar numbers. They are still used to estimate drug doses. None of them was built to say what weight is healthy for a particular person, and the versions in use take no account of muscle, frame size or age. The BMI range is what health guidelines use for that question.
BMI, body fat and waist size
A weight inside the healthy range is a good sign, and two more measurements add detail. Body fat percentage shows how much of your weight is fat, and waist-to-hip ratio shows where fat is stored, which matters for heart and metabolic risk.
Frequently asked questions
What is my ideal weight for my height?
For adults, the healthy range is any weight that gives a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. At 5 ft 4 in that is about 108 to 145 lb; at 5 ft 10 in, about 129 to 174 lb. Enter your height above for your exact range.
How do I calculate my ideal body weight?
Multiply your height in metres by itself, then by 18.5 and by 24.9 to get the healthy range in kilograms. The Devine formula, often called "ideal body weight", is 50 kg for men or 45.5 kg for women plus 2.3 kg for every inch over 5 feet.
Does ideal weight depend on age?
For adults, the WHO BMI bands are the same at every age, so the healthy range for your height does not change as you get older. Children and teenagers are assessed differently, on BMI-for-age charts.
Is the Devine formula a healthy weight target?
Treat it as a reference number. The Devine formula came into use for calculating drug doses and traces back to old insurance tables. The healthy BMI range is a better guide, and a doctor can tell you what makes sense for you.
Why do ideal weight calculators give different numbers?
Each formula was fitted to slightly different height and weight tables, so they disagree by a few kilograms, more at the short and tall ends. A range is more honest than a single number, which is why this page leads with the healthy BMI range.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Body mass index (BMI).
- Pai MP, Paloucek FP. The origin of the "ideal" body weight equations. Ann Pharmacother. 2000;34(9):1066-1069.
- Robinson JD, Lupkiewicz SM, Palenik L, Lopez LM, Ariet M. Determination of ideal body weight for drug dosage calculations. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1983;40(6):1016-1019.
- Nowaczyk P, Murawa D, Połom K, et al. Analysis of sentinel lymph node biopsy results in colon cancer in regard of the anthropometric features of the population and body composition assessment formulas. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2012;397(5):779-786. (Methods list the Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi formulas used in drug dosing.)