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What is my ideal body weight range?

Enter your height and sex to see your ideal body weight by four published formulas and the healthy BMI weight range. Or enter a weight to find the height it matches.

Your numbers

Units
Sex
Find the height for a weight
Devine formula
160.9 lb

The Devine formula gives an ideal weight of 160.9 lb; the healthy BMI range for this height is 128.9 lb to 174.2 lb.

Robinson formula
156.5 lb
Miller formula
155 lb
Hamwi formula
166 lb
Healthy weight from
128.9 lb
Healthy weight up to
174.2 lb

Devine formula: 160.9 lb. The Devine formula gives an ideal weight of 160.9 lb; the healthy BMI range for this height is 128.9 lb to 174.2 lb.

This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use

How to calculate

Estimates ideal body weight for a height and sex with the Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi equations, and the healthy weight range for BMI 18.5 to 25.

Example with the default inputs (Height 5 ft 10 in, Sex Male): The Devine formula gives an ideal weight of 160.9 lb; the healthy BMI range for this height is 128.9 lb to 174.2 lb.

Formula: Ideal weight = base + slope × (height in inches − 60): Devine 50 + 2.3 (men), 45.5 + 2.3 (women) kg; Robinson 52 + 1.9, 49 + 1.7 kg; Miller 56.2 + 1.41, 53.1 + 1.36 kg; Hamwi 106 + 6, 100 + 5 lb. Healthy range = 18.5 × height² to 25 × height² (kg, m).

  • The four equations were made for adults 5 ft (60 in) and taller. Below 5 ft, the same straight lines are continued down to 4 ft.
  • Hamwi’s pounds are converted with 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly; 1 in = 0.0254 m exactly.
  • The healthy weight range is the CDC adult BMI range, 18.5 up to (just under) 25.
  • Ideal body weight equations were made for drug dosing and height-weight tables. They do not account for muscle, frame, or age, and this is not medical advice.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Sex Male, Height 5 ft 10 in gives Devine formula 160.9 lb, Robinson formula 156.5 lb, Miller formula 155 lb, Hamwi formula 166 lb, Healthy weight from 128.9 lb, Healthy weight up to 174.2 lb.Source: Peterson and others (2016), Am J Clin Nutr, Table 3 equations; hand calculation in content.mdx: 50 + 2.3 × 10 = 73 kg; 52 + 1.9 × 10 = 71 kg; 56.2 + 1.41 × 10 = 70.3 kg; 106 + 6 × 10 = 166 lb = 75.30 kg; 18.5 and 25 × 1.778² (CDC BMI range)
  2. Sex Female, Height 5 ft 4 in gives Devine formula 120.6 lb, Robinson formula 123 lb, Miller formula 129.1 lb, Hamwi formula 120 lb.Source: Peterson and others (2016), Table 3; hand calculation in content.mdx: 45.5 + 2.3 × 4 = 54.7 kg; 49 + 1.7 × 4 = 55.8 kg; 53.1 + 1.36 × 4 = 58.54 kg; 100 + 5 × 4 = 120 lb = 54.43 kg
  3. Sex Male, Devine formula 160.9 lb gives Height 5 ft 10 in, Robinson formula 156.5 lb.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: the Devine line solved for height, 60 + (73 − 50) ÷ 2.3 = 70 in = 1.778 m
  4. Sex Female, Hamwi formula 130 lb gives Height 5 ft 6 in, Devine formula 130.7 lb.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: the Hamwi line for women solved for height, 60 + (130 − 100) ÷ 5 = 66 in = 1.6764 m; Devine at 66 in: 45.5 + 2.3 × 6 = 59.3 kg

How ideal weight is worked out

Each formula is a straight line in the height above 5 feet. Let h be your height in inches (1 in = 0.0254 m exactly).

  • Devine (1974): men 50 kg + 2.3 kg × (h − 60); women 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg × (h − 60).
  • Robinson (1983): men 52 kg + 1.9 kg × (h − 60); women 49 kg + 1.7 kg × (h − 60).
  • Miller (1983): men 56.2 kg + 1.41 kg × (h − 60); women 53.1 kg + 1.36 kg × (h − 60).
  • Hamwi (1964): men 106 lb + 6 lb × (h − 60); women 100 lb + 5 lb × (h − 60). The calculator converts pounds with 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly.

The healthy weight range is the weight for a BMI from 18.5 up to (just under) 25 at your height: 18.5 × height² to 25 × height², with height in metres and weight in kilograms.

Solving for height. Clear the height, open "Find the height for a weight", and enter any one weight. The calculator solves that line for the height, then works out the others. For example, from a Devine weight w (kg) for a man: h = 60 + (w − 50) ÷ 2.3 inches. From a healthy-range weight: height = √(weight ÷ 18.5) or √(weight ÷ 25). A weight that gives a height outside 4 ft to 2.5 m has no answer.

No value is rounded in the calculation. Weights show in pounds or kilograms, with the unit switch.

Assumptions

  • The formulas are for adults. They were written for heights of 5 feet and more; below 5 feet, the calculator continues the same lines down to 4 feet.
  • They depend only on height and sex, not on muscle, frame size, or age.
  • The healthy range uses the CDC adult BMI categories, for people aged 20 and older.

This page is for information only. It is not medical advice. Talk with a health care professional about a healthy weight for you.

Worked examples by hand

A man 5 ft 10 in tall (h = 70, so h − 60 = 10; 70 in = 1.778 m):

  • Devine: 50 + 2.3 × 10 = 73 kg (160.9 lb).
  • Robinson: 52 + 1.9 × 10 = 71 kg.
  • Miller: 56.2 + 1.41 × 10 = 70.3 kg.
  • Hamwi: 106 + 6 × 10 = 166 lb = 75.30 kg.
  • Healthy range: 18.5 × 1.778² = 18.5 × 3.161284 = 58.48 kg to 25 × 3.161284 = 79.03 kg.

A woman 5 ft 4 in tall (h − 60 = 4): Devine 45.5 + 2.3 × 4 = 54.7 kg; Robinson 49 + 1.7 × 4 = 55.8 kg; Miller 53.1 + 1.36 × 4 = 58.54 kg; Hamwi 100 + 5 × 4 = 120 lb = 54.43 kg.

The height that gives a Devine weight of 73 kg for a man. h = 60 + (73 − 50) ÷ 2.3 = 60 + 10 = 70 in (1.778 m). Robinson at that height is 71 kg.

The height that gives a Hamwi weight of 130 lb for a woman. h = 60 + (130 − 100) ÷ 5 = 60 + 6 = 66 in (1.6764 m). Devine at 66 in: 45.5 + 2.3 × 6 = 59.3 kg.

Other questions people ask

How do I calculate my ideal weight?

Take your height in inches over 5 feet and use a formula. The Devine formula is 50 kg + 2.3 kg per inch for men and 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg per inch for women. A man 5 ft 10 in tall is 10 inches over 5 feet, so his Devine ideal weight is 50 + 2.3 × 10 = 73 kg (161 lb).

Which ideal weight formula should I use?

The Devine formula (1974) is the one most used in medicine, mainly for drug doses. Robinson and Miller (both 1983) refitted the same idea to insurance height-weight tables, and Hamwi (1964) is an older rule in pounds. Peterson and others (2016) found that the formulas agree with the same idea as BMI only roughly, so the healthy BMI range is a better guide to a healthy weight.

What is a healthy weight for my height?

The weight that gives a BMI from 18.5 to just under 25 at your height (CDC adult categories): 18.5 × height² to 25 × height², with height in metres and weight in kilograms. At 5 ft 10 in (1.778 m), that is about 58.5 to 79.0 kg, or 129 to 174 lb.

Why do the formulas give different answers?

They were fitted to different height-weight data at different times. They also grow at different rates with height: Devine adds 2.3 kg per inch for men, Miller only 1.41 kg. The gap is small near 5 ft 6 in and grows for very short or very tall people.

Can I use this if I am shorter than 5 feet?

The formulas were written for heights of 5 feet and more. The calculator continues the same straight lines down to 4 feet, so results below 5 feet are extrapolated and less reliable.

Does ideal weight account for muscle or body frame?

No. The formulas use only height and sex. A muscular person can weigh more than their ideal body weight and still be healthy. Body fat percentage or waist size says more about body composition.