Ideal Weight Calculator
Find your ideal weight range using four scientific formulas and the healthy BMI range for your height.
How to use this calculator
Set your height using the sliders and select your gender. The calculator instantly shows your ideal weight according to four different medical formulas, plus the healthy BMI weight range. Optionally enter your current weight to see how you compare.
Understanding ideal weight
"Ideal weight" is a range, not a single number. Different formulas give different results because they were developed using different populations in different decades. The Healthy BMI range (18.5-24.9) is the most widely used clinical standard. Body composition matters more than the scale — someone with high muscle mass may be above their "ideal weight" but have excellent health markers.
Frequently asked questions
Ideal weight formulas compared
Four formulas are widely used to estimate ideal body weight. Each was developed in a different decade using different study populations — which is why they often disagree by 5–15 lbs. None accounts for muscle mass or body composition. The healthy BMI range (18.5–24.9) applied to your height gives the most clinically relevant range.
| Formula | Year | Original purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devine formula | 1974 | Drug dosing calculations | Most widely cited; tends to underestimate for shorter individuals |
| Robinson formula | 1983 | General health reference | Based on medium-frame body habitus |
| Miller formula | 1983 | General health reference | Similar to Robinson; slightly different intercepts |
| Hamwi formula | 1964 | Clinical nutrition estimation | Oldest formula; uses 100 lbs/106 lbs as baseline for 5 ft |
| Healthy BMI range | — | Clinical health screening | BMI 18.5–24.9 applied to height; widest and most evidence-based range |
Ideal weight by height — reference table
The table below shows the healthy weight range (BMI 18.5–24.9) for common heights. These are the ranges associated with the lowest risk of weight-related health conditions for most adults.
| Height | Healthy weight range (BMI 18.5–24.9) |
|---|---|
| 5'0" (152 cm) | 97 – 127 lbs (44 – 58 kg) |
| 5'2" (157 cm) | 104 – 136 lbs (47 – 62 kg) |
| 5'4" (163 cm) | 110 – 144 lbs (50 – 65 kg) |
| 5'6" (168 cm) | 118 – 154 lbs (54 – 70 kg) |
| 5'8" (173 cm) | 125 – 164 lbs (57 – 74 kg) |
| 5'10" (178 cm) | 132 – 174 lbs (60 – 79 kg) |
| 6'0" (183 cm) | 140 – 183 lbs (64 – 83 kg) |
| 6'2" (188 cm) | 148 – 194 lbs (67 – 88 kg) |
Why the four formulas were invented — and why they disagree
The Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi equations were never designed to tell a person their "perfect" body weight. Three of the four came out of clinical medicine, where a single reference weight was needed to calculate dosing and intervention. Because each was fitted to a different population and a different purpose, they return values that can differ by 5–15 lbs for the same height — which is exactly why this calculator averages them rather than trusting any one.
- ·Hamwi (1964) was created by a physician to set protein and calorie targets for diabetic patients, using a quick "100 lbs at 5 ft, then add per inch" rule
- ·Devine (1974) was built specifically to standardize medication dosing — it is still the formula behind many drug-dose and ventilator calculations today
- ·Robinson (1983) and Miller (1983) were refits of the older equations against newer reference data, nudging the intercepts and per-inch slopes
- ·All four assume a medium frame and none adjust for muscle, so they read identically for a lean runner and a heavily built lifter of the same height
- ·The spread between them is not error so much as a reminder that "ideal weight" is a clinical convenience, not a single biological truth
How ideal body weight is actually used in the clinic
Outside of fitness goals, ideal body weight (IBW) is a working number that medicine relies on every day. Many drugs distribute through lean tissue rather than fat, so dosing them by actual scale weight would overshoot in heavier patients — IBW gives a safer, more consistent basis. It is one of the main reasons the Devine formula has outlived its original 1970s context.
- ·Medication dosing — drugs such as certain antibiotics and chemotherapy agents are dosed on IBW or an adjusted body weight to avoid overdosing fat-soluble compartments
- ·Ventilator settings — lung-protective tidal volume in intensive care is set per kilogram of predicted (ideal) body weight, since lung size tracks height, not fatness
- ·Nutrition and fluid planning — clinicians estimate calorie, protein, and fluid needs from IBW when actual weight would distort the target
- ·Renal and metabolic estimates — several kidney-function and metabolic equations fall back on IBW for patients at weight extremes
Related calculators
Ideal weight by height
Dedicated pages with the healthy range and all four formulas for every height, 4'10" to 6'8".