Ideal Weight Calculator

What is ideal body weight?

This ideal body weight calculator shows the weight range four standard medical formulas predict for your height and sex, alongside the healthy BMI range. It's a useful reference point — and it comes with an honest caveat most sites skip: these formulas weren't designed to judge physiques.

How it works

All four formulas start from a base weight at 5 feet (152 cm) and add weight per inch above it:

• Devine (1974): 50 kg + 2.3 kg/inch (men); 45.5 + 2.3 (women) — the most widely used, originally created for calculating drug doses
• Robinson (1983): 52 + 1.9 / 49 + 1.7
• Miller (1983): 56.2 + 1.41 / 53.1 + 1.36
• Hamwi (1964): 48 + 2.7 / 45.5 + 2.2

We show the span across all four, plus the weight range that corresponds to a healthy BMI (18.5–24.9) for your height.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my "ideal weight" so low?

Because these formulas describe average builds, mostly for clinical dosing purposes — not muscular ones. A lifter can sit 10–15 kg above their Devine weight while being leaner than average. If that's you, our body fat and FFMI calculators are far better judges.

Which formula should I trust?

None individually — they disagree by design. Use the range as a rough population reference, and body composition metrics for personal decisions.

References

1. Devine BJ. Gentamicin therapy. Drug Intell Clin Pharm. 1974;8:650–655.
2. Robinson JD, Lupkiewicz SM, et al. Determination of ideal body weight for drug dosage calculations. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1983;40(6):1016–1019.
3. Miller DR, Carlson JD, et al. Determining ideal body weight (letter). Am J Hosp Pharm. 1983;40:1622.
4. Hamwi GJ. Therapy: changing dietary concepts. In: Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Diabetes Association; 1964:73–78.

Related

• Waist-to-Height Ratio — a better quick health screen
• Lean Body Mass — what your weight is made of