How to find your ideal weight
- Choose male or female and your preferred units.
- Enter your height without shoes.
- Read the healthy weight range based on BMI, and the ideal weight from four classic formulas plus their average.
Where these numbers come from
There is no single "ideal" weight; the formulas below were created for specific purposes and should be read as a reference range. The Devine formula (1974) was designed to dose medicines and is still used in hospitals: 50 kg for men or 45.5 kg for women, plus 2.3 kg for each inch over five feet. Robinson and Miller (1983) refined it using life-insurance data and give slightly different values, especially for taller and shorter people. Hamwi (1964) is a quick clinical rule of thumb.
The healthy weight range comes from the World Health Organization's adult BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9. For most people it is the most useful number, because it is a range rather than a point. None of these methods account for muscle mass, bone structure, age or ethnicity, so athletes often weigh more than the formulas suggest while being perfectly healthy. Waist size and body fat percentage add useful context.
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Which formula is the most accurate?
None is accurate for every individual. Robinson and Miller tend to match modern populations better; the BMI range is the most widely used guide.
Why do the formulas give different numbers?
They were fitted to different data and decades. Their spread shows how rough any single "ideal" figure is.
Do these work for children?
No. Children and teens need age- and sex-specific growth charts.