How to use the Ideal Weight Calculator
- Choose your units and sex.
- Enter your height.
- Compare the healthy BMI range with the four formula results.
What does this tool do?
There's no single perfect weight. The most useful guide for most adults is the weight range that keeps BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. The calculator also shows four older “ideal body weight” formulas, originally created to help dose medicines.
Why use it?
- A realistic range, not a single number.
- Compares four well-known formulas.
- Works in kg or lb.
Example
For a woman 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall, the healthy BMI range is about 50.4 to 67.8 kg (111 to 149 lb). The Devine formula gives 45.5 + 2.3 × 5 = 57 kg.
The formula
Accuracy and limits
- This is a general estimate for healthy adults, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian about your own situation.
- The formulas don't account for frame size, muscle mass or age.
Privacy
The calculation happens instantly in your browser. The numbers you enter are not sent to our servers or saved. There's no account to create and nothing to install.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the formulas give different results?
They were created by different researchers, for different purposes, mostly to estimate medicine doses. None of them accounts for build or muscle mass, so treat them as rough reference points.
Does ideal weight apply to athletes?
Not well. Muscle is heavier than fat, so muscular people can be above these ranges while being very healthy. Waist measurements or body fat percentage are better guides for them.
Last reviewed by the M2Toolkit team.