Ideal Weight Calculator
Use this ideal weight calculator to estimate your ideal body weight from your height and sex using a clinical formula.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Kevin Cyr, MD
Kevin Cyr, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician who trained at Stanford University School of Medicine and completed residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Ideal Body Weight Is Calculated
Ideal weight is a loaded phrase, but the number behind it is far less deep than it sounds. It comes from a 1974 shortcut doctors needed for a completely unrelated problem, figuring out how much of a drug dose actually reaches a patient's tissue. That clinical footnote is the entire origin story of the number this calculator gives you.
What This Calculator Measures
The result is a single reference number based only on your sex and height. It doesn't account for muscle mass, frame size, or age, which is why it's best treated as a rough anchor point rather than a precise goal.
The Formula
This calculator uses the Devine formula¹, the most widely cited of several similar formulas and the one most electronic health records still use today:
Men: Ideal Weight (kg) = 50 + 2.3 × (height in inches − 60)
Women: Ideal Weight (kg) = 45.5 + 2.3 × (height in inches − 60)
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
This calculator converts your height to total inches regardless of which unit you entered it in, since the formula's structure is built around inches above five feet. Your result is calculated in kilograms, then converted to pounds if you're viewing in imperial.
How the Four Major Formulas Compare (For Context)
This calculator only returns the Devine result above. The table below is background on three other published formulas, shown so you can see how they compare rather than as an option to switch between.
Formula | Men | Women |
Devine (1974) | 50 + 2.3 kg per inch | 45.5 + 2.3 kg per inch |
Robinson (1983) | 52 + 1.9 kg per inch | 49 + 1.7 kg per inch |
Miller (1983) | 56.2 + 1.41 kg per inch | 53.1 + 1.36 kg per inch |
Hamwi (1964) | 48.0 + 2.7 kg per inch | 45.5 + 2.2 kg per inch |
All four follow the same basic pattern: a baseline weight at 5 feet, plus an amount added per inch of height above that. A historical review comparing them found the differences rarely matter in practice, and any one of the four gives a reasonable estimate¹.
A Note on Accuracy
None of the four formulas below were built from large population health studies, they're clinical shortcuts that outgrew their original purpose. Frame size, muscle mass, and age all shift what a genuinely healthy weight looks like far more than a single formula from 1974 can capture. Pairing this with the Body Fat or BMI calculator gives a fuller picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my ideal weight based on my height?
This calculator estimates it using the Devine formula¹, which starts from a baseline at 5 feet and adds a fixed amount per inch of height. Enter your sex and height above to get your result.
Is there really one 'ideal' weight for my height?
Not in any precise sense. These formulas give a reasonable reference point, but a genuinely healthy weight spans a range shaped by frame size and muscle mass that none of the four equations account for.
Which formula does this calculator use?
The Devine formula¹, the most widely referenced of the four and the one most clinical tools still default to today.
Should I aim exactly for this number?
Treat it as a general reference rather than a strict target. How you feel and your body composition matter more than hitting one precise figure from a decades-old formula.
Sources
The Origin of the “Ideal” Body Weight Equations, Pai & Paloucek, 2000
Determination of Ideal Body Weight for Drug Dosage Calculations, Robinson et al., 1983
Determining Ideal Body Weight (letter), Miller et al., 1983
Ideal Weight Calculator
Use this ideal weight calculator to estimate your ideal body weight from your height and sex using a clinical formula.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Kevin Cyr, MD
Kevin Cyr, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician who trained at Stanford University School of Medicine and completed residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Ideal Body Weight Is Calculated
Ideal weight is a loaded phrase, but the number behind it is far less deep than it sounds. It comes from a 1974 shortcut doctors needed for a completely unrelated problem, figuring out how much of a drug dose actually reaches a patient's tissue. That clinical footnote is the entire origin story of the number this calculator gives you.
What This Calculator Measures
The result is a single reference number based only on your sex and height. It doesn't account for muscle mass, frame size, or age, which is why it's best treated as a rough anchor point rather than a precise goal.
The Formula
This calculator uses the Devine formula¹, the most widely cited of several similar formulas and the one most electronic health records still use today:
Men: Ideal Weight (kg) = 50 + 2.3 × (height in inches − 60)
Women: Ideal Weight (kg) = 45.5 + 2.3 × (height in inches − 60)
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
This calculator converts your height to total inches regardless of which unit you entered it in, since the formula's structure is built around inches above five feet. Your result is calculated in kilograms, then converted to pounds if you're viewing in imperial.
How the Four Major Formulas Compare (For Context)
This calculator only returns the Devine result above. The table below is background on three other published formulas, shown so you can see how they compare rather than as an option to switch between.
Formula | Men | Women |
Devine (1974) | 50 + 2.3 kg per inch | 45.5 + 2.3 kg per inch |
Robinson (1983) | 52 + 1.9 kg per inch | 49 + 1.7 kg per inch |
Miller (1983) | 56.2 + 1.41 kg per inch | 53.1 + 1.36 kg per inch |
Hamwi (1964) | 48.0 + 2.7 kg per inch | 45.5 + 2.2 kg per inch |
All four follow the same basic pattern: a baseline weight at 5 feet, plus an amount added per inch of height above that. A historical review comparing them found the differences rarely matter in practice, and any one of the four gives a reasonable estimate¹.
A Note on Accuracy
None of the four formulas below were built from large population health studies, they're clinical shortcuts that outgrew their original purpose. Frame size, muscle mass, and age all shift what a genuinely healthy weight looks like far more than a single formula from 1974 can capture. Pairing this with the Body Fat or BMI calculator gives a fuller picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my ideal weight based on my height?
This calculator estimates it using the Devine formula¹, which starts from a baseline at 5 feet and adds a fixed amount per inch of height. Enter your sex and height above to get your result.
Is there really one 'ideal' weight for my height?
Not in any precise sense. These formulas give a reasonable reference point, but a genuinely healthy weight spans a range shaped by frame size and muscle mass that none of the four equations account for.
Which formula does this calculator use?
The Devine formula¹, the most widely referenced of the four and the one most clinical tools still default to today.
Should I aim exactly for this number?
Treat it as a general reference rather than a strict target. How you feel and your body composition matter more than hitting one precise figure from a decades-old formula.
Sources
The Origin of the “Ideal” Body Weight Equations, Pai & Paloucek, 2000
Determination of Ideal Body Weight for Drug Dosage Calculations, Robinson et al., 1983
Determining Ideal Body Weight (letter), Miller et al., 1983
Ideal Weight Calculator
Use this ideal weight calculator to estimate your ideal body weight from your height and sex using a clinical formula.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Kevin Cyr, MD
Kevin Cyr, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician who trained at Stanford University School of Medicine and completed residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Ideal Body Weight Is Calculated
Ideal weight is a loaded phrase, but the number behind it is far less deep than it sounds. It comes from a 1974 shortcut doctors needed for a completely unrelated problem, figuring out how much of a drug dose actually reaches a patient's tissue. That clinical footnote is the entire origin story of the number this calculator gives you.
What This Calculator Measures
The result is a single reference number based only on your sex and height. It doesn't account for muscle mass, frame size, or age, which is why it's best treated as a rough anchor point rather than a precise goal.
The Formula
This calculator uses the Devine formula¹, the most widely cited of several similar formulas and the one most electronic health records still use today:
Men: Ideal Weight (kg) = 50 + 2.3 × (height in inches − 60)
Women: Ideal Weight (kg) = 45.5 + 2.3 × (height in inches − 60)
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
This calculator converts your height to total inches regardless of which unit you entered it in, since the formula's structure is built around inches above five feet. Your result is calculated in kilograms, then converted to pounds if you're viewing in imperial.
How the Four Major Formulas Compare (For Context)
This calculator only returns the Devine result above. The table below is background on three other published formulas, shown so you can see how they compare rather than as an option to switch between.
Formula | Men | Women |
Devine (1974) | 50 + 2.3 kg per inch | 45.5 + 2.3 kg per inch |
Robinson (1983) | 52 + 1.9 kg per inch | 49 + 1.7 kg per inch |
Miller (1983) | 56.2 + 1.41 kg per inch | 53.1 + 1.36 kg per inch |
Hamwi (1964) | 48.0 + 2.7 kg per inch | 45.5 + 2.2 kg per inch |
All four follow the same basic pattern: a baseline weight at 5 feet, plus an amount added per inch of height above that. A historical review comparing them found the differences rarely matter in practice, and any one of the four gives a reasonable estimate¹.
A Note on Accuracy
None of the four formulas below were built from large population health studies, they're clinical shortcuts that outgrew their original purpose. Frame size, muscle mass, and age all shift what a genuinely healthy weight looks like far more than a single formula from 1974 can capture. Pairing this with the Body Fat or BMI calculator gives a fuller picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my ideal weight based on my height?
This calculator estimates it using the Devine formula¹, which starts from a baseline at 5 feet and adds a fixed amount per inch of height. Enter your sex and height above to get your result.
Is there really one 'ideal' weight for my height?
Not in any precise sense. These formulas give a reasonable reference point, but a genuinely healthy weight spans a range shaped by frame size and muscle mass that none of the four equations account for.
Which formula does this calculator use?
The Devine formula¹, the most widely referenced of the four and the one most clinical tools still default to today.
Should I aim exactly for this number?
Treat it as a general reference rather than a strict target. How you feel and your body composition matter more than hitting one precise figure from a decades-old formula.
Sources
The Origin of the “Ideal” Body Weight Equations, Pai & Paloucek, 2000
Determination of Ideal Body Weight for Drug Dosage Calculations, Robinson et al., 1983
Determining Ideal Body Weight (letter), Miller et al., 1983