About the Ideal Weight Calculator
This shows a healthy weight range for your height, plus a single "ideal weight" figure from a classic clinical formula. It's a useful reference point for setting a realistic goal, understanding whether your weight sits in a healthy band, or just curiosity. Enter your height (and sex for the formula) in metric or imperial units.
How it works
It gives two things:
- Healthy weight range — the weights that put your BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, calculated as
18.5 × height(m)²to24.9 × height(m)². This is the widely-used healthy band and gives a sensible target range rather than a single number. - Devine ideal weight — a formula originally created for medication dosing: men = 50 kg + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 ft; women = 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 ft. It produces one figure based on height and sex.
Assumptions and behaviour
- The healthy range uses the standard BMI band (18.5–24.9) applied to your height.
- The Devine formula is height- and sex-based and only applies to heights over 5 ft (152 cm).
- Results are shown in kg or lb to match your chosen units.
- Several "ideal weight" formulas exist (Devine, Robinson, Miller, Hamwi) and give slightly different numbers; this uses Devine, the most widely cited.
Limitations
- "Ideal weight" is a rough guide, not a precise target. These formulas use only height and sex — they ignore build, frame size, muscle mass and body composition, so a muscular person may sit above the range while being perfectly healthy.
- The BMI-based range shares BMI's limitations and isn't valid for athletes, children, pregnant women, or the very elderly.
- The Devine formula was designed for drug dosing, not as a fitness goal, and tends to read low for taller people.
- This is general information, not medical advice — a healthy weight for you is best discussed with a health professional.
Privacy
The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Your details are never uploaded or stored.
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