Bemivo
Ideal weight calculator
What four classic formulas say for your height, next to the healthy BMI range. Read the range, not a single number.
A screening number, not a diagnosis. Talk to a doctor about anything that worries you.
About this number
These formulas were written for drug dosing, not for telling anyone what to weigh. Four of them disagree, which is the point: read the range, not a single number.
Each formula starts from a base weight at five feet and adds a fixed amount per inch: Hamwi (1964), Devine (1974), Robinson (1983) and Miller (1983). The BMI range next to them is the healthy band for your height, and the one a doctor is most likely to use.
Hamwi= 48+ 2.7× (Height− 152.4)÷ 2.54
Devine= 50+ 2.3× (Height− 152.4)÷ 2.54
Robinson= 52+ 1.9× (Height− 152.4)÷ 2.54
Miller= 56.2+ 1.41× (Height− 152.4)÷ 2.54
Results in kilograms. Each formula starts from a weight at 152.4 cm (5 feet) and adds a fixed amount for every inch (2.54 cm) above it.
Sources
- The origin of the "ideal" body weight equations
Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2000
- Universal equation for estimating ideal body weight and body weight at any BMI
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016
Questions people ask
Which formula is right?
None is right for everyone. They were fitted to different groups for drug dosing and do not account for muscle or frame. The healthy BMI range is the broadest and most widely used answer.
Why is the range so wide?
Because a healthy weight is a range. At 175 cm, a BMI of 18.5 to 25 covers about 57 to 77 kg, and plenty of healthy people sit anywhere in it.
What is a good weight for my height?
A weight that puts your BMI between 18.5 and 25, the healthy range this page shows for your height. At 5 feet 6 inches, that is about 115 to 155 lb.
How do I calculate ideal weight for my height and age?
Age does not enter any of these formulas. Each starts from a base weight at five feet and adds a fixed amount per inch, with different numbers for men and women: Devine, for example, gives men 50 kg plus 2.3 kg for every inch over five feet. The healthy BMI range does not change with adult age either.
Is there an ideal weight calculator that is not based on BMI?
Yes, the four formulas on this page. Hamwi, Devine, Robinson and Miller use only your height and sex, not BMI, and sit next to the BMI range so you can compare.
Every calculator, free
Eight ways to read the same measurements. No account, nothing saved anywhere but your browser.
- BMI calculatorBody mass index and the healthy weight range for your height
- Body fat calculatorUS Navy method, from three tape measurements
- BMR calculatorThe calories your body burns at complete rest
- TDEE calculatorYour daily calories, and the macros that fit them
- Waist to height ratio calculatorWaist to height, and waist to hip
- Child BMI calculatorPercentile for age and sex, children and teens 2 to 19
- Kg to lbs to stone, and cm to feet and inchesKilograms, pounds, stones, centimetres, feet and inches
Bemivo for iPhone and Android
Keep every number, and see where it is going.
The Bemivo app is a weight tracker: a trend line that ignores the daily noise of the scale, goals with a projected date, and the whole family in one account. It starts with a free trial.
- History and a trend line that ignores daily noise
- Goals with a projected date
- Home Screen widgets, and Lock Screen on iPhone
- Weigh-in reminders
- Up to 10 profiles for the family
- Body measurements, CSV and a PDF for your doctor
The calculators on this website stay free.