Ideal body weight calculator
Your ideal body weight from the four formulas clinicians use: Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi.
How this works, sources, and questions
How it works
Each formula starts from a base weight at 5 feet and adds a fixed amount for every inch above it. Devine: men 50 kg and women 45.5 kg, plus 2.3 kg per inch. Robinson: men 52 kg plus 1.9 kg per inch, women 49 kg plus 1.7 kg per inch. Miller: men 56.2 kg plus 1.41 kg per inch, women 53.1 kg plus 1.36 kg per inch. Hamwi: men 106 lb plus 6 lb per inch, women 100 lb plus 5 lb per inch. Alma converts your height to inches, runs all four, and rounds each result to the nearest pound or kilogram.
Evidence
These equations came from drug-dosing work, not from studies of health or longevity. Robinson and Miller fit their equations to the 1959 and 1983 Metropolitan Life height-weight tables. A pharmacy review concluded that any one of them may be used to estimate ideal body weight. StatPearls notes the Devine formula overestimates at tall heights and underestimates at short ones, and all four only apply from 5 feet.
- Peterson et al. A new approach for weight and BMI estimates, Am J Clin Nutr (PMC4841935)
- Pai and Paloucek. The origin of the ideal body weight equations, Ann Pharmacother
- StatPearls: Ideal body weight
- Journal of Renal Nutrition, 2026: weight equations in practice
Updated
Common questions
What is the ideal body weight formula?
The most used one is Devine (1974): 50 kg for men or 45.5 kg for women, plus 2.3 kg for every inch over 5 feet. A 5 ft 10 in man gets 73 kg, about 161 lb.
Why do the four formulas give different numbers?
Each was fit to different data. Robinson and Miller used the 1959 and 1983 Metropolitan Life tables, and Hamwi was a rule of thumb. For most heights they land within about 10 lb of each other.
Is ideal body weight the weight I should be?
No. These formulas were made to dose medicines, and they ignore muscle, frame and age. Use them as one reference point, next to how you feel, your energy and what your clinician says.
How is this different from a BMI range?
A BMI range gives a span of weights for your height. Ideal body weight gives single numbers from formulas that also use your sex. The BMI calculator shows the 18.5 to 24.9 range for your height.
Does this work if I'm under 5 feet?
Not well. All four formulas start at 5 feet, and StatPearls notes they underestimate at short heights. Ask your clinician for a reference weight instead.
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