Ideal Weight Calculator
Multiple classic formulas (Devine, Robinson, Miller, Hamwi) and a BMI-based healthy weight range for your height.
How to use
- 1
Pick your sex — the formulas use different base weights for men and women.
- 2
Enter your height in cm. The result updates instantly with 4 ideal-weight formulas and a BMI-based healthy range.
- 3
The 'average' figure is the mean of the four classic formulas — useful as a single number to remember.
- 4
The BMI-based healthy range (18.5-24.9) is the modern guideline. Any weight inside this range is considered healthy by WHO classification.
- 5
Treat the formula results as ballpark figures, not targets. Body composition matters more than weight — a 75 kg athlete with 12% body fat is healthier than a 70 kg sedentary person with 30% body fat.
Frequently asked questions
None of them are 'accurate' in the way modern medicine prefers. They were all developed for medication dosing — to estimate lean body mass so drug doses could be calculated. For health purposes, BMI 18.5-24.9 is the modern guideline. The four formulas (Devine, Robinson, Miller, Hamwi) give similar answers within a few kg of each other. The Robinson formula tends to give slightly lower numbers; Hamwi tends to give slightly higher.
Because they were developed in the United States in the 1960s-80s when imperial measurements were standard. The original formulas all key off 'pounds per inch over 5 feet'. This calculator converts cm to inches internally so you can use metric.
WHO classifies BMI 18.5-24.9 as the normal/healthy range. Below 18.5 = underweight, 25-29.9 = overweight, 30+ = obese. Multiplied by your height in meters squared, it gives a weight range. For example, a 175 cm person has a healthy range of about 57 to 76 kg. Any weight inside that range is considered healthy on the BMI scale.
Because they don't account for muscle. The classic formulas assume average body composition. A muscular adult can easily be 10-15 kg above their 'ideal weight' on these scales while being healthier than someone at the formula weight. Body fat percentage matters more than total weight. Use the Body Fat Calculator if this applies to you.
Less so at the extremes. The formulas were calibrated for adults between 5 feet and 6 feet 4 inches (152-193 cm). Outside that range they tend to give odd results — typically too low for very short people, slightly too high for very tall people. Use the BMI-based range as a sanity check.
The original formulas don't, but the BMI ranges they're benchmarked against do. South Asian and East Asian populations carry abdominal fat at lower BMIs and reach equivalent cardiometabolic risk around BMI 23 (overweight) and 27.5 (obese) — not 25 and 30. So if your ancestry is South or East Asian, mentally subtract 1-2 kg from these formula results for the 'healthy' threshold. Our BMI Calculator handles this automatically in Customize mode.
Help us improve this calculator
What's missing or wrong? What would make this more useful for you? Every suggestion lands in our inbox.
Related tools
Source: Devine BJ (1974), Robinson JD (1983), Miller DR (1983), Hamwi GJ (1964), WHO BMI classification · Last verified 2026-06. Verify on NCBI. This tool provides estimates only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Always verify your specific situation with the relevant UAE authority or a licensed advisor before taking action.