Ideal Weight Calculator
Estimate ideal body weight from height using four standard medical formulas plus the healthy BMI range.
About this tool
Ideal body weight formulas were originally developed for drug dosing, and they remain the standard quick reference relating weight to height. This calculator reports the four in common clinical use, named after Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi, alongside the weight range corresponding to a healthy BMI of 18.5 to 24.9.
The four formulas disagree with each other by several kilograms, which is itself the honest message: there is no single ideal weight, only a healthy range. Body composition, frame size, and age all shift where within that range an individual is healthiest.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the formulas give different answers?
Each was fitted to different reference data decades apart. Clinicians treat them as rough anchors, not targets, and the BMI based range is the more current guideline.
Is the BMI range better than the named formulas?
For most adults, yes. The healthy BMI range scales with height squared rather than linearly, which matches population health data more closely.