Ideal Weight Calculator
Estimate a healthy weight range for your height using four widely used medical formulas and the WHO healthy BMI range.
Average Ideal Weight
159 lbs
72.3 kg — average of 4 formulas
Healthy BMI Weight Range
129–174 lbs
58.5–79.0 kg — WHO BMI 18.5–25
Formula Comparison
| Formula | Weight (lbs) | Weight (kg) | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamwi | 165 | 75.0 | 1964 |
| Devine (most used) | 161 | 73.0 | 1974 |
| Robinson | 157 | 71.0 | 1983 |
| Miller | 155 | 70.3 | 1983 |
For a 5'10" male, the average of four widely used ideal weight formulas is approximately 159 lbs (72.3 kg). The WHO healthy BMI range for this height is 129–174 lbs.
What is an Ideal Weight Calculator?
An ideal weight calculator estimates a healthy body weight based mainly on height and gender, using formulas originally developed for medicine — specifically, to help clinicians dose medications more accurately than total body weight alone would allow. Today the same formulas are used more broadly as general reference points for a healthy weight range.
No single formula is "correct" — each was derived from a different population and era, so this calculator shows four of them side by side alongside the WHO healthy BMI weight range, giving you a band of reasonable estimates rather than one falsely precise number.
The Four Ideal Weight Formulas
All four formulas share the same basic shape: a base weight for exactly 5 feet of height, plus a fixed amount added for every inch above 5 feet. They differ in their base weight and per-inch increment, reflecting the different populations and decades each was derived from.
The Hamwi formula was invented specifically for medication dosage estimates. Devine's 1974 formula is a refinement that became, and remains, the single most widely used ideal body weight formula in clinical practice — including for drug dosing calculations where body weight affects how a medication is metabolized. Robinson and Miller are both later modifications of Devine's work, developed independently in 1983.
Why These Formulas Exist — And What They Actually Measure
Ideal Body Weight (IBW) was never designed as an aesthetic or fitness target. It was developed so clinicians could estimate medication dosages more accurately, since the metabolism of many drugs correlates more closely with IBW than with a patient's actual total body weight — particularly relevant for patients who are significantly overweight or underweight. The formulas have since been repurposed for general health guidance and even for sports weight classifications, uses well beyond their original medical intent.
Because each formula was built to apply broadly across a wide range of people, none of them can be highly accurate for any single individual. They ignore body fat percentage and muscle mass entirely — using only height and gender — which is why a highly fit, heavily muscled athlete can show up as "overweight" by these formulas despite carrying very little body fat.
Age, Frame Size, and Other Factors These Formulas Skip
Age has little direct effect on ideal weight once adulthood is reached (these formulas were validated on the 14–17 age range and up), though the body itself changes over time: adults typically lose 1–2 inches of height by their 70s as spinal discs compress, and muscle mass naturally declines with age while fat tends to accumulate more easily — neither of which the formulas adjust for automatically as you re-enter your current height.
Frame size is a more significant gap. Traditionally estimated from wrist circumference relative to height, a large-boned person carries more skeletal mass than a small-boned person of identical height, and will naturally weigh more at the same body fat percentage. None of the four formulas above account for frame size, which is one reason the healthy BMI weight range — a wider band rather than a single number — is shown alongside them.
Example — Your Current Inputs
For a 5'10" male, the average of four widely used ideal weight formulas is approximately 159 lbs (72.3 kg). The WHO healthy BMI range for this height is 129–174 lbs.
Additional Example — 6'0" Male
A 6-foot-tall (72") male is 12 inches over the 5-foot baseline each formula starts from. Hamwi estimates about 80.4 kg (177 lbs); Devine about 77.6 kg (171 lbs); Robinson about 74.8 kg (165 lbs); and Miller about 73.1 kg (161 lbs) — a spread of roughly 16 lbs across the four formulas for the exact same height.
The healthy BMI range for 6'0" is about 136–184 lbs — a considerably wider band that comfortably contains all four formula estimates. This illustrates why it's more useful to think of "ideal weight" as a reasonable range rather than a single target number.
About These Parameters
- Height
- The single biggest driver of every formula here — taller people naturally carry more muscle, bone, and organ mass, which is what these formulas are actually approximating. All four formulas are calibrated around a 5-foot baseline and become less reliable well below that height.
- Gender
- Every formula uses a lower base weight and/or per-inch increment for females, reflecting that males of the same height typically carry roughly 10–20% more weight on average — driven mainly by higher average muscle mass and bone density, not a difference in "healthiness."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which ideal weight formula is the most accurate?
None is definitively "most accurate" for every person — Devine is the most widely used in clinical settings (particularly for drug dosing), but all four were built to generalize across a broad population rather than to be precise for any one individual. Treat the spread across all four, alongside the healthy BMI range, as your realistic estimate rather than picking a single formula as the definitive answer.
Why don't these formulas ask for my current weight?
By design — they calculate a target/reference weight purely from height and gender, independent of what you currently weigh. That's what makes them useful for clinical dosing (where you need a reference weight regardless of a patient's actual weight) but also what makes them blind to your actual body composition.
I'm a muscular athlete and this says I'm "overweight" — should I be concerned?
No. None of these formulas — including the BMI-based range — can distinguish muscle from fat. A muscular, low-body-fat athlete can weigh well above these estimates while being perfectly healthy. If body composition matters to your goal, a body fat percentage measurement is far more informative than any height-based ideal weight formula. Try the Body Fat Calculator for a composition-aware estimate.
Does frame size (small/medium/large boned) change my ideal weight?
In reality, yes — a large-framed person naturally carries more skeletal mass at a healthy weight than a small-framed person of the same height. None of the four formulas above adjust for frame size directly, which is one reason their estimates can differ from the wider, more forgiving healthy BMI weight range shown alongside them.
Should I try to hit this exact number?
No — these results are general guidelines, not strict targets. How much a person should weigh is not an exact science, and factors like activity level, muscle mass, medical history, and personal health goals matter more than matching a formula-derived number exactly. Prioritizing sustainable habits — regular activity, varied whole-food eating, adequate sleep — tends to produce better long-term outcomes than chasing a specific number on a scale.