Ideal Body Weight Calculator
Calculate your ideal body weight based on height and gender. Compare multiple ideal weight formulas.
About this calculator
Ideal body weight formulas give a reference weight for your height. This calculator shows four of them side by side, the Robinson, Hamwi and Miller formulas and a BMI-22 method, plus the average, and the weight range that corresponds to a healthy BMI.
The formulas were designed in the 1950s to 1980s for drug dosing and were never meant as personal targets. They are a starting point. The healthy-BMI range is more useful, since it recognises that people of the same height can be healthy at different weights.
How to use it
- Choose Gender.
- Choose centimetres or feet and inches and enter your height.
- Press Calculate Ideal Weight.
- Compare the formulas and the healthy BMI range.
The formulas
For men, with height over 5 feet (60 inches): Robinson = 52 + 1.9 × inches over 60, Hamwi = 48 + 2.7 × inches over 60, Miller = 56.2 + 1.41 × inches over 60 (kg). Women use 49 + 1.7, 45.5 + 2.2 and 53.1 + 1.36. The BMI-22 method uses 22 × height(m)², and the healthy range is BMI 18.5 to 24.9.
Worked example
Man, 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
| Robinson | 68.9 kg |
| Hamwi | 72.3 kg |
| Miller | 68.7 kg |
| BMI 22 | 67.4 kg |
| Average | 69.3 kg |
| Healthy BMI range | 56.7 to 76.3 kg |
Anywhere between 57 and 76 kg is within a healthy BMI for this height. Muscular builds may sit above the range with no health concern.
This tool gives general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or dietitian before making changes to your diet, exercise or medication.
Tips and common mistakes
- Treat the formulas as reference points. Your healthy weight depends on frame, muscle and age.
- For South Asians, a lower BMI range (18.5 to 22.9) is often recommended because of higher risk at lower BMI.
- Waist circumference tells you more about risk than weight alone.
- Aim for sustainable habits instead of hitting an exact number.
- Ask your doctor for a personalised target if you have a medical condition.
Frequently asked questions
What is my ideal weight for my height?
Formulas give about 69 kg at 175 cm for a man, while a healthy BMI allows roughly 57 to 76 kg.
Which ideal weight formula is best?
None is best. They give similar results for average heights.
Is ideal weight the same as healthy weight?
Healthy weight is a range. Ideal weight formulas give a single figure.
Does it work for children?
No, these formulas are for adults.
Is the formula different for women?
Yes, women's results are slightly lower.
Does muscle change the answer?
Yes. Muscular people may weigh more than the formulas and still be healthy.