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What is my ideal body weight for my height?

Enter your sex and height into AnyTool Ideal Weight Calculator in metric (cm) or imperial (ft·in). It instantly computes four classic ideal-body-weight formulas — Devine (1974), Robinson (1983), Miller (1983) and Hamwi (1964) — plotted side by side with an averaged target and a recommended range, plus the modern healthy-weight band from a BMI of 18.5–24.9 for your height. An optional body-frame size nudges the estimate ±10%. Everything is calculated in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.

  • Four formulas: Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi, side by side
  • Each is a 5 ft baseline plus a per-inch increment by sex
  • Also shows the healthy-weight range from BMI 18.5–24.9 — the modern guide
  • Averaged target, recommended range and an optional ±10% frame adjustment
  • 100% in your browser — no upload, no signup, works offline

What is

Ideal Body Weight (IBW)

Ideal body weight is an estimate of a healthy weight for a given height and sex, traditionally calculated with clinical formulas — Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi — that each take a baseline weight at 5 ft (60 inches) and add a fixed increment per inch of additional height. These formulas come from 1960s–80s insurance-table data and ignore muscle, body composition, frame and age, so the modern, better-validated guide is the healthy-weight range from a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 for the height.

Calculators

Related terms

Devine formulaHamwi formulaHealthy weight rangeBody Mass Index (BMI)

Frequently Asked Questions

Each formula starts from a baseline weight at 5 ft and adds a set amount per inch of height above that, differing by sex. For example Devine men is 50 kg plus 2.3 kg per inch over 5 ft.

The four classic formulas share one shape: a baseline weight in kilograms for a 5 ft (60 in) frame plus an increment per extra inch. Devine (1974) uses 50 kg + 2.3 kg/in for men and 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg/in for women; Robinson (1983) uses 52 + 1.9 and 49 + 1.7; Miller (1983) uses 56.2 + 1.41 and 53.1 + 1.36; Hamwi (1964) uses 48 + 2.7 and 45.5 + 2.2. AnyTool computes all four live and also shows the healthy-weight range from a BMI of 18.5–24.9 for your height.

None is definitively the best — Devine is the clinical standard, but all four ignore muscle and body composition, so a healthy weight is a range, not one number.

Devine is the most widely used in clinical practice (it was created for drug dosing), Robinson usually gives the lowest figure, Miller the most generous, and Hamwi is the oldest. Because they take only height and sex, none can tell muscle from fat, so AnyTool shows the spread across all four plus the healthy-weight band from a BMI of 18.5–24.9, which is the more modern and better-validated guide for most adults.

Ideal-weight formulas give one number from height and sex; the healthy BMI range gives a weight band from BMI 18.5–24.9 for your height, which is broader and better validated.

The IBW formulas (Devine, Robinson, Miller, Hamwi) were built in the 1960s–80s for clinical use and return a single point estimate. The healthy-weight range derives the weights that keep you inside the normal BMI band of 18.5–24.9 for your exact height, so it is a range and reflects modern population guidance. AnyTool shows both, and recommends the BMI range as the more useful everyday guide.

It is an estimate, not medical advice — and nothing is uploaded; every calculation runs in your browser.

The formulas ignore muscle, frame, age and ethnicity and can read athletes as over their ideal weight, so the result is a starting point rather than a goal — talk to a clinician before setting weight targets. AnyTool Ideal Weight Calculator runs entirely in your browser, so your height and sex are never sent to a server and the page works offline.

Detailed Explanation

Methodology

How the Ideal Weight Calculator Works

AnyTool Ideal Weight Calculator computes four classic ideal-body-weight (IBW) formulas in the browser from height and sex. Each shares the same shape: a baseline weight in kilograms at 5 ft (60 inches) plus an increment per inch above that. Devine (1974) uses 50 kg + 2.3 kg/in for men and 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg/in for women; Robinson (1983) uses 52 + 1.9 and 49 + 1.7; Miller (1983) uses 56.2 + 1.41 and 53.1 + 1.36; Hamwi (1964) uses 48 + 2.7 and 45.5 + 2.2. The page reports each formula, their average, the recommended span from lowest to highest, and an optional ±10% body-frame adjustment. All arithmetic is pure client-side JavaScript shared through a unit-tested engine.

  • Each formula = baseline at 5 ft + a per-inch increment, by sex
  • Devine 50/45.5 +2.3; Robinson 52/49 +1.9/+1.7; Miller 56.2/53.1 +1.41/+1.36; Hamwi 48/45.5 +2.7/+2.2
  • Height entered in cm or feet+inches; results in kg or lb
  • Reports each formula, the average and a recommended range
  • Optional small/large frame applies a −10% / +10% factor
How It Works

The Healthy-BMI Weight Range — The Modern Guide

Alongside the historical formulas, the calculator solves the healthy-weight band that keeps you inside the normal BMI range of 18.5–24.9 for your exact height, reusing the same unit-tested BMI engine. Because the IBW formulas date from the 1960s–80s and return a single point estimate from height and sex alone, AnyTool presents this BMI-derived range as the more modern and better-validated everyday guide, and plots it on the same comparison chart as the four formula bars so the relationship is visible at a glance.

  • Healthy range = the weights giving a BMI of 18.5–24.9 for the height
  • Reuses the shared, unit-tested BMI engine
  • Shown as a range, not a single number
  • Recommended as the better modern guide vs the old formulas
  • Plotted alongside the four formula bars for easy comparison
Limitations

IBW Formulas Are Population Estimates, Not Targets

The Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi formulas were built for clinical drug dosing and nutrition on 1960s–80s insurance-table data, and they use only height and sex. They ignore muscle mass, body composition, frame, age and ethnicity, so they can read very muscular or athletic people as above their "ideal" weight and there is no single number that defines a healthy weight for everyone. AnyTool states these limits plainly, recommends the healthy-BMI range over the formulas, and presents every figure as a starting point for a conversation with a clinician rather than as medical advice.

  • Formulas use only height and sex — no muscle, frame, age or ethnicity
  • Built in the 1960s–80s for clinical dosing on old insurance data
  • Can read athletes as over their ideal weight
  • No single number is a healthy weight for everyone
  • Presented as an estimate, not a goal or a diagnosis
Privacy & Security

Privacy and Offline Use

Because all computation runs in the browser, your height and sex are never sent to a server, there is no account or tracking, and the page works offline after first load. The calculator is built on pure, unit-tested engines (the ideal-weight formulas plus the shared BMI engine) so its behaviour is consistent and verifiable.

Ideal weight: in-browser (AnyTool) vs typical online ideal-weight calculators
CapabilityAnyToolTypical online calculators
ProcessingRuns in your browserOften server-side
FormulasDevine, Robinson, Miller, HamwiOften one or two
Comparison viewAll four on bars, side by sideUsually a single number
Healthy BMI rangeShown and recommended as the modern guideFrequently omitted
UnitsMetric and imperial, liveUsually one at a time
Frame adjustmentOptional ±10%Rare
Honest limitsStates 1960s–80s caveats plainlyOften presented as a target
Works offlineYes (PWA)No
Cost / signupFree, no signupOften ad-heavy or gated

AnyTool computes every formula and the healthy-BMI range locally and uploads nothing.