Ideal Body Weight Calculator

How to use this calculator

1. Enter your height and sex. Those two inputs are all the classic formulas need — ideal body weight is a function of height and sex only, not your current weight or age. Use inches (5 ft 10 in = 70 in) or switch the toggle to centimeters.
2. Pick a formula. Devine is the clinical default and what MDCalc and most hospitals use — it's a fine choice for almost everyone. Robinson and Miller read a little lower, Hamwi a little higher. The compare row shows all four at once plus their average.
3. Add your current weight (optional). This unlocks the interpretation: a chip showing whether your actual weight is Underweight / Healthy / Overweight / Obese against the CDC healthy-weight range, plus your % of ideal body weight and — if you're above IBW — the adjusted body weight clinicians use for dosing.
4. Read the three panels. The big number is your IBW in the chosen formula. The middle panel is the healthy weight range for your height. The right panel is adjusted body weight or % IBW once you've entered a weight.
5. Save or share. Save a result to revisit later (stays on your device), copy a share link with your exact inputs, or export a clean PDF. Track the trend alongside a daily reading from a smart bathroom scale.

Why this calculator is different from other ideal body weight tools

Most ideal body weight pages online do one of two things: a clinician tool that shows a single Devine number with no consumer context, or a consumer calculator that lists a few formulas but stops there. Here's what this one adds:

• All four formulas, live and side-by-side. Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi compute at once with a plain-English note on which runs high and which runs low — so you see the honest spread instead of trusting one number.
• Adjusted body weight and % of IBW — the clinical metrics, made readable. When your actual weight is above ideal, the tool shows the adjusted body weight (IBW + 40% of the excess) that hospitals use to dose certain drugs and set ventilator tidal volumes. Consumer calculators leave this out; clinician calculators show it without explaining it.
• A healthy-range interpretation, not just a number. Enter your weight and a color-and-text chip tells you exactly where you fall against the CDC healthy-weight range for your height — with the honest caveat that a muscular build can read "overweight" on BMI without excess fat.
• Save, share, and export. Save results across visits, share a link with your exact inputs, and download a branded PDF. Almost no other IBW page keeps anything after you refresh.
• Free embeddable widget. Dietitians, nurse educators, pharmacy students, and trainers can drop the same interactive calculator onto their own site with one line of code and built-in attribution.
• Reviewed by a named clinician. Most IBW calculators are anonymous. This one is reviewed by Dr. David Taylor, MD, PhD, with a cited source for every formula.

How this calculator works (the math)

Every formula here follows the same shape: a base weight for a 5-foot-tall adult, plus a fixed amount for each inch of height above five feet (and, extended linearly, subtracted for each inch below). They were derived decades apart from different populations, which is why they disagree by a few pounds. All are expressed in metric internally; imperial inputs are converted first.

Devine (1974) — the clinical default

Originally published to standardize drug dosing in renal failure, the Devine formula became the de-facto clinical standard and is what MDCalc and most hospital tools use:

• Men: IBW = 50 kg + 2.3 kg × (inches over 5 ft)
• Women: IBW = 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg × (inches over 5 ft)

Source: Devine BJ. Gentamicin therapy. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 8: 650–655 (1974).

Robinson (1983) — runs slightly lower

• Men: IBW = 52 kg + 1.9 kg × (inches over 5 ft)
• Women: IBW = 49 kg + 1.7 kg × (inches over 5 ft)

Source: Robinson JD et al. Determination of ideal body weight for drug dosage calculations. Am J Hosp Pharm 40: 1016–1019 (1983).

Miller (1983) — usually the lowest

• Men: IBW = 56.2 kg + 1.41 kg × (inches over 5 ft)
• Women: IBW = 53.1 kg + 1.36 kg × (inches over 5 ft)

Hamwi (1964) — the original, runs highest

The oldest of the four, still taught to dietetics students as a quick bedside estimate:

• Men: IBW = 48 kg + 2.7 kg × (inches over 5 ft)
• Women: IBW = 45.5 kg + 2.2 kg × (inches over 5 ft)

Healthy weight range and adjusted body weight

The healthy weight range is not an IBW formula — it's the weight span that corresponds to a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 at your height, the range the CDC defines as healthy weight:

Healthy weight = 18.5 to 24.9 × height (m)²

Adjusted body weight is used when a patient's actual weight is well above their ideal — dosing some drugs on total body weight would overshoot, so clinicians dose on a weight partway between:

Adjusted body weight = IBW + 0.4 × (actual weight − IBW)

Worked examples

5'10" man, 185 lb — where does he actually fall?

A man who is 70 inches tall has a Devine IBW of about 161 lb (Robinson 157, Miller 155, Hamwi 165 — average ≈ 159 lb). His healthy weight range at that height is roughly 129–173 lb. At 185 lb his BMI is about 26.5, so the chip reads Overweight, he's at about 115% of ideal body weight, and his adjusted body weight is ≈ 171 lb. In practice that means he's ~12 lb above the top of the healthy range — a modest, very achievable target rather than a dramatic one.

5'4" woman planning a realistic goal

A woman who is 64 inches tall has a Devine IBW of about 121 lb and a healthy weight range of roughly 108–145 lb. Notice how wide that range is — 37 pounds. This is the point most "goal weight" conversations miss: "ideal body weight" is a single clinical estimate, but the healthy range is broad, and any weight inside it is fine. If she's at 150 lb (BMI ≈ 25.7, Overweight), aiming for the top of the healthy range (~145 lb) is a smaller, more sustainable first target than the 121 lb "ideal."

The muscular exception

A 5'11" strength athlete at 205 lb has a Devine IBW of ~166 lb and a BMI of ~28.6 — which flags "Overweight." But IBW and BMI both read body mass, not body fat, and neither knows the difference between muscle and fat. For anyone carrying significant muscle, pair this tool with a body-fat measurement; a bioimpedance scale or a DEXA scan tells the real story that a height-and-weight formula can't.

Ideal body weight by height (Devine, quick reference)

Handy if you just want a ballpark without opening the calculator. All values in pounds, Devine formula:

• 5'0" (60 in): men ≈ 110 lb · women ≈ 100 lb
• 5'4" (64 in): men ≈ 130 lb · women ≈ 121 lb
• 5'6" (66 in): men ≈ 140 lb · women ≈ 130 lb
• 5'8" (68 in): men ≈ 151 lb · women ≈ 141 lb
• 5'10" (70 in): men ≈ 161 lb · women ≈ 151 lb
• 6'0" (72 in): men ≈ 171 lb · women ≈ 161 lb
• 6'2" (74 in): men ≈ 181 lb · women ≈ 171 lb

Frequently asked questions

What is my ideal weight for my age and height?

The classic ideal body weight formulas use height and sex only — not age. That surprises people, but it's by design: they were built for drug dosing, where a stable height-based estimate is what's needed. Age matters for body composition (we lose muscle and gain fat with age at the same weight), which is why we also show the healthy BMI range and recommend pairing IBW with a body-fat reading rather than treating it as an age-specific goal.

Which ideal body weight formula is most accurate?

There's no single "most accurate" — they're all population estimates, and none was validated as a personal weight goal. Devine is the most widely used clinically and is a reasonable default. The honest answer is to look at the spread: if Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi all land within a few pounds of each other (they usually do), that band is your estimate. For body-composition goals, a body-fat measurement beats any of these formulas.

Is ideal body weight the same as a healthy weight?

No — and this is the most useful thing on this page. Ideal body weight is a single number from a formula. A healthy weight is a range (BMI 18.5–24.9), and it's wide — often 30–40 pounds. You do not need to hit the exact "ideal" number to be healthy; landing anywhere in the range is the goal. The calculator shows both so you can see the difference.

What is adjusted body weight and do I need it?

Adjusted body weight (IBW + 40% of the excess over IBW) is a clinical tool for dosing certain medications and setting ventilator volumes in patients whose actual weight is well above ideal. As a general reader you don't need to act on it — we surface it because pharmacy and nursing students search for exactly this, and because it's a more honest "dosing weight" than either extreme.

Can I embed this calculator on my own site?

Yes — copy the snippet at the bottom of this page. It's a free, stripped-down version built for dietitians, nurse educators, pharmacy programs, gym trainers, and personal blogs. Attribution is baked in. No fee, no signup, no tracking attached to the embed.

Related tools

• Lean Body Mass Calculator — the muscle-and-organ side of the equation, with Boer/James/Hume formulas and a protein target.
• Protein Intake Calculator — how much protein per day to preserve lean mass while you move toward your range.
• Fat-Burning Heart Rate Calculator — the training-zone companion when the goal is fat loss.
• Browse all free tools by Dr. Taylor →

Dr. Taylor's recommendations alongside this calculator

Whatever your result, a few tools make the trend easier to see and act on. Each links to the full review with current top picks and pros/cons:

• Best Bathroom Scales — a smart scale with body-fat estimation shows the trend a one-time weigh-in can't, and separates muscle from fat when a formula can't.
• Best Blood Pressure Monitors — weight above the healthy range raises cardiovascular risk; a home cuff is the cheapest early-warning system there is.
• Best Fiber Supplements — fiber improves satiety and makes a modest calorie deficit feel sustainable if you're working back toward your range.

Sources & methodology

• Devine BJ. Gentamicin therapy. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 8: 650–655 (1974) — Devine formula.
• Robinson JD, Lupkiewicz SM, Palenik L, et al. Determination of ideal body weight for drug dosage calculations. Am J Hosp Pharm 40: 1016–1019 (1983) — Robinson formula.
• Miller DR, Carlson JD, Loyd BJ, Day BJ. Determining ideal body weight. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 17: 544–546 (1983) — Miller formula.
• Hamwi GJ. Therapy: changing dietary concepts. In: Danowski TS, ed. Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Diabetes Association, 1964 — Hamwi formula.
• CDC Adult BMI — healthy weight range (BMI 18.5–24.9).

Formulas cross-validated against MDCalc and calculator.net to within rounding. About Dr. Taylor · Last reviewed July 10, 2026.

Embed this tool on your site

Free for dietitians, nurse educators, pharmacy programs, gym trainers, and personal blogs. Required attribution is included in the snippet. No fee, no signup, no analytics attached to the embed.

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