Six science-backed formulas in one place, Robinson, Miller, Devine, Hamwi, Peterson, and the BMI healthy range. Get your consensus target with frame size adjustment, unit conversion, and a to-goal timeline.
Every 'ideal weight' formula produces a different number because ideal weight is genuinely individual. Two people of the same height can have very different ideal weights based on frame size, muscle mass, and body composition goals. A more useful target than a specific scale number is a body fat percentage range combined with strength and fitness benchmarks. Focus on how you feel, how your clothes fit, and your energy levels, not a number that a formula generated in the 1970s says you should weigh.
Ideal body weight (IBW) formulas estimate a target weight based on height and sex. They were developed for specific medical and clinical purposes and remain in use today in pharmacology, nutrition, and fitness. Each formula takes height above 5 feet (60 inches / 152.4 cm) as its primary input and produces a single point estimate, not a range. The BMI-based range (18.5–24.9) is the broadest and most commonly cited healthy weight window.
| Formula | Year | Male base (at 5ft) | Female base | Per inch over 5ft | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robinson | 1983 | 52 kg | 49 kg | +1.9 / +1.7 kg | General medicine; most widely cited |
| Miller | 1983 | 56.2 kg | 53.1 kg | +1.41 / +1.36 kg | Nutritional assessment |
| Devine | 1974 | 50 kg | 45.5 kg | +2.3 / +2.3 kg | Pharmacy drug dosing (most cited in clinical settings) |
| Hamwi | 1964 | 48 kg | 45.4 kg | +2.7 / +2.2 kg | Quick nutritional needs estimation |
| Peterson | 2016 | 2.2×BMI + 3.5×BMI×(height−1.5m) | BMI 22 target | Most recent; addresses height non-linearity | |
| BMI Range | — | 18.5–24.9 × height(m)² | N/A | Broadest healthy weight window | |
No single formula is universally “best”, they were designed for different purposes and validated on different populations. For general use, Robinson (1983) is the most widely cited in medical literature. Devine (1974) is the standard formula used by pharmacists to calculate drug doses for obese patients. Peterson (2016) is the most recently published and specifically designed to address a mathematical limitation of earlier formulas: the linear-per-inch structure overestimates ideal weight for very tall people and underestimates it for very short people.
The practical difference between formulas is usually small, 3 to 8 kg (7 to 18 lbs) across all five point estimates for a given height. Your true ideal weight almost certainly falls within the range defined by the lowest to highest formula result. The consensus range (average minus 5% to average plus 5%) is more useful than any single formula.
Frame size refers to skeletal size, the width of your bones. It is most commonly estimated using wrist circumference or elbow breadth. A large-framed person has broader, denser bones that weigh more and naturally support more muscle, making a higher body weight appropriate. A small-framed person has a lighter skeleton and is optimally lean at a lower weight. Most IBW formulas assume a medium frame; adjusting by ±10% for small or large frames provides a more personalized target.
| Method | Small Frame | Medium Frame | Large Frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrist wrap test | Thumb & finger overlap | Tips just touch | Gap remains |
| Male elbow breadth | < 6.4 cm (2.5 in) | 6.4–7.3 cm | > 7.3 cm (2.9 in) |
| Female elbow breadth | < 5.7 cm (2.25 in) | 5.7–6.3 cm | > 6.3 cm (2.5 in) |
| IBW adjustment | −10% | 0% (baseline) | +10% |
These three measures look at body weight from different angles. Ideal body weight formulas give a single-number target based purely on height and sex, fast and simple, but they ignore age, muscle mass, and body composition. BMI tells you where you currently are relative to population norms; a healthy BMI (18.5–24.9) corresponds to the BMI-range formula here. Body fat percentage is the most informative measure: a muscular person may be 20 lbs above their IBW with only 12% body fat and be in excellent health, while someone at their “ideal” weight with 32% body fat faces the same metabolic risks as an obese person.
Use ideal weight formulas as a rough navigational target, not a medical prescription. The formulas are most useful for tracking direction of change over time, setting initial weight-loss goals, and clinical dosing calculations, not for judging whether a specific weight is healthy for a specific individual.
The following table shows the Robinson formula result (the most commonly referenced in general medicine) alongside the healthy BMI weight range for common heights.
| Height | Robinson IBW (male) | Robinson IBW (female) | Healthy BMI range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5’0” (152 cm) | 52.0 kg / 115 lbs | 49.0 kg / 108 lbs | 43–58 kg / 95–127 lbs |
| 5’4” (163 cm) | 59.6 kg / 131 lbs | 55.8 kg / 123 lbs | 49–66 kg / 108–146 lbs |
| 5’7” (170 cm) | 65.3 kg / 144 lbs | 60.9 kg / 134 lbs | 53–72 kg / 118–158 lbs |
| 5’10” (178 cm) | 71.0 kg / 156 lbs | 66.1 kg / 146 lbs | 58–79 kg / 129–173 lbs |
| 6’0” (183 cm) | 74.8 kg / 165 lbs | 69.5 kg / 153 lbs | 63–84 kg / 138–186 lbs |
| 6’2” (188 cm) | 78.6 kg / 173 lbs | 72.9 kg / 161 lbs | 66–89 kg / 146–196 lbs |
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