What is ideal body weight?

Ideal body weight (IBW) is an estimate of the healthiest weight for your height. It was originally developed for medication dosing but is widely used for general health assessments.

Which formula is most accurate?

None is perfect. Devine is the most common in clinical settings. Robinson, Miller and Hamwi give slightly different results — we average them to smooth out individual formula bias.

Does ideal weight account for muscle mass?

No. These formulas use only height and gender, so they do not distinguish muscle from fat. Muscular people may exceed their IBW while still being healthy.

Is ideal weight the same as a healthy weight range?

No. Ideal weight is a single number. A healthy weight is a range — usually derived from a BMI of 18.5–24.9 for your height. Both are useful as reference points.

Why are there multiple formulas?

Each was developed for a different purpose. Devine (1974) for medication dosing, Robinson (1983) for drug studies, Miller (1983) for general population, Hamwi (1964) for quick clinical estimates. All give similar but not identical answers — hence the average.

Should I aim for my ideal weight?

Not necessarily. Body composition matters more than scale weight. A healthy body fat percentage and waist-to-height ratio are better indicators than hitting an IBW number. Use IBW as a reference, not a target.

Ideal Weight Calculator

Estimate your ideal body weight using four classic formulas — Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi — and see the average. Enter your height and gender to get all four results side by side, plus the clinical reference used in medical settings.

How to use

Select your gender

Choose male or female — the formulas differ by sex.

Enter your height

Type your height in centimeters or feet and inches.

Read the results

See the average ideal weight and the result from each of the four formulas.

Features

Four formulas

Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi — see how each one estimates your ideal weight.

Average result

An average of all four formulas to smooth out individual formula bias.

Metric and imperial

Enter height in centimeters or feet and inches.

Clinical reference

These formulas are used in medical settings for medication dosing and health assessments.

Common use cases

Set a weight goal based on height
Compare different ideal weight formulas
Get a clinical reference for health assessments
Understand your healthy weight range

Frequently Asked Questions

Related tools

BMI Calculator

Body Fat Calculator

Calorie Deficit Planner

TDEE & Macro Calculator