Which formula is most accurate?

There is no single best formula. Devine is most common in medication dosing; Robinson and Miller tend to give slightly lower numbers and are popular in dietetics; Hamwi runs a bit higher. The median across all four is a reasonable single-number summary.

Why do all four formulas use a 5 ft baseline?

The original tables were constructed using imperial units and 60 inches as the reference. The increment per inch above that baseline is then added to a sex-specific baseline weight.

Is "ideal weight" really a useful concept?

It is a starting point, not a goal. Body composition (fat vs lean mass) matters more than the scale. Use this number alongside the BMI calculator and body fat calculator for a fuller picture.

Are these formulas valid below 5 ft (152 cm) of height?

Below 5 ft the per-inch increment is dropped, so the tool returns the baseline weight only. For very short adults the published formulas are less well validated.

Does this tool save my data?

No. Gender and height stay in your browser and are cleared when you close the tab.

Is the ideal weight calculator free?

Yes — completely free, no signup or limits.

Ideal Weight Calculator

Compare four ideal weight formulas (Devine, Robinson, Miller, Hamwi) for any height.

Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer — Last updated 2026-05-01

This interactive tool requires JavaScript. Read the formula and worked example below; you can compute the result by hand.

How to use this ideal weight calculator

Select your gender.
Toggle cm or ft for height units.
Enter your height (in cm, or feet and inches).
Press Calculate to see Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi estimates plus the median.

About this ideal weight calculator

The ideal weight calculator computes a target bodyweight for a given height and gender using four widely cited formulas — Devine (1974), Robinson (1983), Miller (1983), and Hamwi (1964). Each formula starts from a baseline weight for a 5 ft tall adult and adds a per-inch increment for every inch over 5 ft, producing slightly different numbers because each was originally derived for different clinical purposes (drug dosing, life-insurance tables, dietetic counselling).

The comparison table approach follows the review by Pai MP, Paloucek FP. "The origin of the ideal body weight equations" (Ann Pharmacother 2000;34(9):1066-9), which catalogued and contrasted the four equations. The tool also reports the median because no single formula is gold-standard for all populations. This is an estimate for informational purposes and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified clinician — modern body composition assessment normally also considers BMI, waist circumference, and lean mass.

For example, a male who is 180 cm tall (≈ 70.87 in, or 10.87 inches over 5 ft) yields: Devine 50 + 2.3 × 10.87 ≈ 75.0 kg, Robinson 52 + 1.9 × 10.87 ≈ 72.7 kg, Miller 56.2 + 1.41 × 10.87 ≈ 71.5 kg, Hamwi 48 + 2.7 × 10.87 ≈ 77.3 kg, median ≈ 73.8 kg. The tool is useful for putting a single height into context across the historical formulas instead of relying on just one.

FAQ

Which formula is most accurate?: There is no single best formula. Devine is most common in medication dosing; Robinson and Miller tend to give slightly lower numbers and are popular in dietetics; Hamwi runs a bit higher. The median across all four is a reasonable single-number summary.
Why do all four formulas use a 5 ft baseline?: The original tables were constructed using imperial units and 60 inches as the reference. The increment per inch above that baseline is then added to a sex-specific baseline weight.
Is "ideal weight" really a useful concept?: It is a starting point, not a goal. Body composition (fat vs lean mass) matters more than the scale. Use this number alongside the BMI calculator and body fat calculator for a fuller picture.
Are these formulas valid below 5 ft (152 cm) of height?: Below 5 ft the per-inch increment is dropped, so the tool returns the baseline weight only. For very short adults the published formulas are less well validated.
Does this tool save my data?: No. Gender and height stay in your browser and are cleared when you close the tab.
Is the ideal weight calculator free?: Yes — completely free, no signup or limits.