Ideal Body Weight Calculator

scale and fruit
There are many Ideal Body Weight calculators on the web today. There are also various formulas used for these online tools. While no one formula is better than the other, none are an exact science to give you your ideal weight.


Ideal Body Weight Calculator

Gender
Frame Size
Height

Your Ideal Body Weight is:


The calculator on this page uses the Miller formula which is explained further down on this page.


This formula however does not adjust for frame size.

So in order to accommodate that, a 10% adjustment has been added.

If you are a small frame, then your results will be 10% less than the results of the Miller formula.

If you are a large frame, then the results will be 10% higher than the calculation results.

This adjustment is to accommodate for muscle and bone density based on frame size.

Lastly, there is a plus/minus adjustment of 5 percent to give you the low and high range based on gender, height and frame size.

Keep in mind that the range is only a guideline. There are other factors to consider when thinking about an ideal weight.

Things like body fat percent, age and muscle mass are likely to impact the weight range for you.

Ideal Body Weight (IBW) Formulas

As stated above, the ideal weight calculator on this site uses the Miller formula.

However, this is just one of many. Below are some of the more commonly used formulas for calculating ideal weights.

Broca formula

The Broca formula began the history of the ideal weight calculations back in 1871. Dr. P.P. Broca, a French surgeon, created this formula also known as Broca's index;

Men: IBW (kilograms) = [Height (cm) - 100] - ([Height (cm) - 100] x 10%)

Women: IBW (kilograms) = [Height (cm) - 100] + ([Height (cm) - 100] x 15%)

This was later translated into a more simplified formula by an unknown person. The simple version is;

For men, allow 110 lbs for the first 5 feet and 5 lbs for each additional inch.

For women, allow 100 lbs for the first 5 feet and 5lbs for each additional inch.

Devine formula

The Devine formula, published in 1974 by Dr. BJ Devine, was intended for medical use in order to calculate the dosage of certain medicines. While this was intended for dosage purposes, it quickly became one of the more common formulas used in ideal weight calculators on the web.

Men: Ideal Body Weight (kilograms) = 50 + 2.3kg per inch over 5 feet

Women: Ideal Body Weight (kilograms) = 45.5 + 2.3kg per inch over 5 feet


Robinson formula

In 1983 Dr. JD Robinson and Dr. DR Miller published a modification to the Devine formula. 

The Robinson formula is;

Men: IBW (kilograms) = 52kg + 1.9kg for each inch over 5 feet

Women: IBW (kilograms) = 49kg + 1.7kg for each inch over 5 feet.



Miller Formula

Dr. DR Miller also published a modification to the Devine formula in 1983. The Miller formula, which is used in the above calculator is;

Men: Ideal Body Weight (kilograms) = 56.2kg + 1.41kg for each inch over 5 feet

Women: Ideal Body Weight (kilograms) = 53.1kg + 1.36kg for each inch over 5 feet


Hamwi formula

The Hamwi formula is similar to the Devine formula. It is also intended for dosage purposes of some medicines. This formula is;

Men: IBW kilograms) = 48kg + 2.7kg for each inch over 5 feet

Women: IBW (in kilograms) = 45.5kg + 2.2kg for each inch over 5 feet

All of the above formulas are widely used on the web to calculate the ideal body weight. So which one is the best?

There is no one best formula nor are any of them an exact science. Some experts will tell you that the Body Mass Index is a better indication to tell you if you are underweight or overweight.

The BMI is just one tool used by doctors to help determine if a person has a weight issue.

Other experts will tell you that measuring your body fat percent is the best way to go to determine if you are at a healthy weight.

Even though the experts don't agree nor is there one formula, the above calculator can be used as a guide to help you determine if you need to lose weight.

So use the results as a guide to help you get to a healthier weight.

If you are still not sure where you stand after using this ideal body weight calculator, try the BMI calculator on this site.



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