What's a Healthy Weight for Your Height?
Ideal-weight formulas, what they really tell you, and why a healthy weight is a range — not a single number on the scale.
“What should I weigh?” is one of the most common health questions — and one of the most misunderstood. There is no single perfect number, but there are useful reference points. This guide explains the classic ideal-weight formulas, how to read them, and why a range is the honest answer.
Use this converter to convert to the unit accepted by the calculator.
Example
This is a sample result, not your calculation. Enter your own values to replace it.
Enter your age, gender and height, then calculate your ideal weight.
Ideal weight for your height
The band the four popular formulas agree on. The healthy-BMI range below is wider — a reminder that healthy weight is a range, not a single number.
The ideal weight based on popular formulas
| Formula | Ideal Weight |
|---|---|
| Robinson (1983) | — |
| Miller (1983) | — |
| Devine (1974) | — |
| Hamwi (1964) | — |
| Healthy BMI Range | — |
Classic formulas using height and sex only — reference estimates from different equations, not a diagnosis. They ignore frame size and muscle mass, so read the spread as a guide rather than a target.
Ideal weight for your height
Robinson, Miller, Devine and Hamwi were all derived on adults, so they do not apply at age —. From 2 to 17, healthy weight is judged from BMI-for-age percentiles, which account for the way body fat changes as a child grows — the BMI calculator is the right tool for that.
Check your entries
Enter an age and a height to estimate your ideal weight.
Where the formulas come from
The calculator shows four well-known equations — Robinson, Miller, Devine and Hamwi — each developed last century, several originally for calculating medication doses. They all estimate a reference weight from your height and sex, adding a fixed amount of weight for every inch above five feet. Because they were derived differently, they disagree by a few pounds, which is exactly why you should treat the results as a range.
Ideal weight vs. healthy weight
“Ideal body weight” and “healthy weight” aren’t the same thing. The formulas give a single tidy figure, but real bodies vary. That’s why the calculator also shows the weight range that corresponds to a healthy BMI (18.5 to 25) for your height — usually a more realistic target band than any one formula.
What the formulas miss
Height and sex alone can’t capture everything:
- Muscle mass — athletes often weigh more than the formulas suggest while being very lean.
- Frame size — a larger skeletal frame naturally carries more weight.
- Body composition — where and how you carry weight matters more than the number itself.
For that reason, pair this with the BMI calculator and the body fat calculator for a fuller picture.
The takeaway
Aim for the range, not a magic number, and weigh trends over time rather than daily fluctuations. Use the ideal weight calculator as a starting point for a conversation with a healthcare professional — not as a verdict.