Ideal Weight Calculator Widget

Add an ideal weight calculator to your website. Visitors enter sex and height and see the four classic ideal-body-weight formulas next to each other, the spread between them, and the weight range for a healthy BMI.

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<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/ideal-weight-calculator" title="Ideal Weight Calculator by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="540" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>

A plain iframe. Works everywhere, including site builders that strip scripts. Adjust height if your content needs more room.

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How it works

All four formulas take a base weight at 5 ft (152.4 cm) and add a fixed amount for every inch above it; the coefficients are the ones tabulated by Pai and Paloucek in their 2000 review of where the equations came from, and the same as on the A2Z Ideal Weight Calculator. That review traces their similarity to the old insurance height-weight tables they were fitted to, and notes that Devine's was written for drug dosing. Showing the four together, with their lowest-to-highest spread, makes it clear that 'ideal weight' is a range and not a single number. The BMI 18.5-24.9 range for the same height is shown first because it is the measure WHO guidance uses. Below 5 ft the four formulas are not defined, so the widget shows only the BMI range and explains why instead of extrapolating.

Calculation method

  • Inches over 5 ft: n = height (in) - 60, with height (in) = cm / 2.54
  • Devine (1974): men 50 + 2.3n kg; women 45.5 + 2.3n kg
  • Robinson (1983): men 52 + 1.9n kg; women 49 + 1.7n kg
  • Miller (1983): men 56.2 + 1.41n kg; women 53.1 + 1.36n kg
  • Hamwi (1964): men 48 + 2.7n kg; women 45.5 + 2.2n kg
  • Healthy BMI range = 18.5 x m^2 to 24.9 x m^2; all weights shown to 1 decimal place in kg or lb

Worked examples

Man, 6 ft

Inputs: Male, 182.88 cm (6 ft 0 in)

Result: BMI range 61.9 to 83.3 kg; Devine 77.6, Robinson 74.8, Miller 73.1, Hamwi 80.4 kg; spread 73.1 to 80.4 kg

n = 12: 50 + 27.6, 52 + 22.8, 56.2 + 16.92 and 48 + 32.4 kg.

An estimate for general information only - not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian about your health.

Limitations

  • Not defined below 5 ft (152.4 cm); only the BMI range is shown there.
  • Adult formulas only - no values for children or teenagers.
  • Clinical dosing uses its own rules about which weight to use; this widget is not a dosing tool.

Where publishers use it

  • Weight-management and nutrition blogs discussing realistic goal weights
  • Nursing and pharmacy study sites, where ideal body weight is used in dosing calculations
  • Fitness coaches who want clients to see a range rather than one target number
  • Health-education pages comparing historical formulas with BMI guidance

Questions

Why do the four formulas disagree?

They were fitted to different height-weight tables and for different purposes - Devine's, for example, was written for drug dosing. The disagreement is shown on purpose: it is the honest margin of these formulas.

Why is nothing shown under 5 ft?

Each formula is defined as a base weight at 5 ft plus an amount per inch above it. Below 5 ft they have no defined value, so only the BMI range is shown.

Do these formulas account for muscle or frame size?

No. They use height and sex only, so muscular or large-framed people can be healthy well above them.

What does a 6 ft man get?

12 inches over 5 ft gives Devine 77.6 kg, Robinson 74.8 kg, Miller 73.1 kg and Hamwi 80.4 kg - a 7.3 kg spread - while the BMI range for 182.9 cm is 61.9 to 83.3 kg.

Sources

  1. The origin of the "ideal" body weight equations (Pai & Paloucek) - Annals of Pharmacotherapy 34(9):1066-1069, 2000 . Coefficients and history of the Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi equations
  2. A healthy lifestyle - WHO recommendations (BMI classification for adults) - WHO Regional Office for Europe . Normal BMI 18.5-24.9

Cite or recommend this tool

If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.

A2Z Tools Ideal Weight Calculator
https://a2z.tools/ideal-weight-calculator

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