Ideal Body Weight

Published formulas alongside a BMI-based healthy range. Use whichever formula your clinical setting prefers — they disagree by several kilograms and none is definitive.

Reviewed by Pooja V. Menon, Registered Dietitian · Last updated

The formulas

For a height of h inches, the historical formulas define IBW as a base weight plus a per-inch increment above 60 inches (5 ft). Values are in kilograms.

FormulaMenWomen
Hamwi (1964)48.0 + 2.7 (h − 60)45.5 + 2.2 (h − 60)
Devine (1974)50.0 + 2.3 (h − 60)45.5 + 2.3 (h − 60)
Robinson (1983)52.0 + 1.9 (h − 60)49.0 + 1.7 (h − 60)
Miller (1983)56.2 + 1.41 (h − 60)53.1 + 1.36 (h − 60)

For children and for heights far from 60 inches, these formulas break down. In nutrition practice, a BMI-based healthy weight range (healthy BMI × height²) is usually more useful than picking one IBW number.

BMI-based healthy range

  • WHO Standard: BMI 18.5 – 24.9 × height² (m)
  • WHO Asian (India): BMI 18.5 – 22.9 × height² (m)

Sources

  • Hamwi GJ. Therapy: Changing dietary concepts. In: Danowski TS, ed. Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnosis and Treatment. ADA 1964.
  • Devine BJ. Gentamicin therapy. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 1974;8:650–5.
  • Robinson JD, Lupkiewicz SM, Palenik L, et al. Determination of ideal body weight for drug dosage calculations. Am J Hosp Pharm 1983;40:1016–9.
  • Miller DR, Carlson JD, Loyd BJ, Day BJ. Determining ideal body weight. Am J Hosp Pharm 1983;40:1622.
  • Pai MP, Paloucek FP. The origin of the "ideal" body weight equations. Ann Pharmacother 2000;34(9):1066–9.
  • WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations. Lancet 2004.