What is ideal body weight?
Ideal body weight (IBW) is an estimate of a healthy weight for your height and sex. Doctors have used these formulas since the 1960s, often to work out medicine doses.
There is no single perfect number, so the calculator shows four classic formulas alongside the healthy BMI range for your height.
How it is calculated
Worked example
Man, 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
- Robinson
- 69.1 kg
- Miller
- 68.9 kg
- Devine
- 70.7 kg
- Hamwi
- 72.3 kg
The four formulas differ by a few kilograms, which is normal.
Use ideal weight wisely
- Formulas ignore muscle, bone size and age, so treat the result as a range, not a target.
- For Indians, the healthy BMI range (18.5 to 22.9 on Asian cut-offs) is often more useful.
- Waist size and fitness matter as much as the number on the scale.

