सारांश
Ideal body weight (IBW) is a clinical estimate of a person’s target weight based on height and sex. Four formulas are widely used - Devine (1974), Robinson (1983), Miller (1983), and Hamwi (1964) - each producing a single point estimate. All four were originally designed for drug dosing calculations, not as health or fitness targets, though they are commonly used as general reference points.
Because no single formula is authoritative, this calculator shows all four side by side, along with the BMI healthy weight range (18.5–24.9) as a modern clinical comparison.
यह कैसे काम करता है
All four formulas share the same structure: a base weight at 5 feet (152.4 cm / 60 inches), plus an increment per inch of height above 5 feet. The formulas are sex-specific - males and females have different base weights and per-inch increments.
The formulas differ because they were derived from different source data:
- Devine - empirical estimates for gentamicin dosing; no formal derivation from height-weight data
- Robinson - regression on the 1959 Metropolitan Life Insurance height-weight tables
- Miller - regression on the 1983 Metropolitan Life Insurance height-weight tables
- Hamwi - quick clinical estimate for diabetes management
Despite their drug-dosing origins, these formulas remain the most-referenced IBW equations in clinical practice (Pai & Paloucek, 2000).
The formulas
All formulas use inches_over_5ft = (height_cm − 152.4) / 2.54.
Devine (1974)
Where
Where
Robinson (1983)
Where
Where
Miller (1983)
Where
Where
Hamwi (1964)
Where
Where
The Hamwi formula was originally defined in imperial units (106 + 6 lbs/inch for males, 100 + 5 lbs/inch for females). The metric coefficients above are the standard conversions used across reference calculators.
BMI healthy weight range
Where
Worked examples
Male, 5’10” (177.8 cm)
Male, 177.8 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Convert to inches over 5 feet
= 10.0
Devine
= 73.0 kg
Robinson
= 71.0 kg
Miller
= 70.3 kg
Hamwi
= 75.0 kg
Result
Range: 70.3 – 75.0 kg, average 72.3 kg
Female, 5’5” (165.1 cm)
Female, 165.1 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Convert to inches over 5 feet
= 5.0
Devine
= 57.0 kg
Robinson
= 57.5 kg
Miller
= 59.9 kg
Hamwi
= 56.5 kg
Result
Range: 56.5 – 59.9 kg, average 57.7 kg
इनपुट की व्याख्या
- Height - in centimetres or inches. All formulas convert height to inches internally and measure the difference from a 5-foot baseline.
- Sex - required because all four formulas use different coefficients for males and females. These are based on biological sex, not gender, as the original studies used physiological data.
- Units - toggle between metric (cm/kg) and imperial (inches/lbs) display.
आउटपुट की व्याख्या
- Ideal weight range - the spread across all four formulas, from lowest to highest. This is the primary result.
- Average - the arithmetic mean of the four formula results.
- Formula comparison chart - visual bar chart showing each formula’s estimate.
- BMI healthy range - the weight range that gives a BMI of 18.5–24.9 at your height. Shown alongside the formula range for comparison.
- Formula table - detailed table showing each formula’s name, year, original purpose, and calculated weight.
धारणाएं और सीमाएं
- Drug dosing origins. All four formulas were designed for pharmaceutical calculations, not as health or fitness targets. The BMI healthy range (18.5–24.9) is generally preferred by modern clinical guidelines as a weight target.
- Height ≥ 152.4 cm only. The formulas use 5 feet (152.4 cm) as a baseline. For heights below this, the calculator returns the base weight (no negative increments). The formulas were not validated for shorter individuals.
- No frame size adjustment. The Hamwi formula originally included ±10% adjustments for small/large body frames, but these are rarely used in modern practice and are not included.
- Population averages, not personalised. These formulas don’t account for muscle mass, bone density, body composition, or ethnicity. A muscular athlete’s ideal weight may be well above these estimates.
- Formula divergence grows with height. At 6’2”, the spread between Miller and Hamwi is nearly 10 kg. At 5’5” female, the spread is only 3.4 kg.
- The Devine formula lacks a formal scientific derivation (Pai & Paloucek, 2000). Despite this, it remains the most widely used IBW equation in clinical pharmacy.
सत्यापन
| Test case | Formula | Expected | Our result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male, 5’10” (177.8 cm) | Devine | 73.0 kg | 73.0 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 5’10” (177.8 cm) | Robinson | 71.0 kg | 71.0 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 5’10” (177.8 cm) | Miller | 70.3 kg | 70.3 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 5’10” (177.8 cm) | Hamwi | 75.0 kg | 75.0 kg | calculator.net |
| Female, 5’5” (165.1 cm) | Devine | 57.0 kg | 57.0 kg | calculator.net |
| Female, 5’5” (165.1 cm) | Robinson | 57.5 kg | 57.5 kg | calculator.net |
| Female, 5’5” (165.1 cm) | Miller | 59.9 kg | 59.9 kg | calculator.net |
| Female, 5’5” (165.1 cm) | Hamwi | 56.5 kg | 56.5 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 6’2” (187.96 cm) | Devine | 82.2 kg | 82.2 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 6’2” (187.96 cm) | Robinson | 78.6 kg | 78.6 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 6’2” (187.96 cm) | Miller | 75.94 kg | 75.94 kg | calculator.net |
| Male, 6’2” (187.96 cm) | Hamwi | 85.8 kg | 85.8 kg | calculator.net |
All values verified against calculator.net (accessed 2026-02-15) and confirmed by manual calculation from published coefficients.
स्रोत
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