Healthy Weight Range Calculator (BMI 18.5–24.9)

Instead of one 'ideal' number, this shows the whole weight band that counts as a healthy BMI (18.5 to 24.9) for your height. Enter your height; sex does not change the BMI range.

The Healthy BMI range range

BMI = weight(kg) ÷ height(m)². Rearranged, the healthy band is weight = 18.5 × height(m)² at the low end and 24.9 × height(m)² at the high end. The headline figure is the midpoint of that band.

Worked example

At 5 ft 10 in (1.778 m, so height² ≈ 3.16 m²): low end 18.5 × 3.16 ≈ 58.5 kg (129 lb), high end 24.9 × 3.16 ≈ 78.7 kg (174 lb), midpoint ≈ 68.6 kg (151 lb). That 20 kg span is normal — it is why a single 'ideal weight' is misleading.

How it compares

The Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi estimates for a given height all fall inside this band, usually between its midpoint and its upper third. The BMI range is the honest version of 'ideal weight': it scales correctly with height (as height squared, not linearly) and it makes the width of the healthy zone visible instead of hiding it behind one number.

Ideal weight by height

Height	Devine	Robinson	Miller	Hamwi
5 ft 4 in, man	59 kg	60 kg	62 kg	59 kg
5 ft 10 in, man	73 kg	71 kg	70 kg	75 kg
6 ft 2 in, man	87 kg	83 kg	81 kg	91 kg
5 ft 4 in, woman	55 kg	56 kg	58 kg	54 kg
5 ft 8 in, woman	64 kg	63 kg	64 kg	63 kg

Figures rounded to the nearest kg. Your result above is exact for the height you entered.

The other ideal-weight formulas

Devine formula — the clinical default, and the parent calculator.
Robinson — A 1983 re-fit of Devine's constants — reads a little lighter than Devine at most heights.
Miller — Also 1983, with the gentlest per-inch slope — the four formulas fan out most at the extremes of height.
Hamwi — The 1964 original, and the heaviest of the four — 48 kg (men) / 45.5 kg (women) plus 2.7 / 2.2 kg per inch.

Use it with the other checks

A height-only formula cannot see muscle or fat. Read this figure next to your BMI, your body-fat percentage, and — if you are setting calories — your TDEE. To move toward a target weight, run a modest deficit or surplus with the calorie calculator.

Source: WHO BMI cut-offs (18.5–24.9 = normal). BMI cut-offs: WHO.

Related calculators

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Frequently asked questions

Why show a range instead of one number?

Because a healthy weight genuinely is a range. Two people the same height can both be healthy 15 to 20 kg apart depending on muscle mass, bone density and body-fat distribution. A single 'ideal weight' implies a precision that does not exist.

Does sex change the healthy BMI range?

No — the BMI cut-offs (18.5 and 24.9) are the same for adult men and women, so the weight band for a given height is identical. The height-only formulas (Devine, Hamwi and so on) do differ by sex; the BMI range does not.

Is BMI valid for me personally?

As a screen, BMI works for most adults but misclassifies the very muscular (reads high) and people with low muscle mass (reads low). If you lift seriously or are older and sedentary, check your body-fat percentage and waist-to-height ratio alongside the range.

Where in the range should I aim?

There is no single best point. Many people feel and perform best in the middle of the band. If your body fat is low and your health markers are good, the upper part of the range can be entirely healthy — muscle weighs more than the BMI model assumes.

What about waist size?

It matters independently. Keeping your waist under half your height is a useful companion check: you can be inside the healthy BMI band but carrying too much abdominal fat, or above it with a lean waist and plenty of muscle.

Last reviewed: September 2026. Figures and formulas are checked against their published sources; see the site's data notes.