How to Calculate Your Ideal Weight

Adults can use the charts below to find the traditional ideal weight for their height and a healthy body mass index (BMI). While older methods used different equations for men and women, a 2016 study proposed a universal equation based on body mass index. 

A BMI of 22 is in the middle of the normal weight range and is associated with the best health outcomes. These charts are not valid for children or teens.

How Ideal Weight Is Calculated

The traditional ideal weight calculation is a rule of thumb rather than based on health research or a comprehensive study of population averages.

• For women: ideal body weight (in kilograms) = 49kg + 1.7kg for each inch over 5 feet
• For men: ideal body weight (in kilograms) = 52kg + 1.9kg for each inch over 5 feet

These equations were developed for use by doctors to calculate drug dosages. They tend to overestimate ideal weight at shorter heights and underestimate it at taller heights.

However, a 2016 study found that the results correlate well with the body mass index of 21 for women and 22.5 for men, which is near the middle of the healthy BMI range. The authors of the study suggest a different equation using body mass index.

The healthy BMI range is the same for men and women, so the results apply to both. The healthy normal weight range is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9; a body mass index of 22 is in the middle of that range.

The biggest differences between the older equations and the newer equation come in the taller height range. Also, the ideal for women is the same as for men when using BMI, and the new equation allows a few pounds more at each height for women than the older charts.

Why People Weigh More or Less

You can be healthy in a wide range of weights, but being underweight is associated with poor health outcomes and higher mortality for some conditions, as is being far above the healthy BMI range.

If your weight is above that of the ideal for your height on the charts, it is tempting to think that it is because you are lean but very muscular. This may be true in some cases, but most people usually weigh more because they have more body fat.

Very muscular people may have a higher body mass index while still having low body fat. Meanwhile, people who have lost and replaced muscle mass with fat may appear to have a normal BMI when they have too much body fat and insufficient muscle for good health outcomes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using both the BMI and your waist circumference to determine whether you are at a healthy weight. According to the CDC, a waist over 35 inches for non-pregnant women and over 40 inches for men indicates a higher risk of obesity-related conditions.

Bone Structure

One factor of why you may way more or less is based on bone structure. Those with thicker, more dense bones will naturally tend to weigh more than those with thinner, less dense bones at the same body composition levels.

You can take your body frame size into account, if you choose, by measuring your wrist.

After determining your frame size, you can factor that into equations to determine your ideal body weight (IBW). ​For women of medium frames, the equation takes a baseline of 100 pounds, then adds 5 pounds for each inch of height above 5 feet. It looks like this: IBW (lb) = 100 + 5 x (Ht – 60 in)

The equation for men of medium frames takes a baseline of 106 pounds and adds 6 pounds for each inch of height above 5 feet, which looks like this: IBW (lb) = 106 + 6 x (Ht – 60 in). If you have a small frame, subtract 10%, and if you have a large frame, add 10% to the answer you get for medium frames.

Ideal Height Weight Chart for Adults

If you're wondering what your ideal weight is based on your height, this chart which is based on the updated equations, can help.

Metric Ideal Height Weight Chart for Adults

Other Measures of Ideal Weight

There are other ways to measure a healthy weight and whether you have increased body fat.

Body Mass Index Calculator

You can find your BMI with a simple calculator using your weight and height. It will then characterize your BMI as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. 

Body Fat Percentage

Your body fat percentage is not the same as your BMI. This measurement is often used to assess whether you are gaining muscle or losing fat. The healthy ranges are different for men and women. There are a variety of ways to measure it, including using a body fat scale that uses bioelectrical impedance.

Measurements for Kids and Teens

Finding the ideal weight for children and teens (up to age 20) is not as simple. The equations for body mass index are different from those of adults. The standard formula to calculate a child's BMI is weight / (height x height) x 703.

This can be done with a calculator on the CDC's website. Then the result is compared to a percentile chart based on age. Normal weight is a BMI between the 5th percentile and the 85th percentile. The CDC has a weight for stature table (in kilograms) based on age.

Why Appearances Vary

Being at the ideal weight for your height doesn't guarantee that you will look the same as another person of that same weight and height. There are multiple factors that affect how different people look at the same weight and height.

Muscle Mass

People who have more lean body mass—muscles rather than fat—will have a different appearance from someone of the same weight who is less muscular. Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less space than the same fat mass weight. Lean people with higher muscle mass who weigh the same as those with higher fat mass will appear more compact.

Proportions

Each person has different proportions. Some people are longer in the legs and shorter in the torso, and vice versa. If you are a short-waisted woman, it's unlikely you'll have an hourglass figure with a nipped-in waist, no matter what your weight may be.

Body Shape

The SizeUSA study, published in 2004, described variations in body shape for women. Forty-six percent were rectangular, with waists less than 9 inches smaller than hips or bust. Twenty percent had a pear-shaped figure, with hips larger than bust, and 14% were inverted triangles, with bust bigger than hips.

Only 8% had a so-called "hourglass figure," with equal hip and bust measurements and a narrow waist. However, the fashion industry generally designs for an hourglass shape. 

Male body shapes have generally been categorized as ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph.

Fat Storage

Fat is stored throughout the body, but different people tend to put on extra fat in different places. Some people store extra fat on their stomach and torso, giving them an apple shape. Others store it on their hips, buttocks, and upper thighs, giving them a pear shape.

Where you store fat is based largely on genetics, although there is some evidence that stress and depression can lead to weight gain around the waist.

Age Group

Body composition changes as you age. There are considerable differences upon the onset of puberty as male and female hormones change the body shape. Then, at menopause, the balance of hormones changes again, and where the body stores fat may change. People have to work harder to maintain muscle mass as they enter older age.

That being said, it might be helpful to see what other people look like at your weight and height for goal setting. There are multiple online galleries where readers can post pictures, such as MyBodyGallery.com.

A Word From Verywell

You don't have to strive to meet a certain number in order to have a healthy body. If you find yourself focused too much on the scale and getting discouraged, take positive steps instead. It is more important that you are physically active and eat nutritious food to keep your body strong and in working order.