Ideal weight calculator
Estimate ideal body weight with the Devine formula.
What this calculator covers
Use this calculator to estimate ideal body weight from height with the Devine formula. It keeps the inch-based adjustment visible so you can see how the estimate moves above the five-foot baseline.
Ideal-weight formulas are widely used shorthand, but they are also controversial because they flatten body shape, muscle mass, and frame differences into one number. The output is best read as a rough heuristic, not a rule.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Devine formula?
- The Devine formula was published in 1974 as a clinical dosing shorthand. It sets a base weight for males at 50 kg and for females at 45.5 kg at 5 feet tall, then adds 2.3 kg for each inch of height above that baseline.
- How does this differ from the healthy-weight range from BMI?
- The BMI-based healthy-weight range gives a lower and upper band using BMI values 18.5 and 24.9. The Devine formula produces a single point estimate using a separate equation that was designed for medication dosing, not general health screening.
- What if I am shorter than 5 feet?
- The Devine formula does not extrapolate below the 5-foot baseline. Heights at or below 60 inches return the base value for the selected sex rather than a lower extrapolated number.
- Is this result a recommended target weight?
- No. Ideal-weight formulas are screening approximations and do not account for individual body composition, muscle mass, age, or frame size. A healthcare provider can give guidance suited to your specific situation.
Tool
Run the calculation
Result
RESULT · IDEAL WEIGHT
â„–138
Primary result
160.9 lb
Using the Devine formula, a male at 70.0 in has an approximate ideal body weight of 160.9 lb.
- Height used
- 70.00 in
- Formula baseline
- 50.0 kg for male
- Ideal weight (kg)
- 73.0 kg
- Ideal weight (lb)
- 160.9 lb
Step-by-step solution
- 1.Convert the entered height to inches: 70.00 in.
- 2.Measure how far that height sits above 5 ft: 10.00 in over the 60 in baseline.
- 3.Apply Devine: 50.0 + 2.3 x 10.00 = 73.0 kg (160.9 lb).
Walkthrough
Visual walkthrough
The Devine equation starts from a 5 ft reference weight and adds the same amount for each inch above that baseline.
01
Convert height to inches
70.00 in
The published Devine formula is inch-based, so metric height is converted before the body-weight estimate is built.
02
Count inches over 5 ft
10.00 in
Only the height beyond 60 inches adds to the base weight in this version of the formula.
03
Read the Devine estimate
The output is a rough screening heuristic, not a body-composition target or a personal health rule.
160.9 lb