Understand the history
Devine, Hamwi, Robinson and Miller use a base weight at five feet plus kilograms per additional inch. Their practical history includes medication-dosing references.
Adult reference-weight comparison
Replace “ideal” with a transparent set of references.
Compare four historical ideal-body-weight equations with the adult BMI reference interval, current BMI, formula spread and a wrist-based frame description. The worksheet keeps drug-dosing-era formulas separate from individualized health goals.
The four IBW equations were historically used as height-based references, including for drug dosing. They do not directly account for body composition, ethnicity, disability, health history or individual goals and must not be used to dose medicine without a clinician.
Reference-weight guide
Why “ideal weight” deserves quotation marks
Historical IBW equations convert height and sex into one number. Their origins and narrow inputs make them unsuitable as a complete definition of health or appearance.
Prefer an interval to a point
The BMI-derived interval is broader, but BMI is still only a screening measure. Muscle, fat distribution and clinical context can materially change interpretation.
Keep frame labels modest
The wrist result reproduces a traditional reference classification. It is not a bone-density measurement and does not justify automatically adjusting a target weight.
Formula limitation
This implementation requires a height of at least five feet because the traditional formulas specify additions per inch over five feet.
Adult BMI interval
The displayed interval is the body weight implied by BMI 18.5 through 24.9 at the entered height. It is arithmetic, not a personal prescription.
Clinical decisions
Medication dosing and nutrition treatment require the equation and judgment selected by a qualified clinician; never substitute this page for that process.
Simple by design
Three steps to a clearer number.
Enter your details
Use realistic values in each field. You can change them anytime.
Calculate instantly
The formula runs locally, so there is no account or waiting time.
Use the result
Treat the answer as a practical estimate for your next decision.