Ideal body weight is best thought of as a healthy range for your height, not a magic number. Several long-standing clinical formulas and the modern BMI band together sketch that range.
The formulas
Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi all take a base weight for 5 feet of height and add a fixed amount per inch above it, differing by sex. They were created for medical use and give slightly different figures — which is why an average is more useful than any single one.
A range, not a target
Body composition, frame size and muscularity all shift what's healthy for you. Use these estimates as a starting window and refine with body-fat percentage and how you feel and perform.
Frequently asked questions
It's a range, not a single figure. Classic formulas and the healthy-BMI band (18.5–24.9) both give a window for your height. Your build and muscle mass shift where you fit within it.
No formula is definitively best — they were designed for clinical dosing. Averaging Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi, alongside the healthy BMI range, gives a balanced estimate.
Muscle is dense. Trained people often weigh more than these formulas predict while carrying low body fat, so pair the estimate with a body-fat measurement.