Ideal Weight Calculator

Q: What is my ideal weight at 5'5"?

For a woman with a medium frame, the four formulas span 56.5 – 59.9 kg (about 124.6 – 132.1 lb). The BMI healthy range for that height is much wider: 50.4 – 67.9 kg, or about 111 – 150 lb.

Q: Does frame size really change it?

The convention is −10% for a small frame, +10% for a large one, from Hamwi's original work. On the default 5'5" woman that's a swing of roughly 12 lb in each direction, which is larger than the gap between the formulas themselves.

Biological sex

Frame size

Height

Current weight (optional)

lbs

Typical ideal weight for your height

124.6 – 132.1 lb

Devine (1974): 125.7 lb · 57 kg
Robinson (1983): 126.8 lb · 57.5 kg
Miller (1983): 132.1 lb · 59.9 kg
Hamwi (1964): 124.6 lb · 56.5 kg
Same range in kilograms: 56.5 – 59.9 kg
BMI healthy range (for reference): 111.1 – 149.7 lb
Where that puts you: 2.9 lb above the range

These are height-only estimates from four widely cited formulas — they ignore muscle, build, age, and frame measurements beyond the coarse small/medium/large adjustment. Treat the spread as the answer, not any single number. For the ratio version (and the WHO categories), see the BMI calculator; for calorie targets, use the TDEE calculator.

For a 5'5" woman with a medium frame, the four standard formulas give 56.5 to 59.9 kg — about 124.6 to 132.1 lb. Devine says 57.0 kg, Robinson 57.5, Miller 59.9, and Hamwi 56.5, which is why this page shows all four side by side instead of pretending one number is correct. The BMI healthy range for that height is wider: 50.4 to 67.9 kg (about 111–150 lb).

Four formulas, four answers

Every ideal-weight formula is a straight line from height:

ideal weight (kg) = base + slope × (height in inches − 60)

Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi picked different starting points and slopes, and their answers differ by several kilograms. Rather than pick a winner, this calculator runs all four and treats the spread as the result:

Formula	5'5" woman	In pounds
Devine (1974)	57.0 kg	125.7 lb
Robinson (1983)	57.5 kg	126.8 lb
Miller (1983)	59.9 kg	132.1 lb
Hamwi (1964)	56.5 kg	124.6 lb
Spread	56.5 – 59.9 kg	124.6 – 132.1 lb

The Devine formula — the one most often quoted — was published in 1974 to estimate drug dosages, not to define a target body. It survives because it's simple, not because it was validated as a health goal.

Ideal weight by height

Medium frame, rounded to whole pounds:

Height	Women	Men
5'0"	100 – 117 lb	106 – 124 lb
5'2"	110 – 123 lb	118 – 130 lb
5'4"	120 – 129 lb	130 – 136 lb
5'7"	134 – 138 lb	144 – 147 lb
5'10"	146 – 151 lb	155 – 165 lb
6'0"	153 – 161 lb	161 – 177 lb

Frame size shifts the whole column by about 10%: on the default 5'5" woman, a small frame gives 50.9 – 53.9 kg (112 – 119 lb) and a large frame 62.2 – 65.9 kg (137 – 145 lb). That ±10% convention comes from Hamwi's original work, and it's an adjustment, not a measurement — wrist-based frame estimation is crude at best.

Ideal weight versus the BMI range

These two answers disagree, and the disagreement is informative. For a 5'5" woman, the formula spread is 124.6 – 132.1 lb, while the BMI healthy range (18.5–24.9) is 111 – 150 lb — nearly three times wider.

That gap says something real: the formulas encode a mid-20th-century notion of a "desirable" weight, while the BMI range is a health-risk band derived from population data. Being inside the formula range is not a health requirement, and being outside it is not a diagnosis. If you want the ratio, use the BMI calculator; if you want a calorie target to work toward, use the TDEE calculator.

How to use this calculator

Pick US or metric units.
Choose sex — the formulas use different bases and slopes for men and women.
Enter height (feet and inches, or centimeters).
Choose frame size: small, medium, or large.
Read the four formula results, the spread between them, and the BMI healthy range for comparison.

Frequently asked questions

What is my ideal weight at 5'5"?

For a woman with a medium frame, the four formulas span 56.5 – 59.9 kg (about 124.6 – 132.1 lb). The BMI healthy range for that height is much wider: 50.4 – 67.9 kg, or about 111 – 150 lb.

Which ideal weight formula is the right one?

None of them, which is why all four are shown. They were published between 1964 and 1983 from different reference groups and differ by several kilograms. Devine — the most cited — was built for drug dosing, not for setting body-weight goals.

Does frame size really change it?

The convention is −10% for a small frame, +10% for a large one, from Hamwi's original work. On the default 5'5" woman that's a swing of roughly 12 lb in each direction, which is larger than the gap between the formulas themselves.

Is ideal weight the same as a healthy BMI range?

No. The formula spread for a 5'5" woman is 124.6 – 132.1 lb; the BMI healthy range is 111 – 150 lb. The formulas describe a target; the BMI range describes a risk band. They're different questions.

Do these formulas work for athletes or very muscular people?

Poorly. Every formula here keys off height alone and has no way to account for muscle mass, so a muscular person reads "over" their formula weight while carrying little fat. Use a body-composition method instead.

Can I use this for a teenager?

No. These formulas are adult equations. Children and teens are assessed on age- and sex-specific growth charts, and a weight target for someone still growing is a question for a pediatrician.

Data sources: The four formulas are the published versions in their commonly cited form — Devine (1974): 45.5 kg (women) / 50.0 kg (men) + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 ft; Robinson (1983): 49 / 52 + 1.7 / 1.9; Miller (1983): 53.1 / 56.2 + 1.36 / 1.41; Hamwi (1964): 45.5 / 48 + 2.2 / 2.7. Frame adjustment (±10%) follows Hamwi's convention. The BMI comparison range applies the WHO thresholds 18.5 and 24.9 to the height entered. These are historical estimating equations, not medical standards — Devine was designed for drug dosing. Every figure on this page was produced by this calculator and can be reproduced with the same inputs.

Disclaimer: This calculator is for general reference only and is not medical, nutritional, or fitness advice. Ideal-weight formulas are crude height-only estimates that ignore age, muscle mass, body composition, and health status. If you have a medical condition, a history of disordered eating, are pregnant or nursing, or are setting a weight goal for a child, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian. Related tools: BMI calculator, TDEE calculator, BMR calculator, all health calculators.