By Dr. Ajit Kumar, MD (Medicine) — Founder, Medimadad. About the Author | Editorial Policy
Ideal Body Weight is a clinical reference figure, originally developed in 1974 for calculating medication dosages, that estimates a reference weight based on your height and biological sex. It’s still used today by clinicians for drug dosing and nutritional assessments. Use the calculator below to see your result, and enter your current weight for an optional comparison.
Ideal Body Weight Calculator
Ideal Body Weight (Devine formula, 1974) is a clinical reference figure originally developed for drug dosing calculations, not a personal target weight. It does not account for muscle mass, frame size, or individual body composition. It is educational information, not a medical diagnosis - consult a healthcare professional for a full assessment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Devine formula?
The Devine formula is a widely used clinical equation, originally published in 1974, that estimates a reference body weight based on height and biological sex. It was developed for calculating medication dosages and is still used today for drug dosing, nutritional assessments, and kidney function calculations in clinical settings.
Is there really one ideal weight for everyone my height?
No. Ideal Body Weight is a clinical reference figure, not a personalized healthy-weight target. It does not account for muscle mass, frame size, age, or individual body composition. Combining it with other measures like BMI, waist-to-height ratio, or body fat percentage gives a more complete picture than any single number.
Why does the formula give different results for men and women?
The Devine formula uses a different starting baseline for men and women because, on average, men carry more lean muscle mass than women at the same height. This is a population-level average, not a reflection of any individual's ideal composition.
How is Ideal Body Weight different from BMI?
BMI compares your weight to your height using a ratio and sorts the result into broad categories such as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. Ideal Body Weight instead estimates a single reference weight for your height and sex, historically used for clinical dosing calculations. The two measures serve different purposes, and neither alone gives a full picture of health.
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