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Healthy Weight Calculator

HealthHeight, Weight and Growth
Units

Adds where your weight sits against the range.

Healthy weight range for your height —
Lowest weight at BMI 18.5
—
Highest weight at BMI 24.9
—
Mid-range weight (BMI 22)
—
Your weight against the range
—

A healthy adult weight is any weight that puts your BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, so it depends only on height. Multiply height in metres squared by those two BMI limits. At 5 ft 9 in that gives 125 to 168 lb, the same band the CDC lists; at 175 cm it is 56.6 to 76.4 kg.

About this tool

People setting a weight goal, coaches writing a plan and clinicians explaining a screening result often want the reverse of a BMI reading: not the index for a weight, but the weights that fit a height. This calculator takes your height in centimetres or feet and inches and returns the lowest and highest weights whose BMI reads 18.5 and 24.9, plus the weight at BMI 22, near the middle of the band. Add your current weight if you like and it reports your BMI and how far you sit above or below the band. The range is a population screening band for adults; it does not account for muscle mass, frame size, age or ethnicity, and it does not apply to children or pregnancy.

How to use it

  1. Pick units

    Choose metric for centimetres and kilograms, or US for feet, inches and pounds.

  2. Enter your height

    The healthy range and its BMI 22 midpoint appear as soon as the height is valid.

  3. Add your weight if you want a comparison

    The optional weight field adds your BMI and the gap to the nearest limit of the range.

Examples

5 ft 9 in

Units
US (ft, in, lb)
Height
5
and
9

Result Healthy weight range for your height: 125 – 168 lb
Lowest weight at BMI 18.5: 125
Highest weight at BMI 24.9: 168
Mid-range weight (BMI 22): 149
Your weight against the range: Enter your weight to compare

  1. Height = 1.7526 m, height² = 3.0716 m²
  2. Lower limit: 18.45 × 3.0716 = 56.67 kg = 124.94 lb, rounded up to 125 lb
  3. Upper limit: 24.95 × 3.0716 = 76.64 kg = 168.95 lb, rounded down to 168 lb
  4. Mid-range weight at BMI 22 = 22 × 3.0716 = 149 lb

The CDC lists 125 to 168 lb as the healthy weight band for this height; the tool reproduces the same limits.

175 cm, 70 kg

Units
Metric (cm, kg)
Height
175
Current weight (optional)
70

Result Healthy weight range for your height: 56.6 – 76.4 kg
Lowest weight at BMI 18.5: 56.6
Highest weight at BMI 24.9: 76.4
Mid-range weight (BMI 22): 67.4
Your weight against the range: Within the range (BMI 22.9)

  1. Height = 1.75 m, height² = 3.0625 m²
  2. Lower limit: 18.45 × 3.0625 = 56.5 kg, rounded up to 56.6 kg
  3. Upper limit: 24.95 × 3.0625 = 76.41 kg, rounded down to 76.4 kg
  4. Mid-range weight at BMI 22 = 22 × 3.0625 = 67.4 kg
  5. Your BMI = 70 ÷ 3.0625 = 22.9

At 1.75 m the band runs from 56.6 to 76.4 kg, and 70 kg gives a BMI of 22.9, inside it.

160 cm, 85 kg

Units
Metric (cm, kg)
Height
160
Current weight (optional)
85

Result Healthy weight range for your height: 47.3 – 63.8 kg
Lowest weight at BMI 18.5: 47.3
Highest weight at BMI 24.9: 63.8
Mid-range weight (BMI 22): 56.3
Your weight against the range: 21.2 kg above the range (BMI 33.2)

  1. Height = 1.6 m, height² = 2.56 m²
  2. Lower limit: 18.45 × 2.56 = 47.23 kg, rounded up to 47.3 kg
  3. Upper limit: 24.95 × 2.56 = 63.87 kg, rounded down to 63.8 kg
  4. Mid-range weight at BMI 22 = 22 × 2.56 = 56.3 kg
  5. Your BMI = 85 ÷ 2.56 = 33.2

The upper limit at 1.60 m is 63.8 kg, so 85 kg sits 21.2 kg above it with a BMI of 33.2.

How it is calculated

weight limit (kg) = BMI limit × height (m)²

BMI limit
18.45 for the lower edge and 24.95 for the upper edge, the values that display as 18.5 and 24.9
height
in metres; inches are multiplied by 0.0254
weight
kilograms; divided by 0.45359237 for pounds

BMI is weight divided by height squared, so solving for weight gives the limits directly. Because BMI is reported to one decimal, the lower limit is rounded up and the upper limit rounded down so every weight inside the band shows a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. This is how the CDC table arrives at 125 to 168 lb for 5 ft 9 in.

Sources

When not to use it

  • Children and teenagers are assessed on BMI-for-age percentiles, not on this adult band.
  • During pregnancy, weight gain targets come from pre-pregnancy BMI rather than this range.
  • Very muscular people can sit above the band while carrying little body fat.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the BMI 22 midpoint as a personal target rather than a reference point.
  • Measuring height in shoes, which can add 2 to 3 cm and shift both limits upward.
  • Typing height in metres into the centimetre field.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the healthy range so wide?

The band spans a BMI difference of 6.4, so at 175 cm it covers almost 20 kg. Large population studies found similar health outcomes across that span, which is why the WHO did not narrow it further.

Does the range differ for men and women?

No. The adult BMI band is the same for both sexes, so a man and a woman of equal height get the same limits. Body fat at a given BMI does differ by sex, one reason the range is only a screening guide.

Why does the CDC table say 168 lb rather than 169 lb at 5 ft 9 in?

At 169 lb the BMI is 24.96, which displays as 25.0 and falls in the overweight band. The upper limit is therefore the heaviest whole pound that still reads 24.9, and this calculator applies the same rule.

Do some countries use different limits?

Yes. Several Asian health agencies place the overweight threshold at a BMI of 23 rather than 25, which lowers the top of the healthy band. This calculator uses the WHO and CDC limits of 18.5 and 24.9.

What does the BMI 22 weight mean?

It is the weight that gives a BMI of 22 at your height, close to the centre of the band. Some clinical formulas use it as a reference weight, but any weight inside the range is classed the same.

Is my height or weight sent anywhere?

No. The calculation runs in your browser, and your last entries are kept only on this device until you reset the form.

Cite this tool

Using this tool in an assignment, article or report? Copy a citation, or a link for your website.

APA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. (2026, October 9). Healthy Weight Calculator. Tools Directory. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://tools.milunir.com/health/height-weight-and-growth/healthy-weight-calculator/

MLA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Healthy Weight Calculator.” Tools Directory, 9 Oct. 2026, https://tools.milunir.com/health/height-weight-and-growth/healthy-weight-calculator/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Healthy Weight Calculator.” Tools Directory. Last modified October 9, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://tools.milunir.com/health/height-weight-and-growth/healthy-weight-calculator/.

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