Healthy Weight Calculator
Calculate a reference healthy-weight range for your height, based on the CDC's adult healthy BMI range (18.5–24.9). Enter your height in metric or US units to see the lower and upper weight bounds in kg and lb.
How It's Calculated
Formula
\text{min weight (kg)} = 18.5 \times \text{height (m)}^2
\text{max weight (kg)} = 25.0 \times \text{height (m)}^2This calculator reports a reference weight range for a given height, derived directly from the same CDC adult BMI thresholds this site's BMI Calculator classifies against (commonly cited as the "18.5–24.9" healthy range). It works by solving the BMI formula (BMI = weight / height²) for weight at BMI 18.5 and at BMI 25.0, giving a lower and upper reference weight bound for your height. The lower bound (BMI 18.5) is inclusive — this site's BMI Calculator classifies BMI 18.5 itself as "Healthy weight." The upper bound is an EXCLUSIVE threshold at BMI exactly 25.0 — this site's BMI Calculator classifies BMI 25.0 itself as "Overweight," not "Healthy weight," so the upper figure marks where the healthy range ends, not an inclusive healthy maximum. This calculator does not ask for your current weight and does not tell you whether you personally are underweight, healthy, or overweight — it only reports the range itself. This is an estimate for general informational and educational purposes, based on a published formula — it is not a medical diagnosis, and it is not a substitute for individualized advice from a qualified healthcare provider. BMI-derived ranges carry the same limitations as BMI itself: they cannot distinguish muscle mass from fat mass and don't account for frame size, sex-specific body composition, or individual health context, so this range is a general reference point, not an individualized medical target.
Worked Examples
Height: 175 cm (1.75 m)
- Lower bound (inclusive): 18.5 × 1.75² = 18.5 × 3.0625 ≈ 56.66 kg
- Upper threshold (exclusive): 25 × 1.75² = 25 × 3.0625 ≈ 76.56 kg
- Reference range: approximately 56.66 kg up to, but not including, 76.56 kg
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't this calculator ask for my current weight?
This tool reports a reference range for a given height, not a comparison against your own weight. Showing the range alone, without a pass/fail judgment on your entered weight, avoids implying a label like 'underweight' or 'overweight' that this calculator isn't positioned to assign.
Where do the 18.5 and 25.0 numbers come from?
They're the same CDC healthy adult BMI thresholds (commonly summarized as the "18.5–24.9" range) used by this site's BMI Calculator. This calculator solves the BMI formula for weight at BMI 18.5 and at BMI 25.0, for the height you entered.
Is the upper bound a "maximum healthy weight"?
Not in an inclusive sense. This site's BMI Calculator classifies BMI 25.0 itself as "Overweight," so the upper figure is an exclusive threshold — the point the healthy range ends, not a weight that is itself still classified healthy. Any weight below that threshold, at this height, falls in the healthy BMI category.
What are the limitations of a BMI-derived weight range?
The same ones that apply to BMI itself: it can't distinguish muscle from fat, and doesn't account for frame size, sex-specific body composition, or age. A muscular athlete may fall outside this range without having excess body fat. Use this as a general reference point, not an individualized target.