How the range is calculated
The healthy range is the span of weights that put your body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9: weight = BMI × height², with height in metres and weight in kilograms. For 5′10″ (1.78 m) that is 58.6 to 78.9 kg, or 129 to 174 lb. Those cut-offs come from population studies linking BMI to mortality and disease risk; they are the World Health Organization's and the CDC's standard adult thresholds.
The table gives the range and the overweight and obesity thresholds for common heights.
| Height | Healthy (BMI 18.5–24.9) | Overweight from (BMI 25) | Obesity from (BMI 30) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′0″ | 95 – 127 lb | 128 lb | 154 lb |
| 5′2″ | 101 – 136 lb | 137 lb | 164 lb |
| 5′4″ | 108 – 145 lb | 146 lb | 175 lb |
| 5′6″ | 115 – 154 lb | 155 lb | 186 lb |
| 5′8″ | 122 – 164 lb | 164 lb | 197 lb |
| 5′10″ | 129 – 174 lb | 174 lb | 209 lb |
| 6′0″ | 136 – 184 lb | 184 lb | 221 lb |
| 6′2″ | 144 – 194 lb | 195 lb | 234 lb |
| 6′4″ | 152 – 205 lb | 205 lb | 246 lb |
Every category as a weight
The calculator lists all six BMI categories converted to weights for your height, and highlights the one you are in. Seeing the whole ladder makes the numbers concrete: for a 5′10″ adult, each BMI point is about 7 lb.
| Category | BMI | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | < 18.5 | under 129 lb |
| Healthy | 18.5 – 24.9 | 129 – 174 lb |
| Overweight | 25 – 29.9 | 174 – 208 lb |
| Obesity class I | 30 – 34.9 | 209 – 243 lb |
| Obesity class II | 35 – 39.9 | 244 – 278 lb |
| Obesity class III | ≥ 40 | over 279 lb |
Older adults
For adults over 65, several analyses find the lowest mortality at a BMI of roughly 23–27 rather than 18.5–25, and some guidelines (including Australian and some US geriatric guidance) use 22–27 as the healthier band. Muscle loss with age means the same BMI carries more fat and less reserve, and being slightly heavier appears protective in illness. The calculator shows this band alongside the standard one and flags it when the age entered is 65 or over.
Waist size: the other half of the picture
BMI cannot tell where fat is stored, and abdominal fat carries more risk than fat on the hips and legs. Waist circumference, measured at the navel after a normal breath out, adds that information. A waist above the thresholds below raises risk at any BMI; a waist-to-height ratio under 0.5 is a simple target that works across heights.
| Lower risk | Increased risk | High risk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Under 37 in / 94 cm | 37–40 in / 94–102 cm | Over 40 in / 102 cm |
| Women | Under 31.5 in / 80 cm | 31.5–35 in / 80–88 cm | Over 35 in / 88 cm |
Healthy weight versus ideal weight
'Ideal body weight' formulas — Devine, Robinson, Miller, Hamwi — give a single number for a height and sex, originally for drug dosing. They fall inside the BMI healthy range but toward its middle, and they differ from each other by several pounds. A range is more honest than a point: people of the same height are healthy at different weights depending on frame and muscle. The ideal weight calculator shows all four formulas; this page focuses on the range.
| Method | Man 5′10″ | Woman 5′4″ |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson (1983) | 157 lb | 123 lb |
| Miller (1983) | 155 lb | 129 lb |
| Devine (1974) | 161 lb | 121 lb |
| Hamwi (1964) | 165 lb | 120 lb |
| BMI 18.5–24.9 | 129–174 lb | 108–145 lb |
Limits of a height-based range
BMI does not measure body fat. Athletes and heavily muscled people often exceed 25 with low body fat; older adults and people who have lost muscle can sit in the healthy range with high body fat; and thresholds developed on European populations underestimate risk in some Asian populations, where 23 and 27.5 are used as action points. If your weight is near a boundary or you have a reason to think BMI misreads you, a waist measurement, a body fat estimate and a clinician's assessment give a fuller picture.
- Healthy range = 18.5 × height² to 24.9 × height² (kg, m).
- Each BMI point ≈ 3.2 kg at 1.78 m; ≈ 2.7 kg at 1.63 m.
- Over 65: a band of roughly 22–27 is often used.
- Pair with waist circumference or waist-to-height ratio (< 0.5).