Free body composition & weight tool
BMI Calculator for Women and Men, with BMI Chart
To calculate BMI, divide weight in kilograms by height in meters squared, or multiply weight in pounds by 703 and divide by height in inches squared. A 5 ft 6 in adult at 150 lb has a BMI of 24.2, which falls in the healthy weight range (18.5 to 24.9). The same formula and cutoffs apply to women and men. The calculator below shows your category and a BMI chart.
Prepared by Prospyr · Reviewed October 3, 2026 · Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
For adults 20 and older. BMI is a screening number, not a diagnosis. Decision support only; it does not replace clinical judgment.
Your BMI
24.2kg/m²
Healthy weight
Weight at BMI 18.5
115 lb
Weight at BMI 25
155 lb
Those two weights bound the 18.5 to 24.9 range at 5 ft 6 in.
BMI chart: weight ranges by height
Weights in lb at each height. Every row uses the adult cutoffs of 18.5, 25, 30, 35 and 40. Your row is highlighted once you enter a height.
| Height | Under | Healthy weight | Overweight | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI < 18.5 | BMI 18.5 to 24.9 | BMI 25 to 29.9 | BMI 30 to 34.9 | BMI 35 to 39.9 | BMI 40 + | |
| 4'10" | < 89 | 89–119 | 120–143 | 144–167 | 168–191 | 192+ |
| 4'11" | < 92 | 92–123 | 124–148 | 149–173 | 174–198 | 199+ |
| 5'0" | < 95 | 95–128 | 129–153 | 154–179 | 180–204 | 205+ |
| 5'1" | < 98 | 98–132 | 133–158 | 159–185 | 186–211 | 212+ |
| 5'2" | < 102 | 102–136 | 137–164 | 165–191 | 192–218 | 219+ |
| 5'3" | < 105 | 105–141 | 142–169 | 170–197 | 198–225 | 226+ |
| 5'4" | < 108 | 108–145 | 146–174 | 175–203 | 204–233 | 234+ |
| 5'5" | < 112 | 112–150 | 151–180 | 181–210 | 211–240 | 241+ |
| 5'6" | < 115 | 115–154 | 155–185 | 186–216 | 217–247 | 248+ |
| 5'7" | < 119 | 119–159 | 160–191 | 192–223 | 224–255 | 256+ |
| 5'8" | < 122 | 122–164 | 165–197 | 198–230 | 231–263 | 264+ |
| 5'9" | < 126 | 126–169 | 170–203 | 204–237 | 238–270 | 271+ |
| 5'10" | < 129 | 129–174 | 175–209 | 210–243 | 244–278 | 279+ |
| 5'11" | < 133 | 133–179 | 180–215 | 216–250 | 251–286 | 287+ |
| 6'0" | < 137 | 137–184 | 185–221 | 222–258 | 259–294 | 295+ |
| 6'1" | < 141 | 141–189 | 190–227 | 228–265 | 266–303 | 304+ |
| 6'2" | < 145 | 145–194 | 195–233 | 234–272 | 273–311 | 312+ |
| 6'3" | < 149 | 149–200 | 201–240 | 241–280 | 281–320 | 321+ |
| 6'4" | < 152 | 152–205 | 206–246 | 247–287 | 288–328 | 329+ |
Rows are rounded to whole lb. Looking at BMI before a body-contouring or breast procedure? See the BMI calculator for plastic surgery.
BMI formula and a worked example
- Metric: BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height (m)²
- Imperial: BMI = 703 × weight (lb) ÷ height (in)²
Worked example: an adult who is 5 ft 6 in (66 in, 1.676 m) and weighs 150 lb (68.04 kg). In pounds and inches, 150 × 703 = 105,450, and 66² = 4,356, so BMI = 105,450 ÷ 4,356 = 24.2. In metric, 68.04 ÷ 1.676² = 68.04 ÷ 2.81 = 24.2. Both routes agree, and 24.2 sits inside the 18.5 to 24.9 band.
The calculator applies each category to the unrounded value, so a BMI of 24.96 is shown as 24.96 and stays in the healthy weight band instead of rounding up to 25.0.
BMI calculator for women: do the numbers change?
The formula and the adult cutoffs do not change with sex. What changes is how much body fat sits behind the same number. The Deurenberg formula, built from 1,229 adults, predicts body fat from BMI, age and sex, and its sex term adds about 10.8 percentage points for women compared with men at the same BMI and age.
If you want a closer look at body composition, try the body fat percentage calculator, the waist to hip ratio calculator or the waist to height ratio calculator.
How to read the BMI chart
The chart under the calculator lists, for each height, the weight at which each category begins. Find your height, then read across: the first column is underweight, the second is the healthy weight range, and each column to the right starts at the next cutoff (25, 30, 35 and 40). Your row is highlighted after you enter a height. Weights are rounded to whole pounds or kilograms.
Reading the chart is arithmetic, not advice. A weight inside or outside a band does not say what is right for one person.
BMI limitations
BMI is a screening number. It does not separate muscle from fat, does not show where fat sits, and does not account for age, ethnicity or fitness. Someone with a lot of muscle can land in the overweight range with little body fat, and someone with low muscle can land in the healthy range with a high body fat percentage.
Practices that look at BMI before aesthetic surgery treat it as one input among several. The BMI calculator for plastic surgerycovers how published studies relate BMI to complication risk. Prospyr's charting keeps height, weight and BMI with the rest of the patient record.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate BMI?
BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. In pounds and inches, multiply weight by 703 and divide by height squared. For 150 lb at 66 inches, that is (150 × 703) ÷ 4,356 = 24.2.
What is a healthy BMI for women?
The adult cutoffs are the same for women and men: 18.5 to 24.9 is the healthy weight range, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 or higher is obesity, per the CDC and WHO. Women usually carry more body fat than men at the same BMI, so BMI alone says little about body composition.
What are the BMI categories?
Under 18.5 is underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy weight, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 or more is obesity. The CDC splits obesity into class 1 (30 to 34.9), class 2 (35 to 39.9) and class 3 (40 or higher).
Is the BMI chart different for women and men?
No. The CDC and WHO use one set of adult BMI cutoffs for both sexes, so one BMI chart serves everyone aged 20 and older. What differs is body fat: at the same BMI and age, the 1991 Deurenberg formula estimates about 10.8 percentage points more body fat in women.
Why can BMI be misleading?
BMI uses only height and weight, so it cannot tell muscle from fat or show where fat is stored. The CDC calls it a screening measure to be considered with other factors, and WHO says measures such as waist circumference can add information. A waist-to-height or waist-to-hip ratio is a common second number.
Are the cutoffs different for people of Asian descent?
Some health services use lower cutoffs. The NHS lists overweight as 23 to 27.4 and obesity as 27.5 or higher for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds. A WHO expert consultation in 2004 found risk can rise at BMIs below 25 in Asian populations. This calculator shows the standard WHO and CDC categories.
Does this calculator work for children and teens?
No. The CDC adult categories apply from age 20. For younger people, BMI is compared with growth charts for the same age and sex, which this calculator does not use.
Sources and scope
- CDC. Adult BMI Categories
Category cutoffs for adults 20 and older (18.5, 25, 30, 35, 40) and the statement that BMI is a screening measure.
- WHO. Obesity and overweight fact sheet
Adult overweight is BMI of 25 or more and obesity is 30 or more; waist circumference can add information.
- Deurenberg P, Weststrate JA, Seidell JC. Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age- and sex-specific prediction formulas. Br J Nutr, 1991 (PubMed 2043597)
Source of the 10.8-point sex term and the 1,229-adult sample.
- WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations. Lancet, 2004 (PubMed 14726171)
Risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be substantial at BMIs below 25 in Asian populations.
- NHS. Overweight and obesity in adults
Lower BMI thresholds (23 and 27.5) for some ethnic backgrounds; notes that BMI cannot tell muscle from fat.
A math aid and reference chart, not medical advice. Decision support only; it does not replace clinical judgment. Weight-related decisions belong to the patient and the treating provider.