Ideal weight at 5 ft 8 in, male
Ideal weight formulas estimate a weight range from height and sex. This page applies them to a man who is 5 ft 8 in tall.
How it works
Every method starts from a base weight at 60 inches and adds kilograms for each extra inch. The bases and the steps differ by sex and by formula. You get three estimates and a range. For a man at 5 ft 8 in the Devine base is 50 kg.
Worked example
Take a man who is 5 ft 8 in tall. That is 8 inches over 60. Devine: 50 + 2.3 × 8 = 68.4 kg, or 151 lb. Robinson: 52 + 1.9 × 8 = 67.2 kg, or 148 lb. Miller: 56.2 + 1.41 × 8 = 67.48 kg, or 149 lb. The range is 148 to 151 lb.
Common questions
What if I am under 5 feet tall?
The formulas were written for heights of 5 feet and over. Below that the calculator uses the base weight. Treat the result as rough. For a man at 5 ft 8 in the formulas add 8 inches above the 60 inch base.
How does this compare with BMI?
A healthy BMI range also gives a weight range for your height. The two often overlap but they are not the same, because BMI ignores sex while these formulas use it. For a man at 5 ft 8 in a healthy BMI is 122 to 164 lb, against 148 to 151 lb here.
Which ideal weight formula is best?
None is better than the others. They were built for different purposes. Showing all three as a range is more honest than picking one. For a man at 5 ft 8 in the three results are 151 lb, 148 lb and 149 lb.
Why do the formulas give different answers?
Each uses its own base weight and its own amount per inch. The gap grows as height moves away from 5 feet. For a man at 5 ft 8 in the gap between the lowest and highest is 3 lb.
Do these formulas account for muscle or frame size?
No. They use only height and sex. Someone with a large frame or a lot of muscle can be healthy well above the range. For a man at 5 ft 8 in the range of 148 to 151 lb is a starting point, not a limit.