Standard Weight Range Reference Chart
This reference table presents the weight intervals corresponding to the standard WHO adult BMI 18.5–24.9 classification band for standing heights from 150 centimeters through 195 centimeters in 5-centimeter steps. Each row reports three values: the lower-bound weight at BMI 18.5, the upper-bound weight at BMI 24.9, and the arithmetic midpoint between the two bounds. An optional height lookup control at the top of the page highlights the nearest table row. All values are computed from the BMI definitional formula; no additional age, gender, or frame-size adjustments are applied. Population-level notes reference CDC NHANES distributions solely for contextual comparison with the deterministic WHO standard ranges.
Height Row Lookup
Weight Range by Height (BMI 18.5 Lower, Midpoint, BMI 24.9 Upper)
Standard Weight Table (Heights 150–195 cm, 5 cm Step)
| Height (cm) | Height (ft/in approx.) | Lower Limit BMI = 18.5 (kg) |
Upper Limit BMI = 24.9 (kg) |
Range Midpoint (kg) | Range Width (kg) |
|---|
Row Calculation Examples
Lower limit: 18.5 × 3.0625 = 56.66 kg
Upper limit: 24.9 × 3.0625 = 76.26 kg
Midpoint: (56.66 + 76.26) / 2 = 66.46 kg
Range width: 76.26 − 56.66 = 19.60 kg
Lower limit: 18.5 × 3.4225 = 63.32 kg
Upper limit: 24.9 × 3.4225 = 85.22 kg
Midpoint: (63.32 + 85.22) / 2 = 74.27 kg
Range width: 85.22 − 63.32 = 21.90 kg
Data Source and References
- [1] World Health Organization (2000). Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic. WHO Technical Report Series 894, Table 2.1 (cut-points 18.5, 25, 30). who.int
- [2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) continuous cycles. cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes
- [3] Fryar CD, Gu Q, Ogden CL, Flegal KM (2021). Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015–2018. Vital and Health Statistics Series 3, No. 46.
Derivation, Standard Boundaries, and Population Context
The weight ranges in this table are direct algebraic consequences of the World Health Organization BMI classification framework. Because the adult BMI standard treats the interval from 18.5 through 24.9 as the designated "normal weight" band uniformly for all adults, the corresponding weight interval at any given height is fully determined by the BMI definition rearranged: weight = BMI × height². This page performs that rearrangement for two anchor BMI values (the lower and upper boundaries of the standard interval) and then reports the midpoint as a convenient central reference for each row.
Formula Derivation for Each Table Column
The lower-limit column substitutes BMI = 18.5 into the BMI definitional formula and solves for weight. Lower_kg = 18.5 × (height_cm / 100)². The upper-limit column similarly substitutes BMI = 24.9. Upper_kg = 24.9 × (height_cm / 100)². The midpoint column is the arithmetic mean of the two limits rather than an independent BMI calculation: Midpoint_kg = (Lower_kg + Upper_kg) / 2. This midpoint corresponds by construction to a BMI of exactly (18.5 + 24.9) / 2 = 21.7, which is the center point of the WHO normal-weight interval on the BMI scale. The range-width column reports Upper_kg minus Lower_kg, which equals 6.4 × (height_m)² and illustrates the nonlinear spread of the weight range with increasing height.
Standard Height Ranges and Interval Definition
The table is constructed over heights from 150 cm to 195 cm inclusive, with 5 cm increments. This coverage spans the central 95 percent interval of adult stature observed in most large national anthropometric surveys. The 5 cm step size was chosen for tabular compactness while keeping row-to-row weight increments at a granularity useful for lookup. Users can interpolate linearly between adjacent rows for intermediate heights, or recompute any intermediate value directly from the formulas cited above with arbitrary precision. Approximate foot-and-inch equivalents are provided in the second column using the standard conversion (1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 foot = 30.48 cm) rounded to the nearest integer inch.
Male and Female Population Average Notes
The WHO/CDC adult BMI cut-points (18.5, 24.9, 25, 30) are not gender-adjusted; thus the table columns themselves contain no separate male and female sub-columns. For population context, the empirically observed median weights in US NHANES surveys differ between men and women at the same height, as documented in NCHS anthropometric reference reports. These population medians typically fall within the 18.5–24.9 weight range for some age and height combinations, and above the upper limit for others depending on the survey cycle and demographic stratum. The table itself presents only the deterministic boundaries derived from the WHO BMI classification; separate sex-specific values are not presented because the underlying standard is itself uniform across adult genders.
Common Misconceptions About Height-to-Weight Tables
Several recurring interpretive points warrant explicit note. First, the table does not assert that any specific individual should have a weight equal to the midpoint; the midpoint is merely the arithmetic center of the WHO BMI interval. Second, no account is taken of frame size, lean mass variation, or body composition within the rows, since the underlying BMI standard also abstracts from those covariates. Third, the weight range at a given height represents a continuous interval; individuals with heights and weights placing their BMI anywhere between 18.5 and 24.9 inclusive fall within the standard boundaries regardless of their proximity to either endpoint. Fourth, while the table's bounds are deterministic given the WHO constants, the proportion of any specific contemporary population whose measurements fall within those bounds is an empirical question addressed by survey datasets such as NHANES and not by the classification framework itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Each row of the table corresponds to one standing height in centimeters. The lower-limit weight in kilograms is calculated by multiplying 18.5 by the square of height in meters: Lower_kg = 18.5 × (height_cm / 100)². The upper-limit weight is the analogous computation using 24.9 in place of 18.5: Upper_kg = 24.9 × (height_cm / 100)². The midpoint weight is the simple arithmetic mean of the lower and upper limits: Midpoint_kg = (Lower_kg + Upper_kg) / 2. The WHO standard BMI interval 18.5 through 24.9 is the basis for all three values.
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The width of the weight range is (24.9 − 18.5) × (height_m)² = 6.4 × height_m². Because the height term is squared, the absolute kilogram span of the normal-weight range grows nonlinearly with height. For example, the range width at 150 cm is approximately 6.4 × (1.50)² = 14.4 kg, whereas at 195 cm the range width is approximately 6.4 × (1.95)² = 24.3 kg. This quadratic widening is intrinsic to the definition of BMI as weight divided by height squared; it is not an arbitrary feature of the tabulation.
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The WHO and CDC adult BMI cut-points (18.5, 24.9, 25, 29.9, 30) apply uniformly to all adults aged 20 and over without gender-specific modification. Consequently, the weight range boundaries in this table computed from BMI 18.5 and 24.9 are numerically identical for both adult men and adult women of the same height. The population distribution notes in the text document the separate male and female NHANES survey averages so that users can contextualize the BMI-derived boundaries against observed population central tendencies, but the boundaries themselves are not gender-adjusted in the adult BMI classification framework.
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The table provides a deterministic mapping from height to the BMI 18.5–24.9 interval from the WHO classification framework, which is an a priori standard rather than a description of any specific population. In contrast, the CDC NHANES continuous national surveys describe the empirically observed anthropometry of the civilian non-institutionalized US population. For most heights, the median weight observed in recent NHANES cycles falls at or above the midpoint of the WHO 18.5–24.9 interval, frequently in the upper half of the range or above it. The source notes in this page reference NHANES purely as population distribution context and not as an alternative standard.