What does "ideal weight" mean at 5'6"?
At a height of 5'6" (168 cm), the four most widely used ideal-body-weight formulas converge on roughly 64.3 kg for men and 59.9 kg for women. These formulas — Robinson, Miller, Devine and Hamwi — were originally created to help clinicians calculate medication doses, so they return one tidy reference figure based purely on height.
In real life, a healthy weight is a range, not a single target. The WHO and NHS define a healthy weight as a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, which at 5'6" works out to 52.2–70.3 kg (8 st 3 lb to 11 st 1 lb). If your weight sits anywhere in that band, you are at a healthy weight for your height — the "ideal" figures simply mark a point near the middle.
Because these formulas ignore muscle mass, frame size and age, treat them as a starting point. If you train with weights or have a larger frame, you may be perfectly healthy slightly above these numbers. Pair the figure with a body fat percentage check and a waist measurement (aim for under half your height) for a more complete view.
How to use these numbers
- Check your actual BMI for 5'6" with our free BMI calculator.
- Want a specific target instead? Use the reverse BMI calculator to find the weight for any goal BMI.
- Need a personalised figure with gender and frame size? Try the full ideal weight calculator.
- Working out a daily calorie target to reach this weight? See the calorie calculator.