The BMI formula is the same for men and women — this filter only changes which reference table view and framing text is shown.
- Underweight
- Normal
- Overweight
- Obese Class I
- Obese Class II
- Obese Class III
BMI Chart for All Adults
Enter your height above to see your row.
| Weight | BMI | Category |
|---|
| Category | BMI range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | Below 18.5 | May indicate insufficient body weight for your height. |
| Normal | 18.5 – 24.9 | Associated with the lowest average health risk. |
| Overweight | 25 – 29.9 | Above the range considered typical for adults. |
| Obese Class I | 30 – 34.9 | Lower-range obesity classification. |
| Obese Class II | 35 – 39.9 | Mid-range obesity classification. |
| Obese Class III | 40 and above | Highest obesity classification. |
A BMI chart is the fastest, simplest way to see your weight category without doing any math yourself. Instead of dividing weight by height squared, you simply find your height on the chart, scan across to your approximate weight, and read off your category — underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. This bmi chart gives you that lookup experience directly, along with the full reference ranges for men, women, and different heights, plus the context you need to actually interpret what the result means.
How to Use This BMI Chart
Using a bmi chart takes three steps. First, find your height along the left-hand column. Second, scan across that row until you reach the weight closest to your own. Third, check which color-coded category that cell falls into. Unlike a calculator, which computes one precise number from your exact height and weight, a bmi chart works by weight bracket — it’s built for quick comparison rather than pinpoint precision, which makes it especially useful when you want to see how your weight compares across a range of possibilities, or how a few pounds either direction would shift your category.
Full BMI Chart by Height and Weight
The table below shows the boundary weights for each BMI category across a range of common adult heights. Categories follow the standard adult scale: underweight (below 18.5), healthy weight (18.5–24.9), overweight (25–29.9), and obese (30 and above).
| Height | Underweight (below) | Healthy Weight Range | Overweight Range | Obese (at or above) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4’10” (147 cm) | 88 lbs | 91–118 lbs | 119–142 lbs | 143 lbs |
| 5’0″ (152 cm) | 94 lbs | 97–130 lbs | 128–152 lbs | 153 lbs |
| 5’2″ (157 cm) | 100 lbs | 101–136 lbs | 137–163 lbs | 164 lbs |
| 5’4″ (163 cm) | 107 lbs | 108–145 lbs | 146–174 lbs | 175 lbs |
| 5’6″ (168 cm) | 113 lbs | 114–154 lbs | 155–185 lbs | 186 lbs |
| 5’8″ (173 cm) | 121 lbs | 122–164 lbs | 165–196 lbs | 197 lbs |
| 5’10” (178 cm) | 128 lbs | 129–173 lbs | 174–208 lbs | 209 lbs |
| 6’0″ (183 cm) | 135 lbs | 136–184 lbs | 185–220 lbs | 221 lbs |
| 6’2″ (188 cm) | 143 lbs | 144–194 lbs | 195–233 lbs | 234 lbs |
| 6’4″ (193 cm) | 151 lbs | 152–205 lbs | 206–246 lbs | 247 lbs |
This bmi chart uses the same underlying formula and category cutoffs for every height — the numbers simply shift proportionally, since taller frames carry naturally wider healthy-weight ranges. If your exact height falls between two rows, your true boundary weights will sit proportionally between the two closest rows shown.
Metric BMI Chart (Kilograms and Centimeters)
For readers working in metric units, the same bmi chart translates directly into kilograms and centimeters:
| Height | Underweight (below) | Healthy Weight Range | Overweight Range | Obese (at or above) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 42 kg | 42–56 kg | 57–67 kg | 68 kg |
| 160 cm | 47 kg | 48–64 kg | 65–77 kg | 78 kg |
| 170 cm | 53 kg | 54–72 kg | 73–86 kg | 87 kg |
| 180 cm | 60 kg | 60–81 kg | 82–97 kg | 98 kg |
| 190 cm | 67 kg | 67–90 kg | 91–108 kg | 109 kg |
Whichever unit system you use, this bmi chart applies the exact same 18.5/25.0/30.0 category thresholds — metric and imperial versions are simply two ways of expressing the identical underlying calculation.
Where the Numbers on This Chart Come From
Every figure on this bmi chart is derived directly from the standard formula — weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, or, in imperial terms, weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared, multiplied by 703. Rather than making you run that calculation yourself, the chart pre-computes the boundary weight at each category threshold (18.5, 25.0, and 30.0) for a range of common heights, so you only need to compare your actual weight against the listed brackets. It’s the same math behind any BMI calculator — just presented as a lookup table instead of a single computed output.
BMI Chart for Men
A bmi chart men version applies the exact same categories and cutoffs as the general adult chart above — BMI itself is calculated identically regardless of sex. What can differ for men is how the result should be interpreted alongside body composition. Men typically carry more muscle mass on average than women at the same height, which occasionally pushes muscular men into the “overweight” category on a bmi chart despite low body fat. For most men without an unusually muscular build, though, the standard height-weight bmi chart above remains a reasonably reliable first-pass reference.
BMI Chart for Women
Likewise, a bmi chart women reference uses identical thresholds to the general chart — there’s no separate medical scale for women. Where interpretation shifts is around body composition changes tied to hormonal life stages: pregnancy, and especially the menopause transition, can change how much fat and muscle sit behind a given weight, even when the BMI number itself stays flat. Some research even suggests a slightly higher BMI, up to around 27, may carry lower risk for women over 65, though this isn’t a universally adopted clinical cutoff for the standard chart.
BMI Index Chart: Understanding the Categories
Every bmi index chart, including this one, is built around four core categories, sometimes further subdivided at the upper end:
- Underweight — below 18.5: Split into mild (17–18.4), moderate (16–16.9), and severe (below 16) thinness.
- Healthy weight — 18.5 to 24.9: The range the CDC’s adult BMI categories associate with the lowest average risk of weight-related chronic disease in most population studies.
- Overweight — 25.0 to 29.9: A moderately elevated risk zone, though individual factors like muscle mass and fitness matter a great deal here.
- Obese — 30.0 and above: Further divided into Class 1 (30–34.9), Class 2 (35–39.9), and Class 3 (40+), with health risk generally climbing at each tier.
These bmi categories and bmi ranges apply consistently to adults aged 20 and older, regardless of sex.
BMI Height Weight Chart vs. Direct Calculation
A bmi height weight chart is built for speed and comparison, but it does involve some rounding — your actual weight might sit between two chart rows or fall a pound or two outside a listed bracket. If you want your exact BMI number rather than a bracket estimate, calculating it directly gives you more precision. You can also see what your own number means in more detail rather than reading between the lines of a printed table.
When a Chart Beats a Calculator (and Vice Versa)
Both tools serve genuinely different purposes, and knowing which one fits the moment saves time. A bmi chart is the better choice when you want to compare several possible weights at once — for example, seeing at a glance how 10 pounds up or down would shift your category, or checking where a family member’s numbers land without asking for their exact weight aloud. A calculator is the better choice when you want one precise, decimal-level number, particularly if your height doesn’t fall neatly on a standard chart row. Many people find it useful to start with a bmi chart for a quick sense of where they stand, then confirm the exact figure with a calculator afterward.
Reading Where You Fall Within a Category
Landing inside a category isn’t the same as landing in the middle of it, and this bmi chart is worth reading with that nuance in mind. Someone at the very bottom edge of the healthy weight range and someone near its top edge are both classified identically, even though they may look and feel quite different, and their proximity to a category boundary matters if weight tends to fluctuate. Similarly, sitting just above the 25.0 overweight threshold is a meaningfully smaller gap from the healthy range than sitting at 29.5, right at the edge of obese — the chart’s category labels are useful shorthand, but the underlying number still carries more detail than the bracket alone.
Reading the Obesity Chart Correctly
Within the obese category, the three sub-classes on an obesity chart aren’t just arbitrary divisions — each step is associated with a further increase in average risk for conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnea, according to major health bodies. That said, an obesity chart reading, like every other bmi chart result, is a screening flag rather than a diagnosis. Waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, and overall activity level all add important context that a chart based purely on height and weight can’t capture on its own.
Age and the BMI Chart
For adults 20 and older, the standard bmi chart doesn’t shift with age — the same 18.5, 25, and 30 thresholds apply whether you’re 25 or 75. What does change with age is body composition: muscle mass tends to decline gradually starting in midlife, while body fat often increases even at a stable weight, meaning the same chart position can represent a different body at 70 than it did at 30. Some senior-focused health guidelines suggest a moderately higher BMI, often cited around 23 to 27, may be a more appropriate target range for adults over 65, since research has repeatedly found that being underweight carries greater risk than being moderately overweight in this age group — a pattern sometimes called the obesity paradox.
BMI Charts for Children and Teens
For children and teenagers, the standard adult bmi chart doesn’t apply at all — kids and teens are instead compared against age- and sex-specific percentile growth charts, since normal, healthy BMI values shift substantially throughout childhood and adolescent development. A 10-year-old and a 16-year-old with the identical raw BMI number can fall into entirely different weight-status categories once age and sex are factored in, which is why pediatric guidance relies on percentile rankings rather than the fixed 18.5/25/30 cutoffs shown above.
Common Questions About BMI Charts
What is BMI?
Body mass index is a calculated measure of weight relative to height, expressed as a single number used to estimate whether a person’s weight falls into a healthy range for their height.
How do I use a BMI chart?
Find your height on the chart, scan across to the weight closest to your own, and read the category — underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese — from the corresponding cell or color band.
What are the four BMI categories?
Underweight (below 18.5), healthy weight (18.5–24.9), overweight (25.0–29.9), and obese (30.0 and above), with obesity further split into three sub-classes.
Does a BMI chart account for age?
Not for adults — the same categories apply at every adult age. Children and teens use a separate, age- and sex-specific percentile chart instead of the fixed adult ranges.
What are the limitations of using a BMI chart?
A chart can’t measure body fat directly, doesn’t distinguish muscle from fat mass, and doesn’t reflect where fat is distributed on the body — all of which matter for a fuller health picture beyond the weight category alone.
Is a BMI chart accurate for athletes?
Not always — because a chart can’t separate lean muscle from fat, athletes and heavily muscled individuals frequently land in the “overweight” or “obese” bracket despite having low body fat percentages.
Should I consider other health factors besides BMI?
Yes — physical exam results, lab findings such as blood pressure and cholesterol, and general health behaviors all provide context a bmi chart alone can’t offer.
Why do some countries use a different BMI chart?
Several public health bodies, particularly in parts of Asia, apply lower BMI cutoffs because research has linked elevated metabolic risk to lower BMI numbers in those populations compared with the standard Western thresholds used on this chart.
Beyond the Chart: Getting a Precise Number
A bmi chart is built for quick visual reference, and it does the job well for a fast estimate. But because it works in weight brackets rather than exact figures, your true number could sit anywhere within — or occasionally just outside — the bracket you land in. For an exact figure calculated from your specific height and weight rather than an estimated range, use the calculator directly. If you’re specifically trying to identify a personalized target weight rather than just a category, the ideal weight tool takes that a step further by working backward from your height to a recommended range.
Why the Standard BMI Chart Has Real Limits
It’s worth being upfront about where a bmi chart, or any BMI-based tool, falls short. BMI was developed as a population-level screening measure, not an individual diagnostic tool. It can’t distinguish muscle from fat, doesn’t measure where body fat is stored (which matters significantly for cardiovascular risk), and was validated primarily on data from adults of European descent — several public health bodies in Asia use different, generally lower, cutoffs because research has linked elevated metabolic risk to lower BMI numbers in those populations. None of this makes the chart useless; it means the result is best treated as a starting point for understanding your health, not a complete verdict.
The Bottom Line
A bmi chart turns the BMI formula into an instant visual lookup, letting you find your category by height and weight without doing any calculation yourself. The standard categories — underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese — apply consistently across adulthood, though body composition changes with age and life stage shape what a given category actually means for your health. Used alongside other health markers rather than as a standalone verdict, a bmi chart remains one of the simplest, fastest, and most widely used screening tools available anywhere online, and it’s worth revisiting periodically — checking back against the same chart every few months is a straightforward way to spot a meaningful trend long before it would show up anywhere else, especially when paired with a precise calculator result for confirmation.