BMI Calculator for Men: Check Your BMI and Healthy Range

BMI Calculator for Men

Check your BMI and the healthy weight range for your height, with notes on what BMI means for men.

Last updated September 24, 2026

Your details

Units

US (lb)UK (st)Metric (kg)

Weight

Height

Your BMI

25.8 Overweight

A healthy BMI range for your height is about 129 lb to 174 lb.

BMI is only one number

BMI can’t tell muscle from fat. It may call a muscular person “overweight.” For adults over 65, a BMI a bit above 25 is not linked to a higher risk of death. Talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight is for you.

Want to keep muscle while you change your weight? Start with protein.

Protein calculator

Is BMI different for men?

No. BMI uses the same formula and the same categories for men and women. This page simply starts with a sample man: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) and 180 lb (82 kg). His BMI is 25.8, just into the overweight range. His healthy range is about 129 to 174 lb (58.5 to 78.7 kg).

Is that man actually carrying too much fat? BMI can't say. That is the key thing to know about BMI for men.

When BMI gets men wrong

Muscle is heavy. A man who lifts weights, plays a power sport, or does hard physical work can have a BMI of 25 to 30 while being lean. BMI would call him overweight.

The reverse happens too. A man with little muscle and a large belly can have a "healthy" BMI and still carry more fat than is good for him. Fat around the belly carries more health risk than fat elsewhere.

That is why men should pair BMI with a second check:

Waist-to-height ratio. NICE says to keep your waist to less than half your height. It works for muscular people. Try our waist-to-height ratio calculator.
Body fat. Our body fat calculator for men needs only a tape measure.
Muscle. Lifters can use the FFMI calculator to see muscle for their height.

BMI for men by age

There is no separate adult BMI chart by age. The CDC uses the same cut-offs from age 20 on. For men 65 and older, though, a 2014 review found that a BMI under 23 carried more risk than a BMI in the overweight range. Keeping muscle becomes a bigger priority with age.

For more on BMI, go back to the main BMI calculator. Talk to your doctor about a healthy weight for you.

Frequently asked questions

What is a healthy BMI for a man?

The CDC calls a BMI of 18.5 to under 25 a healthy weight for all adults, men and women alike. Under 18.5 is underweight, 25 to under 30 is overweight, and 30 or higher is obesity.

Is BMI accurate for muscular men?

Often not. BMI only uses weight and height, so it can't tell muscle from fat. A man who lifts weights can have a BMI over 25 and still be lean. A body fat or waist measurement gives a better picture.

Does a healthy BMI for men change with age?

The cut-offs don't. The CDC uses the same BMI categories for adults of any age from 20 on. But a 2014 review of adults 65 and older found that being overweight was not linked to a higher risk of death, while a BMI under 23 was.

What waist size is healthy for a man?

The WHO links a waist over 94 cm (37 in) in men with increased health risk and over 102 cm (40 in) with substantially increased risk. NICE suggests keeping your waist to less than half your height, a check that works for muscular people too.