If you are perplexed with the problem of how to calculate height to weight ratio or the Body Mass Index (BMI), this article will show you how it’s done. You will also find a BMI ready to use BMI calculator which can directly get you the BMI value from your height and weight values.
One of the simplest ways of determining whether your weight is appropriate for your height is through the calculation of the Body Mass Index or Quetelet index. Known in lay terms as the height to weight ratio, it can be easily calculated with the knowledge of the right formula. In this Buzzle article, I show you how to calculate height to weight ratio or BMI. If you don’t want to do the math and know how it’s done, you can use the BMI calculator provided in the following lines to calculate it directly. Using the height to weight ratio chart or BMI chart presented below, you can then analyze your BMI result.
What is the Height to Weight Ratio or BMI Formula?
The BMI value or height to weight ratio is a rough measurement parameter, primarily used to determine the tendency of an individual towards obesity. You can also determine whether you fall in the underweight category, by calculating your BMI value. BMI value cannot tell you about the fat distribution pattern or amount of fat deposition in the body. Neither does it take the overall body composition into consideration while calculating. There may be unhealthy individuals with a normal BMI and much more healthy individuals with a high BMI which puts them into the overweight category. So BMI values do not tell the whole story but they provide you with a statistical measure of the chances of you being obese, underweight or normal. Here is the formula for BMI calculation:
Body Mass Index (BMI) = (Weight in Kilograms) / (Height in Meter)2
This is the formula for BMI calculation according to SI units, where you need to enter your weight in kilograms and height in meters.
How to Calculate Height to Weight to Height Ratio?
As those of you who are used to rudimentary math calculation must have guessed, using the formula above is extremely simple. All you have to do is get the height in meters and weight value in kilometers and then divide the weight by the square of the height to get the BMI value.
You will of course need to convert your weight from pounds to kilograms. Divide the weight in pounds by 2.205 to convert it into kilograms. You will also need to convert your height in feet and inches into meters. To do that, convert your height into inches, by multiplying the feet value by 12 and adding the inches. Then divide the inch value by 39.37 to get your height in meters. Subsequently, divide the weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters to get the BMI value.
Height to Weight Ratio (BMI) Calculator
Here is a ready to use BMI calculator for you. Just enter your weight in kilograms and height in meters to get the BMI value.
Analyzing Your Body Mass Index Value
You need a BMI range chart to evaluate what the BMI value means for you. Here is small chart that will help you in interpreting the BMI values.
| BMI Range | Verdict |
| Less than 16 | Highly Underweight |
| 16 – 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 – 25 | Normal |
| 25 – 30 | Overweight |
| 30 and above | Obese |
BMI is not the ultimate parameter or the most accurate measure of fat distribution in a body. It gives a rough idea though, about whether you are underweight, normal or fall in the overweight category. Through adequate exercise, the right diet and a change in lifestyle, any anomalous height to mass ratio can be corrected and brought back to normal range. Consult a qualified physician and a nutritionist who can guide you with the same.
