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5 feet 8 inches · 172.7 cm · Male

Ideal weight for a 5'8" man

In kilograms, for Indian adults, using the Asian-Indian healthy BMI band — shown as a window on the scale rather than as a target.

Healthy weight range · Asian-Indian scale

55.2–68.3kg

A man of 5 feet 8 inches (172.7 cm) has a healthy weight range of 55.2 kg to 68.3 kg — that is 122 to 151 lb — using the Asian-Indian healthy BMI band of 18.5 to 22.9. A range, never a single figure: the method cannot support that much precision.

On the standard WHO scale the range extends to 74.3 kg, because that scale allows BMI up to 24.9 before calling it overweight. The 6.0 kg between the two is exactly the difference this site exists to explain.

SOURCE·WHO Asian-Indian BMI cutoffs·BMI 18.5 to 22.9 at 172.7 cm·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Underweight: under 18.5Normal: 18.5–22.9Overweight: 23–27.4Obese: 27.5 and over Underweight: under 18.5Normal: 18.5–24.9Overweight: 25–29.9Obese: 30 and over Asian-Indian International WHO

At 5'8", the outlined window is the healthy range on the Asian-Indian scale: 55.2 – 68.3 kg. The shaded columns are where the two rulebooks return different verdicts for the same body — 68.6 to 74.6 kg and 82.0 to 89.5 kg at this height.

Sources: WHO Expert Consultation on BMI in Asian populations, The Lancet 2004 (action points 23.0 and 27.5); WHO retained the international classification at 25 and 30. Weights are those cutoffs at 172.7 cm.

SOURCE·WHO Expert Consultation, Lancet 2004 (publ. 10 Jan 2004)·cutoffs at 172.7 cm·REVIEWED JUL 2026

How the Asian-Indian reading is derived

  1. Height is converted to metres. 172.7 cm becomes 1.7272 m.
  2. BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. The formula contains no sex, age or ethnicity term.
  3. The result is read against two published band sets. The Asian-Indian action points (23.0 and 27.5) come from the WHO expert consultation for Asian populations; the international classification (25 and 30) was deliberately retained by the same consultation.
  4. Healthy weight is reported as a range, never a single figure: the BMI 18.5 and 22.9 bounds are each multiplied by height squared.
  5. Where the two band sets return different verdicts, the gap is shaded in the diagram and stated in kilograms rather than left implied.
healthy weight = 18.5 x (1.73)^2 ... 22.9 x (1.73)^2  =  55.2 kg ... 68.3 kg

Every source, with its citation date →

What each weight means at 5'8"

The same table used everywhere on this site, computed for 172.7 cm.

BMI at 5'8" (172.7 cm) for every weight from 40 kg to 110 kg, read against both classifications.
WeightBMIAsian-Indian bandStandard WHO band
40 kg (88 lb) 13.4 Underweight Underweight
42.5 kg (94 lb) 14.2 Underweight Underweight
45 kg (99 lb) 15.1 Underweight Underweight
47.5 kg (105 lb) 15.9 Underweight Underweight
50 kg (110 lb) 16.8 Underweight Underweight
52.5 kg (116 lb) 17.6 Underweight Underweight
55 kg (121 lb) 18.4 Underweight Underweight
57.5 kg (127 lb) 19.3 Normal Normal
60 kg (132 lb) 20.1 Normal Normal
62.5 kg (138 lb) 21.0 Normal Normal
65 kg (143 lb) 21.8 Normal Normal
67.5 kg (149 lb) 22.6 Normal Normal
70 kg (154 lb) 23.5 Overweight Normal
72.5 kg (160 lb) 24.3 Overweight Normal
75 kg (165 lb) 25.1 Overweight Overweight
77.5 kg (171 lb) 26.0 Overweight Overweight
80 kg (176 lb) 26.8 Overweight Overweight
82.5 kg (182 lb) 27.7 Obese Overweight
85 kg (187 lb) 28.5 Obese Overweight
87.5 kg (193 lb) 29.3 Obese Overweight
90 kg (198 lb) 30.2 Obese Obese
92.5 kg (204 lb) 31.0 Obese Obese
95 kg (209 lb) 31.8 Obese Obese
97.5 kg (215 lb) 32.7 Obese Obese
100 kg (220 lb) 33.5 Obese Obese
102.5 kg (226 lb) 34.4 Obese Obese
105 kg (231 lb) 35.2 Obese Obese
107.5 kg (237 lb) 36.0 Obese Obese
110 kg (243 lb) 36.9 Obese Obese

Highlighted rows fall in the healthy band on the Asian-Indian scale (BMI 18.5–22.9). BMI = weight in kg ÷ (height in metres)². Height taken as 172.7 cm.

SOURCE·WHO Asian-Indian BMI cutoffs·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Sex, build and what BMI cannot see

No adjustment is applied for sex, because BMI has no sex term. A man and a woman of 5'8" get the same range from this method. That is a real limitation rather than an oversight — women carry more essential body fat at a healthy weight, and BMI cannot see it. The women and BMI guide covers what that means in practice.

The Devine reference

For a male of 5'8", the Devine formula gives 68.4 kg. It is shown because people search for it, not because it is better. It was published in 1974 as an aid to drug dosing, it returns a single number, and it takes no account of build.

Source: WHO Expert Consultation. “Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies.” The Lancet 2004;363(9403):157–163.
Source: Devine BJ. “Gentamicin therapy.” Drug Intelligence and Clinical Pharmacy 1974;8:650–655 — the origin of the widely quoted “ideal body weight” formula.

What ±5 kg looks like here

Five kilograms either side of the middle of the healthy range at 5'8".
WeightBMIAsian-IndianStandard WHO
52 kg17.4UnderweightUnderweight
57 kg19.1NormalNormal
62 kg (middle of range)20.8NormalNormal
67 kg22.5NormalNormal
72 kg24.1OverweightNormal

Five kilograms moves BMI by about 1.7 points at this height — which is why a 5 kg change matters more for a shorter person than a taller one.

Questions

What is the ideal weight for a 5 feet 8 inches man in kg?

55.2 kg to 68.3 kg. That is the healthy BMI band for Indian adults (18.5 to 22.9) applied to a height of 172.7 cm. Anywhere inside that range is a reasonable place to be; there is no single correct number.

Is 62 kg a good weight for a 5'8" man?

62 kg at 5'8" gives a BMI of 20.8, which is normal on the Asian-Indian scale and normal on the standard WHO scale.

What does the Devine formula give for 5'8"?

68.4 kg for a male of this height. Devine published the formula in 1974 for calculating drug doses rather than defining health, and it returns the same number for every man of a given height regardless of build. Treat it as a historical reference, not a target.

Healthy BMI band 18.5–22.9 from the WHO Expert Consultation (Lancet 2004); Devine formula from Devine BJ, 1974. General information only — not medical advice. These calculators use published population formulas; they cannot account for your individual health. Consult a doctor before major diet or exercise changes. See data & method for every formula, and sources for the citation dates.

SOURCE·WHO Asian-Indian BMI cutoffs·REVIEWED JUL 2026

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