BMI Calculator
🇨🇦 Canada version
Health Canada classifies body weight for adults aged 18 and over, and Canadians often give height in feet and inches and weight in pounds. This page opens in those units, reads BMI against the Health Canada bands, and shows the weight range inside the healthy band for your height. It screens only, so ask your doctor what the result means for you.
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BMI Results
Categories: Health Canada adult body weight classification (2003), Health Canada: Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults.
Health Canada says the classification applies to all ethnic groups, but clinicians should know its limits for non-white people.
Applies to adults 18 and over only. Health Canada has no classification under 18 and points to CDC growth charts.
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Canada rules and figures
- Health Canada's 2003 body weight classification names four adult groups: Underweight under 18.5, Healthy weight from 18.5, Overweight from 25 and Obesity from 30 upward.
- Health Canada says the classification applies to all ethnic groups, but clinicians should know its limits for non-white people.
- The classification applies to adults 18 and over only. Health Canada has none under 18 and points to CDC growth charts.
- Pounds, feet and inches are the default units on the Canadian page, with 5 ft 7 in and 150 lb filled in on opening.
Sources: Health Canada: Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults (checked 2026-11-08); Health Canada: Questions and answers for the public (checked 2026-11-08)
How the BMI calculator works
Feet and inches become metres (0.0254 m per inch) and pounds become kilograms (0.45359237 kg per pound), then BMI is matched to the Health Canada band.
BMI = kg ÷ m². Health Canada groups adults as Underweight (<18.5), Healthy weight (18.5 to <25), Overweight (25 to <30) and Obesity (30 and over)
- The page starts on ft, in and lb with 5 ft 7 in and 150 lb filled in. Switch to cm or kg if your records use them, and the choice is kept.
- The healthy range prints in pounds, from 18.5 × height² to 24.9 × height². At 5 ft 10 in it is 128.9 to 173.5 lb.
- Health Canada says its classification applies to all ethnic groups but that clinicians should know its limits for non-white people, so this page has no ethnicity switch.
- The classification covers adults 18 and over. Health Canada gives none under 18 and points to CDC growth charts instead.
How to use the BMI calculator
- Enter height in feet and inches. Type feet in the first box and inches in the second. Switch the unit to cm if you know your height that way.
- Enter weight in pounds. Type your weight in pounds. The unit box beside it also offers kg and stones.
- Read the band and the range. The page shows your BMI, the Health Canada band and a Healthy Weight Range in pounds for your height.
- Choose a BMI method. Standard BMI matches the Health Canada bands. The other two methods appear in the comparison list.
- Save, copy or export. Save Entry logs a dated reading, Copy sends the text to the clipboard and Export downloads a file.
Example: 5 ft 10 in and 190 lb
Entering 5 ft 10 in and 190 lb returns 27.3 and the Overweight label, with 128.9 to 173.5 lb printed as the healthy range. Typing 177.8 cm and 86.2 kg instead gives the same BMI, since both routes end up as metres and kilograms.
When to use the BMI calculator
- Using pounds without converting. Enter your weight as shown on the scale and get BMI without working in kilograms.
- Finding your healthy weight band. Read the Healthy Weight Range in pounds to see where the healthy band starts and stops for you.
- Bringing numbers to an appointment. Write down the BMI, the band and your waist measurement before seeing your doctor.
What the BMI calculator does not do
- Health Canada says the classification has limits for non-white people, and the page cannot adjust for them.
- It covers adults only. Under 18, growth charts are the tool a doctor uses.
- BMI cannot tell muscle from fat, and the age-adjusted view applies its own lines from age 65 onward.
- The page does not give medical advice. A doctor can interpret the result with other measures.
When something else is a better fit
- When you would rather estimate body fat with a cloth tape, use the Body Fat Calculator.
- When you would like target weights for your height from classic formulas, use the Ideal Weight Calculator.
- When you want advice about your own weight, use a doctor or registered dietitian, who can use more than height and weight.
Questions about the BMI calculator
What does Health Canada count as a healthy BMI?
For adults 18 and over, Health Canada's classification puts Healthy weight at 18.5 to 24.9. Underweight sits beneath it, and Overweight begins at 25 with Obesity at 30.
Does the calculator work for ethnic differences?
No. Health Canada says the classification applies to all ethnic groups but that clinicians should know its limits for non-white people. The page uses the standard bands, so ask your doctor how to read a borderline result.
Can I enter pounds and metres together?
Yes. Each box has its own unit selector, so height can be in cm while weight is in lb. Everything is converted to metres and kilograms before BMI is calculated.
Is there a BMI category for teenagers?
Not on this page. Health Canada gives no classification under 18 and points to CDC growth charts, which compare a young person with others of the same age and sex.