How to Calculate BMI in Excel

Get the formulas for your sheet

Choose how your sheet records height, and the formulas below update to match. Copy them, or download a ready-made tracker.

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Building it step by step

1. Set up columns. A: Date, B: Height (cm), C: Weight (kg), D: BMI, E: Category.
2. Enter the BMI formula in D2: =ROUND(C2/(B2/100)^2,1). The (B2/100) converts centimeters to meters, and ^2 squares it.
3. Enter the category formula in E2: =IFS(D2<18.5,"Underweight",D2<25,"Healthy weight",D2<30,"Overweight",TRUE,"Obesity").
4. Fill down. Select D2:E2 and double-click the fill handle to copy the formulas to every row with data.

For pounds and inches, use =ROUND(703*C2/B2^2,1) instead. If you record feet and inches in separate columns, combine them first: =ROUND(703*D2/(B2*12+C2)^2,1).

Older versions of Excel

IFS needs Excel 2019 or Microsoft 365.¹ In older versions, use nested IFs:

=IF(D2<18.5,"Underweight",IF(D2<25,"Healthy weight",IF(D2<30,"Overweight","Obesity")))

Track BMI over time with a chart

Select the Date and BMI columns, then choose Insert → Line chart. Add horizontal lines at 18.5 and 25 by adding two extra columns that repeat those values on every row and including them in the chart.

Fixing common errors

• #DIV/0! means the height cell is empty or zero. Use =IF(B2="","",ROUND(C2/(B2/100)^2,1)) to leave the BMI blank until there's a height.
• A BMI around 0.002 means height is in centimeters but the formula expects meters. Divide by 100 inside the formula.
• A BMI around 0.03 with pounds means the 703 is missing.