Height Calculator (Predicted Adult Height)
HealthEstimate a child's predicted adult height from both parents' heights using the mid-parental height method. An educational estimate, not a growth diagnosis.
Predicted Adult Height
162
Typical Range (Low)
153.5
Typical Range (High)
170.5
What is a Predicted Height?
The Height Calculator estimates a child's predicted adult height using the mid-parental height method — a widely cited formula that averages both parents' heights, adjusts for the child's sex, and provides a typical estimated range.
For related growth reference tools, see the Height Percentile Calculator and BMI Percentile Calculator.
How to use this Predicted Height calculator
- Enter the mother's height in centimetres.
- Enter the father's height in centimetres.
- Select the child's sex.
- Read the Predicted Adult Height and Typical Range instantly.
Formula & Methodology
Boys: Predicted Height = (Mother's Height + Father's Height + 13) ÷ 2 Girls: Predicted Height = (Mother's Height + Father's Height − 13) ÷ 2 Typical Range = Predicted Height ± 8.5 cm Worked example — a boy with a mother 162 cm tall and a father 175 cm tall: Predicted Height = (162 + 175 + 13) ÷ 2 = 175 cm Typical Range = 175 ± 8.5 = 166.5 cm to 183.5 cm
Frequently Asked Questions
The mid-parental height method is a widely cited estimate that generally predicts within a range of about ±8.5 cm for most children, since height is strongly influenced by genetics but also affected by nutrition, health, and other factors during growth.
It's a simple formula that averages both parents' heights, adjusts for the child's sex (adding roughly 13 cm for boys or subtracting roughly 13 cm for girls to account for typical sex-based height differences), and divides by two.
This adjustment accounts for the typical average height difference between adult men and women, ensuring the mid-parental estimate reflects a realistic target for the child's own sex rather than just averaging the parents directly.
This formula estimates an adult height target regardless of the child's current age, since it's based entirely on parental heights and sex, not on the child's own current growth measurements.
No — while genetics play a major role in height, factors like childhood nutrition, overall health, and growth conditions during childhood and adolescence also meaningfully influence final adult height.
The typical range (±8.5 cm from the predicted height) reflects the general spread seen around the mid-parental height estimate in most children, though individual results can still fall outside this range.
This is a statistical estimate, not a guarantee — many healthy children's adult height falls outside the calculated range. If you have specific growth concerns, a pediatrician can evaluate your child's individual growth trajectory using clinical growth charts.
The [Height Percentile Calculator](/height-percentile-calculator/) compares an adult height against the general population, while this calculator predicts a future adult height for a child based on parental heights — the two serve different purposes.
This calculator uses centimetres for both parent heights and the predicted result; if you have measurements in feet and inches, convert to centimetres first for accurate results.
No — this formula is based entirely on both parents' heights and the child's own sex, and doesn't factor in sibling heights or birth order, which aren't part of the standard mid-parental height method.
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