Child Height Estimate
Predict a child's adult height from parents' heights and current height.
About Child Height Estimate
The midparental formula averages the two parents' heights, adding thirteen centimeters for boys and subtracting it for girls. A second estimate projects the current height forward using typical age-to-final-height percentages, and the two are averaged for a balanced prediction. Children tend to grow toward the average of their parents' heights, so this rough prediction helps families separate typical growth variation from real concerns.
Formula
Child Height Estimate
Boy adult height = (father + mother + 13) / 2; girl = (father + mother - 13) / 2; cross-checked against height at age
- midparental
- Averaging both parents' heights to predict adult height
- percent of adult height
- Age-based share of final height used to project from current height
Worked example
With the default values below, Child Height Estimate returns Predicted Adult Height (Midparental) of 178.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Genderone of Boy, Girl
- Boy
- Child age (years)accepts 2–17
- 4
- Current height (cm)minimum 0
- 100
- Father's height (cm)minimum 0
- 178
- Mother's height (cm)minimum 0
- 165
Results
- Predicted Adult Height (Midparental)
- 178.0 cm
- Estimate from Current Height
- 168.1 cm
- Suggested Adult Estimate
- 173.0 cm
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Child Height Estimate
- 3Predicted Adult Height (Midparental)= 178.0 cm
- 4Estimate from Current Height= 168.1 cm
- 5Suggested Adult Estimate= 173.0 cm
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- Height prediction is an estimate only; nutrition, health and genetics cause wide individual variation.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Height prediction is an estimate only; nutrition, health and genetics cause wide individual variation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Child Height Estimate calculated?
Boy adult height = (father + mother + 13) / 2; girl = (father + mother - 13) / 2; cross-checked against height at age The midparental formula averages the two parents' heights, adding thirteen centimeters for boys and subtracting it for girls. A second estimate projects the current height forward using typical age-to-final-height percentages, and the two are averaged for a balanced prediction.
Why does Child Height Estimate matter?
Children tend to grow toward the average of their parents' heights, so this rough prediction helps families separate typical growth variation from real concerns.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Gender, Child age (years), Current height (cm), Father's height (cm), Mother's height (cm). The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.