Mid-Parental Height Calculator
Free mid parental height calculator using the Tanner formula for target adult height from parent heights. Transparent mid parental height calculation as a rough target-height point estimate—not a proprietary prediction model.
Plain-language interpretation
Mid-parental height is a simple genetic target estimate based on parents’ adult heights and the child’s sex. Many children’s adult heights fall near this value, but individual outcomes vary widely. It is not a precise adult-height prediction.
Formula and data standard
Boys: (father_cm + mother_cm + 13) / 2. Girls: (father_cm + mother_cm − 13) / 2. This calculator reports only the point estimate; it does not provide an individual prediction interval.
Applicable age range
Uses adult parent heights; applies as a target estimate for the child/adolescent, not as a current height percentile.
Worked example
Father 180 cm, mother 165 cm: boy mid-parental height = (180 + 165 + 13) / 2 = 179 cm; girl = (180 + 165 − 13) / 2 = 166 cm.
Limitations
- Ignores nutrition, illness, puberty timing, and ethnic variation beyond parent heights.
- Not a validated individual prediction interval from longitudinal modeling.
- Khamis–Roche and similar methods are intentionally excluded.
References
- Tanner JM, Goldstein H, Whitehouse RH. Standards for children’s height at ages 2–9 years allowing for height of parents. Arch Dis Child. 1970.
- This site intentionally does not present an individual prediction interval.
FAQ
- How does mid parental height calculation work?
- For boys: (father + mother + 13 cm) / 2. For girls: (father + mother − 13 cm) / 2. The result is a rough target-height estimate, not an individual adult-height prediction.
Content maintenance date: 2026-07-16. Editorial and methodology review: see Editorial and methodology review.