Calculator
Wilks Calculator
Quick answer
The original Wilks score is your total times 500, divided by a fifth-degree polynomial of body weight. Men and women have different coefficients. This page uses that original set, numerator 500.
A 2020 revision exists. Implementations disagree on details of the scaling, so it is not offered here. The coefficients below match the original formula as published in reference tables, including the Wikipedia record of them.
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Estimates only. Testing a true max carries risk; use a spotter or safety arms. Not medical advice.
Coefficient 0.6384. Numerator is 500.
On this page
How does the Wilks calculator work?
Coefficient = 500 / (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴ + f·x⁵), where x is body weight in kilograms. Score = coefficient × total. Robert Wilks published the formula while at Powerlifting Australia. The IPF used it for years, then replaced it.
Men: a = −216.0475144, b = 16.2606339, c = −0.002388645, d = −0.00113732, e = 7.01863×10⁻⁶, f = −1.291×10⁻⁸. Women: a = 594.31747775582, b = −27.23842536447, c = 0.82112226871, d = −0.00930733913, e = 4.731582×10⁻⁵, f = −9.054×10⁻⁸.
What inputs does it need?
Sex, body weight, and total, in kilograms or pounds. A total is squat plus bench plus deadlift.
There is no bodyweight clamp on the original formula the way DOTS is clamped in meet databases. Extreme body weights still produce silly coefficients. Do not treat them as a ranking.
Worked example with sample numbers
Example only: 90 kg body weight, 600 kg total, men's coefficients. Wilks is about 383. The same lifter is about 388 DOTS. The gap is small in the middle of the range and larger at the ends, which is one reason federations moved on.
If you only have pounds, enter them. 198 lb is not exactly 90 kg. The page converts with the exact pound before it builds the polynomial, so you should not pre-round to a neat kilogram.
Common mistakes
Quoting Wilks as if it were still the IPF total. It is a historical and still widely used score. The federation score since 2020 is IPF GL. See the DOTS calculator for that secondary figure.
Comparing a Wilks from a gym total with a Wilks from a judged meet. The formula does not know about depth or a press command.
FAQ
Which Wilks version is this?
The original coefficients with a numerator of 500. Wilks 2020 is not calculated here.
Who is Wilks?
Robert Wilks, associated with Powerlifting Australia, who published the coefficient used for best-lifter awards for years.
Why is my Wilks different from another site?
Check the version, the unit conversion, and whether they rounded body weight first. A kilogram of difference moves the score.
Can I score a single lift?
The formula will accept any total you type. It was built for the three-lift total. A bench-only number is not a Wilks in the usual sense.
Is bigger always better?
A higher score is a higher bodyweight-adjusted total under this polynomial. It is not a health metric.