Wilks Score Calculator | Compare Powerlifting Strength Across Bodyweights

Turn your bodyweight and total lifted (squat + bench + deadlift) into a single Wilks score that levels the field between weight classes. The calculator applies the 1994 sex-specific coefficients and accepts both kg and lb input.

💡 About this tool

Raw total alone never tells you how strong you really are, because it ignores bodyweight. A 100 kg lifter hitting a 400 kg total and a 60 kg lifter hitting the same 400 kg are nowhere near equal in relative strength. That is exactly the gap the Wilks score closes.

The tool converts your bodyweight into a Wilks coefficient, then multiplies it by your total in kilograms. The coefficient is larger for lighter lifters and smaller for heavier ones, so it cancels out the advantage of carrying more mass. All math runs internally in kg; the English version adds a kg/lb toggle so you can type in pounds and let the tool convert. Switching sex swaps the coefficient set automatically.

Use it to track a meaningful PR, compare your relative strength before and after a cut, or settle the classic gym debate over who is actually the strongest lifter pound-for-pound.

🧐 Frequently asked questions

What is a good Wilks score? As rough benchmarks for men: around 300 is beginner, 350–400 is intermediate, 400–450 is advanced (national level), 500 is elite, and 600 is world-class. Women generally reach an equivalent level at scores roughly 50–100 points lower.

What is the Wilks coefficient? It is 500 divided by a fifth-degree polynomial in bodyweight (in kg), acting as a per-bodyweight multiplier. The tool prints the coefficient alongside the score so you can see exactly what your total was scaled by.

Does it work for a single lift? Yes. If you only enter a bench or squat instead of the full three-lift total, the tool still multiplies that number by your coefficient — useful for single-lift comparisons, just remember the result is no longer a powerlifting "total."

Wilks vs DOTS vs IPF GL — what's the difference? Wilks (1994) uses a fifth-degree polynomial and was the long-standing open standard. Since 2020 the IPF officially scores with IPF GL points, and many open federations have moved to DOTS. This tool uses the original 1994 Wilks coefficients.

📚 Where the Wilks formula came from

The Wilks coefficient is named after Robert Wilks, an Australian powerlifter and administrator. The formula was built by fitting a fifth-degree polynomial to IPF competition data from roughly 1987–1994, and it served as the international standard for comparing strength across bodyweights from 1994 until 2020.

The 500 in the formula is a scaling constant placed in the numerator. Men and women use very different coefficients because relative strength per kilogram of bodyweight is distributed differently between the sexes — at the same bodyweight and same total, the female coefficient comes out higher by design.