What is a Wilks score?

The Wilks score is a number that adjusts your powerlifting total for your bodyweight, letting a lighter lifter and a heavier lifter be compared fairly. It is the product of your total in kilograms and a coefficient derived from a fifth-degree polynomial of bodyweight.

Which Wilks formula does this use?

This calculator uses the Wilks 2020 coefficients, the revised set published to better balance scoring across the bodyweight range. Separate polynomials are used for men and women.

Does it matter if I enter pounds or kilograms?

You can enter either, but the formula works in kilograms internally. The tool converts your pound values to kilograms before applying the coefficient, so the score is identical regardless of the units you choose.

What is a good Wilks score?

Roughly, a score around 300 is a solid intermediate, 400 is advanced, and 500 or above is elite or competition-winning territory. These thresholds differ slightly by federation and over time.

Why is Wilks being replaced by DOTS and IPF GL?

Critics found the original Wilks under-rated very light and very heavy lifters. DOTS and the IPF GL points system use updated curves, so many federations have switched, but Wilks remains widely cited.

Powerlifting Wilks Score Calculator

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Compare strength fairly across bodyweights

A 60 kg lifter who totals 400 kg and a 100 kg lifter who totals 600 kg cannot be ranked by total alone — the heavier athlete carries a built-in advantage. The Wilks score solves this by scaling every total against a bodyweight curve, producing a single number that ranks raw strength relative to size. It is the metric that decides “best lifter” awards at countless meets.

How it works

The Wilks coefficient is computed from a fifth-degree polynomial of bodyweight x (in kilograms):

coefficient = 600 / (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴ + f·x⁵)

Wilks score = coefficient × total_in_kg

The six constants a through f differ for men and women. This calculator uses the Wilks 2020 revision, which adjusted those constants to reduce bias against the lightest and heaviest competitors. If you enter pounds, the value is divided by 2.2046226218 to convert to kilograms before the polynomial is applied.

Tips and example

Take a male lifter weighing 90 kg with a 700 kg total. Plug 90 into the men’s polynomial to get a coefficient near 0.59, then multiply by 700 to get a Wilks score of roughly 413 — firmly advanced.

Notes: always use your competition total (best squat plus best bench plus best deadlift), not a single lift. Because the polynomial is steepest at the extremes, small bodyweight changes matter most for very light or very heavy athletes. Use the same formula version when comparing scores — mixing Wilks 1994 and Wilks 2020 numbers is meaningless.