The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), which operates the Be The Match Registry®, has guidelines for a maximum weight for potential donors on its registry who have been identified as a possible match for a patient. These guidelines have been established to help ensure donor safety.
The donor weight guidelines state that for donors identified as a possible match, the maximum acceptable weight would be a person's weight associated with 10% above a body mass index (BMI) of 40*. To see the maximum weight (in pounds) for a given height (in feet and inches), see the chart below.
There are no minimum weight guidelines for potential donors. However, donors who have either a very low or a very high weight compared to their height will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for any weight-related health issues that might rule them out as donors.
*BMI is calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.
BMI = wt (kg.) / [ht (m)]2 (1 inch = 0.0254m, 1 pound = 0.454 kg.)
| Height and Weight Guidelines for Donors Identified as a Possible Match |
| Height |
Maximum Weight (in pounds) |
| 4'10'' |
210 |
| 4'11'' |
218 |
| 5'0'' |
224 |
| 5'1'' |
232 |
| 5'2'' |
240 |
| 5'3'' |
248 |
| 5'4'' |
256 |
| 5'5'' |
264 |
| 5'6'' |
272 |
| 5'7'' |
281 |
| 5'8'' |
289 |
| 5'9'' |
297 |
| 5'10'' |
306 |
| 5'11'' |
315 |
| 6'0'' |
325 |
| 6'1'' |
331 |
| 6'2'' |
341 |
| 6'3'' |
353 |
| 6'4'' |
361 |
| 6'5'' |
373 |
| 6'6'' |
380 |
| 6'7'' |
391 |
| 6'8'' |
399 |
| 6'9'' |
411 |
| 6'10'' |
419 |
| 6'11'' |
431 |
| 7'0'' |
440 |