Wilks & DOTS Powerlifting Score Calculator
Score a powerlifting total with DOTS, the original Wilks formula and Wilks 2020, from your body weight and total (or squat, bench and deadlift), in kg or lb — or find the total you need for a target score.
How to Use
- Choose Score to rate a total, or Total needed to find the total that reaches a target score.
- Pick men’s or women’s coefficients and enter your body weight in kg or lb.
- Enter your total, or switch Enter to squat, bench and deadlift to add them up. Choose kg or lb for the lifts.
- Read the DOTS, Wilks and Wilks 2020 scores; the chart shows the total a lifter of any body weight would need to match you.
- Check Show Work for each coefficient polynomial evaluated at your body weight.
Worked Example
DOTS for an 83 kg man. The men’s DOTS polynomial at x = 83 is −307.75076 + 24.0900756 × 83 − 0.1918759221 × 83² + 0.0007391293 × 83³ − 0.0000010930 × 83⁴ = 740.64. The coefficient is 500 ÷ 740.64 = 0.67509, and a 700 kg total scores 0.67509 × 700 = 472.56 DOTS.
The same lifter by Wilks. The original Wilks coefficient at 83 kg is 0.66750, giving 467.25; Wilks 2020, on its 600-point scale, gives 561.15.
The common mistake: pounds entered as kilograms. A 198 lb (89.81 kg) lifter with a 1,175 lb total has a DOTS coefficient of 0.64729. Typed as a 1,175 kg total, the score comes out as an impossible-looking 760.56; the right answer is 0.64729 × 532.97 kg = 344.98. Set the lift unit to lb and the page converts for you.
Show Work
Formulas
Why Powerlifting Needs a Formula
Heavier lifters lift more, but not in proportion to their weight, so a raw total cannot say who is strongest across weight classes. Robert Wilks devised a fifth-order polynomial in body weight that turns a total into points on a scale built around 500, and it was long the standard for best-lifter awards. In 2020 he published revised coefficients on a 600-point scale; OpenPowerlifting treats that version as a separate formula, Wilks 2020, because its scores are not comparable with the original, and notes that the official coefficient tables are published by Powerlifting Australia.
DOTS came from the German federation BVDK after the IPF replaced Wilks with its own IPF Points, which do not compare men and women on one scale; the BVDK runs team competitions that need exactly that. The formula’s author is Tim Konertz, who describes the name as “Dynamic Objective Team Scoring” — an expansion chosen after the acronym. DOTS uses a fourth-order polynomial and the familiar 500 scale.
Every coefficient on this page is copied from OpenPowerlifting’s open-source coefficient code, including the body-weight limits it applies so that the polynomials never run off towards their asymptotes; the page reproduces the project’s own test values, such as 608.59 Wilks for a 100 kg man totalling 1,000 kg.
About This Tool
This calculator scores a total by DOTS, the original Wilks formula and Wilks 2020 at once, takes body weight and lifts in kg or lb, adds up squat, bench and deadlift for you, and works backwards from a target score to the total you need. The chart shows the total a lifter of every other body weight would need to match your score under each formula, which makes their different shapes easy to see.
Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere. For general information only — not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or other qualified professional about your own health.
Related tools: One-Rep Max (1RM) Calculator, BMI Calculator, and Calorie Burn Estimator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a DOTS score calculated?
DOTS = total × 500 ÷ (A·x⁴ + B·x³ + C·x² + D·x + E), where x is body weight in kg and A–E are fixed coefficients for men or women. An 83 kg man totalling 700 kg has a coefficient of 0.6751 and scores 472.56 DOTS.
What is the difference between Wilks and Wilks 2020?
Wilks 2020 uses new coefficients and a 600-point scale instead of 500, so its numbers run about a fifth higher and are not comparable with the original. The same 83 kg, 700 kg lifter scores 467.25 Wilks and 561.15 Wilks 2020.
Which formula should I use?
Use the one your federation or competition uses. DOTS was introduced by the German federation BVDK; the original Wilks formula is still the one used for most historical results; Wilks 2020 is the revised version published through Powerlifting Australia.
What total do I need for 450 DOTS?
Divide the score by your coefficient. At 93 kg a man’s DOTS coefficient is 0.63625, so 450 ÷ 0.63625 = 707.3 kg. Use Total needed to do this for any score, formula and body weight.
Does the calculator work in pounds?
Yes. Body weight and lifts can each be in kg or lb; they are converted to kg (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg) because the formulas are defined in kilograms. A 198 lb man with 405/275/495 lb lifts totals 1,175 lb (532.97 kg) and scores 344.98 DOTS.
How do I use the Wilks & DOTS Powerlifting Score Calculator?
Just type your numbers. The answer shows up right away — there is no button to press. Change anything and it updates by itself.
Does it cost anything or need an account?
No. The tool is completely free, there is no account to create, and it keeps working offline after the page first loads.
Is anything I type uploaded?
No. The tool works entirely on your device, so the values you enter never leave your browser.
Common Use Cases
Comparing lifters across classes
An 83 kg man with a 700 kg total (472.56 DOTS) and a 198 lb man with 1,175 lb (532.97 kg, 344.98 DOTS) can be ranked on one scale despite the different classes.
Setting a meet goal
A 72 kg woman aiming for 400 Wilks needs a 409.8 kg (903.5 lb) total.
Scoring a women’s total
A 63 kg woman totalling 400 kg scores 430.21 DOTS, 429.58 Wilks and 511.45 Wilks 2020.
Adding up a full meet
A 52 kg woman with 110 / 62.5 / 135 kg totals 307.5 kg and scores 374.81 DOTS.
Checking a federation result
A 100 kg man totalling 1,000 kg scores 608.59 Wilks — the same value OpenPowerlifting uses to test its own code.
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