Powerlifting DOTS calculator
Enter bodyweight and total, get the DOTS score, or find the total for a target.
Your total is the sum of your best squat, bench press and deadlift in competition. DOTS works in kilograms; pounds are converted for you.
What is a DOTS score?
DOTS is a number that turns a powerlifting total (squat + bench press + deadlift) into a score you can compare across bodyweights and between men and women. A heavy lifter lifts more in absolute terms, so a raw total says little about who is the stronger lifter for their size; the score divides that advantage out. DOTS is used by OpenPowerlifting, the open database of meet results, for its rankings, and is usually credited to Tim Konertz. It is one of several such formulas; Wilks and the IPF’s own points formula are others, and they do not give the same numbers.
What is the DOTS formula?
DOTS = total in kilograms × 500 ÷ P(bw), where bw is bodyweight in kilograms and P is a polynomial of the fourth degree: P = a·bw⁴ + b·bw³ + c·bw² + d·bw + e. For men the coefficients are a = -0.000001093, b = 0.0007391293, c = -0.1918759221, d = 24.0900756 and e = -307.75076. For women they are a = -0.0000010706, b = 0.0005158568, c = -0.1126655495, d = 13.6175032 and e = -57.96288. The calculator uses these coefficients as published in the OpenPowerlifting source code. The 500 is a scaling constant, which makes the multiplier 500 ÷ P(bw) the number each kilogram of total is worth.
Worked example
A man weighing 90 kg who totals 600 kg (about 1,323 lb): P(90) = 773.27, so the multiplier is 500 ÷ 773.27 = 0.6466 and the score is 600 × 0.6466 = 387.96. A woman weighing 60 kg (132 lb) who totals 300 kg (661 lb): P(60) = 451.04, the multiplier is 1.1085, and the score is 332.56. The woman’s total is half the man’s, yet her score is about 14 percent lower than his, which is the point of the adjustment. The man’s result matches an independent calculator’s published example for the same inputs.
How much do I need to total for a DOTS of 400?
It depends on your bodyweight and sex: switch the calculator to “Total for a target” to see it. For a 83 kg (183 lb) man the answer is 592.5 kg (1306.3 lb); for a 63 kg (139 lb) woman it is 371.9 kg (819.9 lb). The table under the result also lists the totals for 300, 350, 450 and 500.
Is a DOTS score official?
Not as a rule. Different federations score meets with different formulas, and some do not use points at all, only weight classes. DOTS is best understood as a convenient comparison tool for training groups, online rankings and your own progress. Check the rules of your federation before assuming a meet is scored this way.
Which bodyweights does it cover?
The OpenPowerlifting implementation evaluates the polynomial between 40 and 210 kg (88 to 463 lb) for men and between 40 and 150 kg (88 to 331 lb) for women; a bodyweight outside that range is treated as the nearest limit. This calculator does the same and says so when it happens. For light lifters or very heavy lifters near the limits, small differences in bodyweight change the multiplier more than you might expect, so weigh in carefully.
Why not use raw total divided by bodyweight?
A plain ratio over-rewards light lifters: strength does not scale in a straight line with body mass, so a lifter who is half as heavy does not lift half as much. Formulas such as DOTS use a fitted curve instead.
Limits of this method
DOTS is a statistical fit, not a physical law. It is a fitted polynomial, so it can reward or penalize particular bodyweights; the powerlifting community has several competing formulas and arguments about them. The score ignores age, equipment (raw or equipped lifting) and the lifter’s experience; masters lifters and juniors are normally compared with age coefficients or within age groups that this tool does not apply. Different formulas give different values for the same lifter, so never compare a DOTS value with a Wilks or IPF GL value. It also relies on the bodyweight and total you enter, so a rounding or unit slip (pounds in the kilogram box) moves the result a lot.
Common mistakes
Mixing pounds and kilograms is the commonest error: the formula works in kilograms, and the calculator converts pounds for you when you use the US setting. Another is entering a best single lift rather than the three-lift total, or using an estimated total from training maxes as if it were a meet result. Finally, comparing scores that were rounded differently across tools makes a small difference look like a real one; compare to one decimal place from the same calculator.
Sources: OpenPowerlifting, source code of the Dots coefficients (crates/coefficients/src/dots.rs in the opl-data repository at gitlab.com/openpowerlifting/opl-data, read October 28, 2026: the polynomial, the coefficients and the 40–210 kg and 40–150 kg bodyweight limits); the same coefficients are listed by independent calculators, and the example in the text (90 kg man, 600 kg total) matches another calculator’s published example. The attribution to Tim Konertz is as reported by secondary sources and was not checked against a primary document. Related: one-rep max calculator, protein calculator, BMR calculator, lean body mass calculator.
For general information only — not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before starting a heavy lifting program. How we check our calculators.