DOTS Calculator
DOTS is the bodyweight-adjusted score modern powerlifting uses to compare lifters across weight classes. It converts your total (squat + bench + deadlift) and bodyweight into a single number, so a 148 lb (67 kg) lifter and a 275 lb (125 kg) lifter can be ranked against each other fairly. It replaced Wilks as the default score in major US federations, including USPA and USA Powerlifting.
Most DOTS calculators stop at the score. This one also tells you what the score means: it places you on the actual distribution of best DOTS scores from 279,351 male and 130,569 female Raw full-power competitors in the OpenPowerlifting database.
Total = your best squat + bench + deadlift. Estimate your maxes first
How DOTS is calculated
DOTS = 500 / P(bw) x total, where P is a fourth-degree polynomial in bodyweight (kg) with sex-specific coefficients, and the total is in kg. This calculator uses the exact coefficients from the OpenPowerlifting project, the same ones used to score real meets, with bodyweight clamped to the defined range of 40 to 210 kg for men and 40 to 150 kg for women.
The percentile placement is computed from OpenPowerlifting bulk data (public domain): every Raw full-power (SBD) competition entry with a recorded total, reduced to each lifter’s single best DOTS score so no one is counted twice. Percentages are interpolated on a 25-point grid, so treat them as accurate to roughly one percentage point.
What counts as a good DOTS score
Among Raw full-power competitors in the database, the median best score is about 352 for men and about 306 for women. A DOTS of 400 beats about 78% of male competitors and about 91% of female competitors. A DOTS of 500 is roughly the top 1% for men. Remember the comparison group: these are people who entered a powerlifting meet, not the general gym population.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good DOTS score?
Against Raw full-power competitors in the OpenPowerlifting database, the median best DOTS is about 352 for men and 306 for women. Around 400 you are beating about 78% of male or 91% of female competitors, and 500 is elite (top 1% for men). Any score above roughly 300 already reflects serious strength by general-population standards.
What is the difference between DOTS and Wilks?
Both convert a total and bodyweight into one comparable score, and for most lifters they land within a few points of each other. DOTS uses updated coefficients that fix known distortions of the original Wilks formula at very light and very heavy bodyweights, which is why most US federations switched to DOTS.
Can I use DOTS for a single lift instead of a total?
The formula itself works on any weight, and bench-only or deadlift-only meets are scored this way. But published reference points, including the percentiles on this page, are based on full-power totals, so a single-lift DOTS should only be compared against other single-lift scores.
Is DOTS the same in lb and kg?
The score is unitless and always computed in kg internally. This calculator accepts lb or kg and converts exactly (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg), so the same lifts give the same DOTS either way.