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DOTS Score Calculator

Step 1 / 3 DOTS score
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Comparing a 205 kg total from a 66 kg lifter to a 280 kg total from a 100 kg lifter means adjusting for body weight. The DOTS coefficient replaced the older Wilks formula on most federation rankings around 2020; it is the current standard for cross-weight comparison in raw powerlifting meets. Enter sex, body weight and total, and this calculator returns your DOTS score for fair cross-weight comparison.

How to calculate a DOTS score

  1. 1

    Pick sex

    The formula uses different coefficients for men and women.

  2. 2

    Enter body weight

    In kilograms or pounds, measured at the weigh-in, not post-contest.

  3. 3

    Enter the total

    Sum of best squat, bench press and deadlift in kilograms (powerlifting total), or a single-lift total if you want per-lift comparison.

  4. 4

    Read the DOTS score

    The higher the DOTS score, the better the relative strength.

The DOTS formula

DOTS = total * 500 / (A*x^4 + B*x^3 + C*x^2 + D*x + E)

Where x = body weight in kg and the coefficients differ by sex:

Coef Male Female
A -0.0000010930 -0.0000010706
B 0.0007391293 0.0005158568
C -0.1918759221 -0.1126655495
D 24.0900756000 13.6175032000
E -307.7507600000 -57.9628800000

These were fit by Tim Konertz against IPF Open data to give a curve that peaks around where elite lifters cluster in each weight class.

Benchmarks for context

Rough DOTS scores for raw powerlifting:

Level Male DOTS Female DOTS
Beginner 150-250 130-220
Intermediate 250-350 220-320
Advanced 350-450 320-420
Elite / national 450-525 420-495
World-class 525-600+ 495-575+

These are for the three-lift total, not a single lift.

DOTS vs Wilks vs IPF GL

  • Wilks (1997) - original coefficient; still quoted in many older records but tends to favor heavier lifters at the extremes.
  • DOTS (Konertz, 2019) - recalibrated using more modern data; adopted by USA Powerlifting and most raw federations.
  • IPF GL Points - IPF’s own coefficient, used exclusively at IPF-sanctioned events. Very close to DOTS for most weight classes.

The choice of formula changes rankings at the margins. For serious cross-meet comparison, report the formula name along with the score.

Tips

  • Use weigh-in weight for the body weight, not casual morning weight. Meets weigh with empty stomach and 2-hour fast.
  • Track DOTS over time to see strength progression that is not muddied by body weight swings.
  • Single-lift DOTS (apply the formula to just bench or deadlift) gives a quick per-lift ranking; just note that coefficients were calibrated for three-lift totals.

Frequently Asked Questions

DOTS itself is one formula with fixed coefficients. Federations using DOTS all use the same numbers. IPF uses its own GL formula which gives very similar but not identical results; some federations report both.

The original Wilks fit was skewed by limited data and tended to inflate scores at body weight extremes. DOTS was refit to modern raw data and produces flatter comparisons across classes.

No. DOTS was fit to powerlifting (SBD) data. Olympic lifting uses Sinclair coefficients, which are a different formula designed for snatch plus clean & jerk totals.

The values you enter are sent to our server because the score is calculated there. They are not stored or linked to your account.

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