Body Fat Calculator
Body fat
—Enter your height, neck and waist (and hips for women) to estimate body fat.
Enter your height, neck and waist (and hips for women) to estimate body fat.
About Body Fat
The US Navy method estimates body fat from a few tape measurements instead of callipers or a scan. It was developed for fitness assessments and, for most adults, lands within three or four percentage points of a lab measurement.
Formula (men): body fat % = 495 ÷ (1.0324 − 0.19077 × log₁₀(waist − neck) + 0.15456 × log₁₀(height)) − 450, with every length in centimetres.
Formula (women): body fat % = 495 ÷ (1.29579 − 0.35004 × log₁₀(waist + hip − neck) + 0.221 × log₁₀(height)) − 450.
Measure your neck just below the larynx, your waist at the navel (men) or the narrowest point (women), and hips at the widest point. Keep the tape level and snug but not tight, and take the readings at the same time of day for comparisons.
Common questions
- How does the US Navy method work?
- It estimates body fat from your height and the circumference of your waist and neck (and hips for women), using a formula the US Navy developed for fitness assessments. It is accurate to within about 3 to 4 percentage points for most people.
- Where do I measure?
- Measure your neck just below the larynx, your waist at the navel for men or the narrowest point for women, and hips at the widest point. Keep the tape level and snug but not tight.
- What is a healthy body fat percentage?
- The American Council on Exercise puts the fitness range at 14 to 17% for men and 21 to 24% for women, with 18 to 24% and 25 to 31% considered average.