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Body Fat Calculator

Estimate your body fat percentage with the US Navy tape-measure method or from BMI, with fat mass, lean mass and the ACE category.

Body fat percentage is the share of your body weight that is fat. It tells you more than weight or BMI alone, because two people with the same weight can have very different amounts of muscle and fat. This body fat calculator uses the US Navy method, which needs only a tape measure: your height, waist and neck, plus your hips if you are a woman.

You also get an estimate from your BMI, age and sex for when you don't have a tape at hand, your fat mass and lean mass in kilograms or pounds, and your category on the American Council on Exercise scale, from essential fat to obese. The calculation happens in your browser and nothing is stored.

How to use Body Fat Calculator

  1. Choose your sex and units, then enter your age, height and weight.
  2. Measure your waist and neck (and hips for women) with a soft tape and enter them.
  3. Read your body fat percentage, category, fat mass and lean mass.
  4. Compare with the BMI-based estimate and the category table.

Features

  • US Navy circumference method (Hodgdon and Beckett).
  • BMI-based estimate (Deurenberg) as a second opinion.
  • Fat mass and lean body mass.
  • American Council on Exercise categories for men and women.
  • Visual scale with your result.
  • Metric and imperial units; nothing stored or sent.

How to measure

Use a soft, non-stretch tape. Stand relaxed and breathe out normally; don't pull your stomach in or pull the tape tight. Measure the waist at the navel for men and at the narrowest point for women, the neck just below the larynx (Adam's apple) with the tape sloping slightly down to the front, and, for women, the hips at the widest point of the buttocks. Take each measurement two or three times and use the average: a one-centimetre error changes the result by about one percentage point.

The formulas

The US Navy formulas were developed by Hodgdon and Beckett in 1984 by comparing tape measurements with underwater weighing. In studies they are usually within 3 to 4 percentage points of a DEXA scan for most people. The BMI method by Deurenberg (1991) only needs height, weight, age and sex, so it can't tell muscle from fat and is less accurate for athletes.

MethodFormula (lengths in cm)
Navy, men495 ÷ (1.0324 − 0.19077 × log10(waist − neck) + 0.15456 × log10(height)) − 450
Navy, women495 ÷ (1.29579 − 0.35004 × log10(waist + hip − neck) + 0.221 × log10(height)) − 450
BMI method1.2 × BMI + 0.23 × age − 10.8 × (1 for men, 0 for women) − 5.4

What the categories mean

Some fat is essential for hormones, nerves and organs: about 2 to 5 percent for men and 10 to 13 percent for women. Athletes typically sit just above that, people who exercise regularly in the fitness range, and most adults in the average range. Women naturally carry more fat than men at the same fitness level. Higher body fat, especially around the waist, is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but the categories are a general guide, not a diagnosis.

Tracking changes

Body fat estimates are most useful for tracking change over time. Measure under the same conditions — same time of day, before eating, with the same tape — every two to four weeks. If your weight stays the same while your waist shrinks and the estimated body fat falls, you are likely gaining muscle and losing fat, which the bathroom scale alone would miss. Lean body mass from this tool can also be used in the Katch-McArdle formula in the BMR Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is the Navy body fat method?

For most adults it is within about 3 to 4 percentage points of a DEXA scan, provided the measurements are taken carefully.

What is a healthy body fat percentage?

Roughly 14 to 24 percent for men and 21 to 31 percent for women covers the fitness and average ranges on the American Council on Exercise scale.

Why do women need hip measurements?

Women store more fat around the hips and thighs, so the Navy formula for women uses waist plus hips minus neck.

Why does it say to check my measurements?

The formula needs the waist (plus hips for women) to be larger than the neck. If it isn't, a measurement is probably wrong.

Is the BMI-based estimate reliable?

It is a rough guide for typical adults. It can't tell muscle from fat, so it overestimates body fat for muscular people.

Are my measurements saved?

No. They are only used in your browser and are not put in the page address, so they stay out of your browser history.

What is lean body mass?

Everything that isn't fat: muscle, bone, organs and water. It is your weight minus your fat mass.

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