Body Fat Calculator
Estimate body fat percentage with a tape measure, using the US Navy circumference method.
Units
Sex
How to measure
Measure in the morning, relaxed, not sucking in. Neck: just below the larynx, tape sloping slightly down to the front. Waist: men at the navel, women at the narrowest point. Hips (women): at the widest point of the buttocks. Take each twice and use the average.
The number is an estimate with a real margin, but the same tape and the same routine every few weeks shows the trend well.
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Formula sources
- Hodgdon, J.A. & Beckett, M.B. (1984). Prediction of percent body fat for U.S. Navy men and women from body circumferences and height. Naval Health Research Center, Reports 84-11 and 84-29.Technical reports. The equations used here.
- Potter, A.W. et al. (2022). Circumference-Based Predictions of Body Fat Revisited: Preliminary Results From a US Marine Corps Body Composition Survey. Front Physiol 13.Against DXA in 609 Marines, men read about 2.5 points low and women 1 to 2 points high, with a spread of roughly 4 points.