Health
Estimate your body fat percentage using the U.S. Navy circumference method — just a tape measure needed.
Measure waist at the navel, neck below the larynx, and hip (for the female formula) at the widest point.
Estimated body fat
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Enter your measurements above
Estimated using the U.S. Navy circumference method — a widely-used field estimate, not as accurate as DEXA or hydrostatic testing. Treat this as a general reference, not a precise measurement.
A man measuring 175 cm tall, with a 38 cm neck and 85 cm waist, gets an estimated body fat of about 16.9% — landing in the "Fitness" range. A woman measuring 165 cm tall, with a 32 cm neck, 70 cm waist, and 95 cm hip, gets an estimated 24.9% — landing in the "Average" range for women, reflecting the different typical body fat distribution the female formula accounts for.
Waist circumference correlates fairly strongly with visceral (abdominal) fat, which is why the Navy method — built around waist, neck, and hip measurements — tends to track real body fat percentage more closely than BMI does, despite needing nothing more than a tape measure. It's not as precise as a DEXA scan or hydrostatic weighing, but for tracking your own trend over time with consistent measurement technique, it's a genuinely useful and accessible tool.
It's a reasonably reliable field estimate — typically within a few percentage points of more precise methods like DEXA scans for most people — but it's less accurate for people at the extremes of body composition (very lean athletes or people with significant obesity). Treat it as a useful estimate, not a clinical measurement.
Waist: at the navel, relaxed (not sucked in). Neck: just below the larynx (Adam's apple), for a horizontal measurement. Hip (female formula only): at the widest point around the buttocks. Use a flexible tape measure, snug but not compressing the skin.
Body fat distribution and typical composition differ meaningfully between men and women, so the Navy method uses separate formulas — the female version adds a hip measurement specifically because fat distribution patterns differ enough that the male formula alone doesn't estimate accurately for women.
No — BMI only uses height and weight and can't distinguish muscle from fat. This body fat calculator uses body circumference measurements specifically to estimate the fat percentage itself, which is a more direct (though still imperfect) measure of body composition than BMI.