Navy body composition calculator

The Navy screens with a waist-to-height ratio first. If you are over, it estimates your body fat from height, waist and weight.

Measure with a non-stretch tape, snug but not compressing the skin, at the spot your branch's instructions name, after a normal breath out. A cloth or fiberglass body tape works best; see body tapes on Amazon (paid link).

How the Navy measures body composition

Step 1. Height is rounded up to the nearest half inch and waist is rounded down to the nearest half inch. The waist is divided by the height and cut to four decimal places. A ratio of 0.5499 or less passes.

Step 2. If the ratio is higher, body fat is read from the Navy's tables using your height minus your waist and your weight. The limits are 26% for men and 36% for women.

Some combinations fall outside the printed tables. The Navy calculates those in its records system, and this calculator tells you when that happens.

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