Calculate your body fat percentage
The U.S. Navy method, from a tape measure and your height.
Try our other calculators
How the Navy method works
Developed for military fitness testing, it estimates body fat from a handful of circumference measurements rather than a scan or skinfold calipers, which is why it only needs a tape measure. Men need neck, waist and height; women add a hip measurement, because fat distribution differs by sex.
It will not match a DEXA scan exactly, but it tracks change reasonably well: measured the same way each time, a falling number over weeks means real progress even if the absolute figure is a few points off.
Measuring accurately
Measure neck just below the larynx, waist at the narrowest point (or at the navel if there is no narrowing), and hip at the widest point, all with the tape snug but not compressing the skin. Measure twice and use the average.
Take the measurements at the same time of day, ideally in the morning before eating, since bloating and hydration can shift the numbers by a centimetre or more.
