Army Body Fat Calculator
Apply the U.S. Army AR 600-9 / DoD tape equations — the same Hodgdon & Beckett circumference formulas as the Navy method. This browser page estimates percent fat only. It does not read age-by-sex maximums and it does not pass or fail anyone.
Updated
How to use
- Choose units and sex. Hip is required only for the female equation.
- Enter height and the tape sites a trained measurer would use: neck, abdomen at the navel, and hip when shown.
- Read the estimated percent. 70 in height, 16 in neck, 34 in waist is about 15.4% on the male equation.
- Compare that number to the current AR 600-9 tables yourself if you need a standard. This page will not apply those tables.
How it works
AR 600-9 tells units to use the Department of Defense circumference method. That method is the same pair of log equations as the Navy tape: male 86.010 log₁₀(waist − neck) − 70.041 log₁₀(height) + 36.76; female 163.205 log₁₀(waist + hip − neck) − 97.684 log₁₀(height) − 78.387, all lengths in inches. If you run the same measurements on both pages you should get the same percent. The difference is the label and the context, not a second formula.
A real tape test is more than the algebra. Regulation text covers who may measure, how many times the tape is pulled, rounding, and what happens when two measurements disagree. None of that is implemented here. A unit uses trained measurers and the version of the regulation they are currently under.
Maximum allowed body-fat percentages by age and sex are also not applied. A 15.4% result is not a pass. A higher result is not a fail. Those decisions sit with a command using current tables. Publishing the equation on a website does not make this an official Army calculator.
Inputs that would make a log argument zero or negative are rejected, same as the Navy page. Height and tapes must be in one unit system; neck and waist are not entered in feet. The fitness disclaimer still applies: not medical advice, not a body-composition clinic.
Use the Navy-labelled page if you only want the field estimate without the AR 600-9 name. Use Lean Body Mass if you want Boer’s height-and-weight LBM instead of a tape percent.
Formula
Male: 86.010 log₁₀(waist − neck) − 70.041 log₁₀(height) + 36.76 Female: 163.205 log₁₀(waist + hip − neck) − 97.684 log₁₀(height) − 78.387 (all lengths in inches; AR 600-9 / DoD)
Worked examples
Male tape example
70 in, neck 16 in, waist 34 in → about 15.4%
Useful notes
- Same equations as the Navy tape page — different regulatory label only.
- Does not apply age/sex maximums or issue a pass/fail.
- Not an official Army determination and not medical advice.
FAQ
- Is this the official Army calculator?
No. It implements the published circumference equations. A unit uses its own trained measurers and current regulation tables.
- How is this different from the body-fat page?
The equation is the same family. This page names AR 600-9 / DoD; the other names the Navy method.
- Does a number here pass the tape test?
This page does not apply maximums or grant a pass. That is a command decision.
- Will my unit accept this number?
Unlikely as a substitute for their own measurement. Use it to understand the equation, not to pre-empt a board.
- Why do Navy and Army pages match?
AR 600-9 uses the DoD circumference equations, which are the Hodgdon & Beckett pair also called the Navy tape.
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