Army body composition calculator
The Army no longer uses the tape test. Since 7 July 2026 the only body composition assessment is waist-to-height ratio, and the standard is a ratio below 0.55.
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Result
These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.
How this is calculated
Waist-to-height ratiodefault
WHtR = waist circumference / height
standard: WHtR < 0.550, recorded to three decimal places
(no age adjustment, no sex adjustment)
- Source
- Army Directive 2026-13, "Army Body Composition Program and Standards", Headquarters Department of the Army, effective 7 July 2026 (ARN47030).
- Assumes
- That central adiposity, which waist circumference tracks, is the component of body composition that matters for readiness and health risk.
- Accuracy
- It is a standard rather than an estimate: the ratio is the measurement, not a prediction of body fat. That is the point of the change — it removes the estimation error that every tape formula carried.
Waist-to-height ratio against the Army standard
The standard is a ratio below 0.55, recorded to three decimal places, with no age or sex adjustment. The final column is the largest waist that meets it at that height.
| Height | 75 cm | 85 cm | 95 cm | 105 cm | Max passing waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 cm | 0.469 | 0.531 | 0.594 ✗ | 0.656 ✗ | 87.9 cm |
| 165 cm | 0.455 | 0.515 | 0.576 ✗ | 0.636 ✗ | 90.6 cm |
| 170 cm | 0.441 | 0.500 | 0.559 ✗ | 0.618 ✗ | 93.4 cm |
| 175 cm | 0.429 | 0.486 | 0.543 | 0.600 ✗ | 96.1 cm |
| 180 cm | 0.417 | 0.472 | 0.528 | 0.583 ✗ | 98.9 cm |
| 185 cm | 0.405 | 0.459 | 0.514 | 0.568 ✗ | 101.6 cm |
| 190 cm | 0.395 | 0.447 | 0.500 | 0.553 ✗ | 104.4 cm |
| 195 cm | 0.385 | 0.436 | 0.487 | 0.538 | 107.1 cm |
Questions
- Is the Army tape test still used?
- No. Army Directive 2026-13, effective 7 July 2026, rescinded the circumference-based tape test, the height and weight screening tables, and every supplemental body fat method including DXA, InBody and Bod Pod. Waist-to-height ratio replaced all of them as the sole assessment.
- What happened to the one-site tape test from 2024?
- It was superseded. Army Directive 2023-11 had replaced the older multi-site formula with a single abdominal measurement from 8 June 2024, and that method was itself rescinded by AD 2026-13 two years later. Most calculators online still implement the multi-site formula, which has now been out of use since 2024.
- What is the passing standard?
- A waist-to-height ratio of less than 0.55. The wording is "less than, but not equal to", and the ratio is recorded to three decimal places — so a recorded 0.550 does not meet the standard.
- Is the standard different for men and women, or by age?
- No. Unlike every method it replaced, there is one threshold for everyone. No age adjustment and no sex adjustment.
- How often is it assessed?
- Twice per calendar year, per the directive.
- Why does this calculator not show my body fat percentage?
- Because the Army no longer estimates one. The standard is the ratio itself. Showing a body fat percentage alongside it would imply the Army still assesses that, which it does not. If you want a body fat estimate for your own purposes, the body fat calculator covers four published methods.