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Body Fat Calculator

The Body Fat Calculator can be used to estimate
your total body fat based on specific
measurements. Use the "Metric Units" tab if you
are more comfortable with the International
System of Units (SI). To get the best results,
measure to the nearest 1/4 inch (0.5 cm). This
calculation is based on the U.S. Navy method, but
also includes the calculation of body fat
percentage using the BMI method (both of which
are outlined below).

Modify values and click Calculate to use

US Units Metric Units Other Units

Gender male female

Age 19

Weight 152 pounds

Height 5 feet 10.5 inches

Neck 1 feet 7.5 inches

Waist 3 feet 1.5 inches

Calculate Clear

Related
BMI Calculator | Calorie Calculator |

Ideal Weight Calculator

Reference

The American Council on Exercise Body Fat

Categorization

Description Women Men

Essential fat 10-13% 2-5%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Average 25-31% 18-24%
Obese 32+% 25+%

Jackson & Pollock Ideal Body Fat Percentages

Age Women Men

20 17.7% 8.5%
25 18.4% 10.5%
30 19.3% 12.7%
35 21.5% 13.7%
40 22.2% 15.3%
45 22.9% 16.4%
50 25.2% 18.9%
55 26.3% 20.9%

Body Fat, Overweight, and Obesity

The scientific term for body fat is "adipose tissue."

Adipose tissue serves a number of important
functions. Its primary purpose is to store lipids
from which the body creates energy. In addition, it
secretes a number of important hormones, and
provides the body with some cushioning as well
as insulation.
Body fat includes essential body fat and storage
body fat. Essential body fat is a base level of fat
that is found in most parts of the body. It is
necessary fat that maintains life and reproductive
functions. The amount of essential fat differs
between men and women, and is typically around
2-5% in men, and 10-13% in women. The healthy
range of body fat for men is typically defined as 8-
19%, while the healthy range for women is 21-
33%. While having excess body fat can have
many detrimental effects on a person's health,
insufficient body fat can have negative health
effects of its own, and maintaining a body fat
percentage below, or even at the essential body
fat percentage range is a topic that should be
discussed with a medical professional.
Storage fat is fat that accumulates in adipose
tissue, be it subcutaneous fat (deep under the
dermis and wrapped around vital organs) or
visceral fat (fat located inside the abdominal
cavity, between organs), and references to body
fat typically refer to this type of fat. While some
storage fat is ideal, excess amounts of storage fat
can have serious negative health implications.
Excess body fat leads to the condition of being
overweight and eventually to obesity given that
insufficient measures are taken to curb increasing
body fat. Note that being overweight does not
necessarily indicate an excess of body fat. A
person's body weight is comprised of multiple
factors including (but not limited to) body fat,
muscle, bone density, and water content. Thus,
highly muscular people are often classified as
overweight.
The rate at which body fat accumulates is different
from person to person and is dependent on many
factors including genetic factors as well as
behavioral factors such as lack of exercise and
excessive food intake. Due to varying factors, it
can be more difficult for certain people to reduce
body fat stored in the abdominal region. However,
managing diet and exercise has been shown to
reduce stored fat. Note that both women and men
store body fat differently and that this can change
over time. After the age of 40 (or after menopause
in some cases for women), reduced sexual
hormones can lead to excess body fat around the
stomach in men, or around the buttocks and
thighs of women.

Potential Complications of Excess

Body Fat

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies

obesity as one of the leading preventable causes
of death worldwide that is estimated to claim
111,909 to 365,000 deaths per year in the U.S.
This has been a growing cause for concern
because 36.5% of U.S. adults are defined as
obese according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Obesity is associated with a reduction in quality of
life, poorer mental health outcomes, obstructive
sleep apnea, as well as multiple leading causes of
death worldwide such as cardiovascular disease,
stroke, certain cancers and diabetes. All of these
potential complications have the ability to reduce
a person's life expectancy, and as such, obesity is
a medical condition that is studied by many
researchers.
As previously mentioned, fat produces a number
of essential hormones that affect a person's body.
An excess or a lack of critical hormones can have
negative effects that preclude proper body
function. On a related note, studies have found
that excess body fat, particularly abdominal fat,
disrupts the normal balance and function of some
of these hormones. Furthermore, body fat,
specifically visceral fat, has a role in the release of
specific cytokines, which are a broad category of
proteins involved in cell signaling, that can
potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular
disease. Visceral fat is also directly associated
with higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol, lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
cholesterol, and insulin resistance. LDL
cholesterol is commonly referred to as "bad
cholesterol" while HDL is referred to as "good
cholesterol." High levels of LDL cholesterol can
clog arteries and lead to complications including
heart attacks. Insulin resistance involves cells not
properly responding to the hormone insulin, which
can lead to high blood sugar levels, and
eventually to type 2 diabetes. As can be seen,
excess visceral fat can have measurable negative
impacts to a person's health.

Measuring Body Fat Percentage

U.S. Navy Method:

There are many specific techniques used for
measuring body fat. The calculator above uses a
method involving equations developed at the
Naval Health Research Center by Hodgdon and
Beckett in 1984. The method for measuring the
relevant body parts as well as the specific
equations used are provided below:

Measure the circumference of the subject's

waist at a horizontal level around the navel
for men, and at the level with the smallest
width for women. Ensure that the subject
does not pull their stomach inwards to obtain
accurate measurements.
Measure the circumference of the subject's
neck starting below the larynx, with the tape
sloping downward to the front. The subject
should avoid flaring their neck outwards.
For women only: Measure the
circumference of the subject's hips at the
largest horizontal measure.

Once these measurements are obtained, use the

following formulas to calculate an estimate of
body fat. Two equations are provided, one using
the U.S. customary system (USC), which uses
inches, and the other using the International
System of Units, specifically the unit of
centimeters:
Body fat percentage (BFP) formula for males:
USC Units:
BFP = 86.010×log10(abdomen-neck) -
70.041×log10(height) + 36.76
SI, Metric Units:
495
BFP -
1.0324 - 0.19077×log10(waist-neck) +
= 450
0.15456×log10(height)

Body fat percentage (BFP) formula for

females:
USC Units:
BFP = 163.205×log10(waist+hip-neck) -
97.684×(log10(height)) - 78.387
SI, Metric Units:
495
BFP -
1.29579 - 0.35004×log10(waist+hip-
= 450
neck) + 0.22100×log10(height)

Note that the results of these calculations are only

an estimate since they are based on many
different assumptions to make them as applicable
to as many people as possible. For more accurate
measurements of body fat, the use of instruments
such as bioelectric impedance analysis or
hydrostatic density testing is necessary.
Fat mass (FM) formula:
FM = BF × Weight
Lean Mass (LM) formula:
LM = Weight - FM

BMI Method:
Another method for calculating an estimate of
body fat percentage uses BMI. Refer to the BMI
Calculator to obtain an estimate of BMI for use
with the BMI method, as well as further detail on
how BMI is calculated, its implications, and its
limitations. Briefly, the estimation of BMI involves
the use of formulas that require the measurement
of a person's height and weight. Given BMI, the
following formulas can be used to estimate a
person's body fat percentage.
Body fat percentage (BFP) formula for adult
males:
BFP = 1.20 × BMI + 0.23 × Age - 16.2
Body fat percentage (BFP) formula for adult
females:
BFP = 1.20 × BMI + 0.23 × Age - 5.4
Body fat percentage (BFP) formula for boys:
BFP = 1.51 × BMI - 0.70 × Age - 2.2
Body fat percentage (BFP) formula for girls:
BFP = 1.51 × BMI - 0.70 × Age + 1.4

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