Body fat from a tape
Enter your height and tape measurements to estimate body fat. Adding your weight lets the calculator compare the estimate with its reference percentage.
Just below the larynx, tape sloping slightly down at the front.
At the navel, relaxed, after a normal breath out.
Only used for the kilos-to-reference line.
Estimated body fat: 16.1%
The band is one standard error of the method (3.5 points). 15% is a comparison value, not a recommended target. Assuming constant lean mass, that is 1.1 kg of fat away, at about 80.9 kg.
Use this number in the cutting timeline.
Now put it on a timeline
With a body-fat estimate the cutting timeline can show maintenance, a daily target and weeks to your number, with a range.
Open the cutting timelineHow this is calculated
Men: %BF = 495 / (1.0324 - 0.19077 log10(waist - neck) + 0.15456 log10(height)) - 450. Women: %BF = 495 / (1.29579 - 0.35004 log10(waist + hip - neck) + 0.221 log10(height)) - 450. All in centimetres. The band shown is plus or minus one standard error of estimate from the development study.
Kilos to the reference level assume lean mass stays constant: weight at reference = lean mass ÷ (1 - reference %).
Straight answers
How accurate is the tape method?+
In the original Navy validation against underwater weighing the standard error was about 3.5 percentage points for men and 3.7 for women. The displayed band is one standard error, not a guaranteed range for your body fat. Measurement technique and differences between people can add uncertainty.
Where exactly do I measure?+
Neck just below the larynx with the tape sloping slightly down at the front. Men: waist at the navel, relaxed, after a normal breath out. Women: waist at the narrowest point and hip at the widest. Same time of day each time.
Why does the women's version need a hip measurement?+
The published equation for women uses waist plus hip minus neck. Without hip the formula cannot run, so the tool asks for it.
What is the 15% / 23% line?+
These are the comparison values used by this calculator. They are not recommended targets and do not predict how your body will look.