Army body fat calculator and the waist-to-height check

What the Army ended in July 2026

Army Directive 2026-13 is titled Army Body Composition Program and Standards, and it calls the program the ABCP. It adopts the waist-to-height ratio as the sole measurement for all soldiers and says the use of height and weight screening tables is discontinued. The Army's news article on the change adds that the ratio replaces the circumference-based tape test and the supplemental body fat assessments.

The directive also says no other body composition method, such as the tape test or another body fat assessment, may be used to challenge a ratio. That is why there is no body fat percentage in the check any more, and why the calculator does not estimate one.

The directive applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. It covers cadets of the United States Military Academy and Senior ROTC, retention actions, and military schools and training courses.

The standard is a ratio under 0.55

The directive's words are "a WHtR of less than and not equal to 0.55." A ratio under 0.55 meets the standard. A ratio of 0.55 or greater does not.

The ratio is the average waist divided by height, both in inches. Annex A, the Army's measuring guidance, says the waist is measured at the navel. Because the ratio is a division, it comes out the same in inches or centimeters.

How the waist and height are measured

Annex A sets the method. It applies to men and women alike.

Height is measured in socks, standing straight with the chin parallel to the floor. It runs from the soles of the feet to the top of the skull and is rounded to the nearest half inch.

The waist is measured at the navel with the tape parallel to the floor, starting on the soldier's right side. The tape touches the skin and must not press into the soft tissue. The soldier stands with arms hanging naturally.

Soldiers are measured in socks, standard Army fitness uniform trunks and a T-shirt. Girdle-like undergarments that could bind the abdomen are not allowed. The shirt may be lifted and secured at the collar. Removing it is the soldier's choice.

A team of two takes the measurements. One places the tape and reads it. The other checks the tape position and tension and records the reading on DA Form 5500. The measurers are noncommissioned officers or higher, or trained DA civilians. A same-sex measurer is preferred, and if one is not available a same-sex Soldier must be present.

The tape is fiberglass, not stretchable, one-quarter to one-half inch wide and at least 5 feet long. Cloth and steel tapes are not allowed.

If a skin fold hides the navel, the measurer marks an x on the fold where the navel should be. The tape goes around the outermost circumference of the abdomen across that mark. A reading under the fold would be too small.

If the soldier has no navel, the measurer finds the hip bone, the anterior superior iliac spine, and marks 2 inches above it. That mark is the reference point for the waist.

Reading your ratio

The team takes three waist readings and rounds each down to the half inch. If one reading is more than 1 inch from the other two, a fourth is taken. The three with the least difference are averaged, and the average is the recorded waist.

Annex A words the rounding of that average two ways. One place says "to the nearest half inch". Three others say waist measurements are rounded down. The calculator rounds the average down.

The ratio is the recorded waist divided by the recorded height, cut at three decimals and never rounded. A soldier 70 inches tall with a 38 inch waist has a ratio of 0.542 and meets the standard. At 38.5 inches the ratio is exactly 0.55, and that does not.

Annex A prints the largest waist for each height from 48 to 83.5 inches in Figure B-1. At 70 inches it is 38 inches. At 68 inches the line is 37.4 inches, so the largest half-inch waist that meets is 37 inches.

The calculator follows these steps. If the three readings are more than 1 inch apart, a box for the fourth reading appears.

The same-day second measurement

If the first ratio does not meet the standard, the directive calls for a confirmation measurement on the same duty day. Annex A says a team other than the first one takes it, and it must happen before the commander takes any action. All waist and height figures go on DA Form 5500.

The directive does not say what happens if the two ratios differ or which one counts. The Army's longer news article says soldiers who are over the standard on both the first screening and the same-day confirmation are flagged and enrolled.

What happens at 0.55 or greater

A soldier at 0.55 or greater is flagged and enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program. Flag code K, for noncompliance with the program, stays non-transferable.

For Regular Army and Active Guard Reserve soldiers, the commander then requests a medical exam to check for a condition that causes weight gain or blocks meeting the standard. National Guard and Reserve soldiers may ask for one. Off active duty, they pay for it.

The directive rescinds the progression steps and the mandatory monthly assessments. Commanders decide when to measure again and remove a soldier from the program as soon as the soldier meets the standard. Enrollment, counseling and other administrative steps otherwise follow AR 600-9.

The pause on separations

Units may start separation actions for a flagged soldier. The directive says no soldier will be separated until Army headquarters completes a 180-day assessment and issues further guidance. The Army's news article describes the assessment as a check on accuracy, with adjustments if needed.

The directive does not say when the 180 days begin or end.

No fitness score exempts anyone now

The directive states that no AFT score exempts a soldier from the waist-to-height standard. It rescinds Army Directive 2025-17, Army Body Fat Standard for Army Fitness Test Score. It also rescinds Army Directive 2023-08, which gave an exemption by Army Combat Fitness Test score, and Army Directive 2023-11, the tape test directive.

The Army's longer news article puts it this way: meeting the standard is mandatory for all soldiers regardless of Army Fitness Test scores. A high score on the Army Fitness Test does not change the ratio check.

How often the Army measures

Every soldier is measured at least twice per calendar year. A commander may also order an assessment at any time if the commander is concerned that a soldier does not meet the standard.

Commanders allow at least 7 days between the Army Fitness Test or Combat Field Test and the ratio, unless urgent operational needs call for less. The ratio is recorded on DA Form 5500 and in the Army Training Information System, and the directive rescinds DA Form 5501.

The 90 day recording deadline

Directive 2026-13, paragraph 9, says all soldiers "will have a WHtR completed and recorded in the ATIS no later than 90 days from the date of this directive." The directive is dated 1 July 2026. It prints no calendar end date for the 90 days.

What the Army documents leave out

Neither the directive nor Annex A says which ratio counts when the confirmation differs from the first, or when the 180 days start. Neither says whether the exemptions in AR 600-9 still apply to the ratio.

Annex A does not say what to do when one gap between readings is over 1 inch and the other is not. The calculator asks for a fourth reading whenever the three are more than 1 inch apart from end to end.

The directive never mentions people applying to join the Army. The regulations for applicants still point to height and weight tables, covered in the Army height and weight calculator.

Where the documents are silent, your unit's measurement is the one on record. The Army fitness rules and dated changes list each directive that touched body composition.