Waist-to-height ratio in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy

Take a height of 70 inches. A waist of 38.5 inches gives a ratio of exactly 0.55, which the Army counts as over the line. The Navy's Table-1 lists 38.0 as the largest waist, and the Marine Corps lists 36.0. The Air Force scores a 38.0 inch waist at 15 points and a 38.5 inch waist at 12.5 points, labeled high risk.

The four lines side by side

Waist-to-height ratio rules in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy in 2026

Service	The line	Waist taken	Rounding	Over the line
Army	"Less than and not equal to 0.55"	At the navel, per army.mil articles; the directive does not say	None stated	Confirmation measurement the same day, then flag and enrollment
Air Force	20 points at 0.49 or lower, 0 at 0.60 or higher; 0.55 or more is high risk	Midpoint between lowest rib and top of hip bone, three readings	Ratio cut to two decimals; waist rounded down to the half inch	No failure alone; body fat assessment if the composite also fails
Marine Corps	"Less than or equal to 0.52"	At the navel, twice, the lower one used	Waist and height rounded down to the half inch	Body fat evaluation by tape or machine
Navy	"Equal to or less than 0.5499"	At the navel, from the right side, twice	Ratio cut to four decimals; waist rounded down to the half inch	Step 2 table of body fat

Army: below 0.55, with no stated rounding

Army Directive 2026-13 is dated 1 July 2026. Paragraph 5a(3) says the standard is a ratio of less than and not equal to 0.55. Paragraph 5a(5) says a soldier at 0.55 or greater will be flagged and enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program.

The directive requires a confirmation measurement by a different team on the same duty day before a commander acts. No paragraph covers where the waist is taken, how many readings are made or whether a ratio is rounded. Army articles say the waist is measured at the navel and divided by height in inches. The Army ratio calculator compares a ratio with the 0.55 line.

Air Force: a score out of 20, not a pass line

Manual 36-2905, dated 24 March 2026, cuts the ratio to two decimals without rounding. Its example is a 72 inch height and a 39.5 inch waist: 0.5486 becomes 0.54. Height is recorded to the nearest half inch. The waist is taken three times and rounded down to the half inch. An additional reading is taken if any differ by more than an inch.

The scoring chart gives 20 points at 0.49 or lower and one point fewer for each hundredth up to 15 at 0.54. From 0.55 the steps are 2.5 points, down to 2.5 at 0.59 and 0 at 0.60 or higher. Body composition has no minimum. A ratio of 0.55 or more calls for a body fat assessment only when the composite score also fails. The Air Force waist-to-height calculator gives the points for a waist and height.

Marine Corps: 0.52 in two wordings

MARADMIN 066/26, dated 26 February 2026, says the standard is "<0.52, regardless of sex." MARADMIN 073/26, dated 27 February 2026, updates that paragraph. Its first two sentences now read "less than or equal to 0.52." The quick guide of 1 September 2026 uses the later wording.

The waist is measured at the navel, parallel to the deck, by an evaluator of the same sex. The evaluator measures twice, takes the lower reading and rounds down to the half inch. Height is also rounded down to the half inch. For the ratio, the quick guide says to round at the fifth decimal place and does not say in which direction. A table in message 066/26 lists the largest waist for each height from 53 to 84 inches, and gives 36.0 for 70 inches.

Navy: 0.5499 and a table of largest waists

Guide-4, dated June 2026, divides waist by height and rounds the ratio down to the fourth decimal. A ratio of 0.5499 or lower is within standards for Step 1. A ratio of 0.5500 or more goes to Step 2, where body fat is read from a table. Its Table-1 lists the largest waist for 72 heights from 48 to 83.5 inches, and gives 38.0 for 70 inches at a ratio of 0.5429.

The waist is taken at the navel from the right side, twice, and rounded down to the half inch. Guide-4 says height is "rounded up to nearest 1/2 inch," which differs from the Marine Corps wording. The Navy body composition calculator runs both steps.

The dated rules behind each line are in the Army fitness rules and changes, the Air Force fitness rules and changes and the Navy fitness rules and changes.