Estimate your body fat percentage using the U.S. military's circumference-based tape test formula, and check it against age-based Army body fat standards.
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This calculator uses the Hodgdon-Beckett circumference formula developed for the U.S. military's tape test, which estimates body fat percentage from neck, waist (and hip, for women) measurements in inches. This formula is mathematically distinct from the Navy/Siri-based formula used in our general Body Fat Calculator, it's a direct linear combination of log10 circumference terms rather than a reciprocal formula, and it's the specific method referenced by military body composition standards.
The U.S. Army (under AR 600-9) sets maximum allowable body fat percentages that vary by age group and gender, tightening slightly less as age increases. This calculator checks your estimated body fat percentage against your age group's maximum, giving a pass/fail-style result. These figures are commonly cited standards, always confirm against the current official regulation for any official purpose.
For example, a 25-year-old man, 178 cm tall, with a 38 cm neck and 85 cm waist, has an estimated body fat of 16.5% using the tape-test formula. Since the male maximum for the 21-27 age bracket used here is 22%, this result meets the standard.
Comparing this tape-test result directly against a percentage from a different method (like the Navy/Siri body fat formula), the two formulas are mathematically distinct and won't produce identical numbers for the same person.
Assuming these age-bracket maximums are current without checking, official Army body composition standards are periodically revised, always confirm against the current regulation for anything official.
Measuring circumferences inconsistently between check-ins, small differences in tape placement or tension shift the result enough to flip a borderline pass/fail outcome.
Both use circumference measurements, but they use mathematically different formulas, the Navy/Siri formula (general Body Fat Calculator) versus the Hodgdon-Beckett formula (this calculator), and this one additionally compares your result against official age-based Army maximum allowable body fat standards, which the general calculator doesn't do.
No, this is an estimate for informational purposes based on published formulas and commonly cited standards. Official Army body composition assessments must be performed by trained personnel following exact current regulation procedures.
Body fat naturally tends to increase somewhat with age even at a stable fitness level, so the Army's standards allow a slightly higher maximum body fat percentage for older age brackets rather than applying one flat standard to everyone.
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