Body Fat Percentage Calculator

Use the body fat calculator to get a quick estimate of your body fat percentage:

What Is Body Fat?

Body fat, or adipose tissue, is made of cells that store energy as fat. Fat keeps you warm, protects your organs, and aids in hormone regulation. However, excess body fat can also increase the risk for various health issues, including cardiovascular disease.

Why Measure Body Fat?

Measuring body fat can provide a better picture of your body composition, showing the proportion of fat to lean mass. This insight can help you set realistic weight loss goals because it helps you understand whether you may want to focus on losing fat, building muscle, or both.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight and finding you’re not losing weight or hitting your goals and want to maintain your results, tracking changes in body fat over time can help you assess the effectiveness of your diet and exercise routine and make adjustments as needed. Understanding your body composition can motivate you to make healthier choices and set health and wellness goals for yourself.

What Is a Healthy Body Fat Percentage?

Determining what constitutes a “healthy” body fat percentage isn’t as simple as a single number. It varies based on factors like gender, age, body type, activity levels, and hereditary factors.

Being mindful of body fat percentage can be important because there are a number of health conditions associated with obesity. At the same time, everyone needs to maintain an essential amount of body fat, as falling below an essential body fat percentage can also lead to health risks.

Thus, when it comes to body fat percentage, it’s important to strike a balance that allows you to look and feel healthy. Below are potential general body fat percentage categories for men and women — adapted from the American Council on Exercise — which provide estimates of body fat percentage corresponding to different levels of fitness.

General body fat percentage ranges for men:

• Essential: 2-5%
• Athletes: 6-13%
• Fitness enthusiasts: 14-17%
• Average: 18-24%
• Obese: 25% and over

General body fat percentage ranges for women:

• Essential: 10-13%
• Athletes: 14-20%
• Fitness enthusiasts: 21-24%
• Average: 25-31%
• Obese: 32% and over

When reviewing these figures, remember that these are just one set of proposed ranges; different sources may offer different ranges.

What’s important to keep in mind is that these are just estimates based on different fitness levels. If you find yourself outside these ranges, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhealthy. Instead, focusing on overall health and well-being rather than fixating on a specific number is always a good idea. You can and should find a doctor to help you determine healthy weight loss goals and strategies rather than relying on a specific number that doesn’t consider your unique circumstances.

How to Calculate Body Fat Percentage

There are several methods commonly used to estimate body fat percentage, including:
 

• Skinfold calipers: This method involves measuring the thickness of skinfolds at various sites on the body and using these measurements to estimate body fat percentage.
• Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA): This method measures how quickly a low-level electrical current travels through the body to estimate body fat percentage. There are numerous devices on the market that utilize this technology for at-home health tracking, but be aware that their quality and accuracy might differ. Choose a reliable device to ensure you get reliable results.
• Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA): DEXA scans use X-ray technology to measure bone density, lean mass, and fat mass, providing a highly accurate body composition assessment.
• Hydrodensitometry or underwater weighing (UWW): This method involves submerging the body in water and measuring displacement to calculate body density, from which body fat percentage can be estimated.
• Air displacement plethysmography (ADP or bod pod): Similar to hydrostatic weighing, the bod pod measures body volume and density to estimate body fat percentage but uses air displacement instead of water.

While the methods listed above have their own strengths and advantages, all of them require the assistance of a medical professional and/or the use of specialized equipment. It is important to note that each method provides only an estimate of body fat percentage and no method is entirely accurate.

In order to provide a quick and convenient estimate, our body fat percentage calculator uses the U.S. Navy method for calculating body fat percentage. This method allows individuals to take body measurements from the comfort of their own home and generate an estimated body fat percentage based on those measurements.

How to Use Our Body Fat Percentage Calculator

To get started with our body fat percentage calculator, follow these instructions:

1. Enter personal information: Enter your gender, age, weight and height into the designated fields. This information helps customize the calculation based on your individual characteristics.
2. Provide body circumference measurements: Next, you’ll need to measure and input the circumference of the waist, neck, and hips (only needed for women). Make sure to measure accurately using a flexible tape measure and input the values into the corresponding fields.
3. Submit and calculate: Once you’ve entered all the required information, hit the “Calculate” button and the data will be processed using the U.S. Navy Method and provide you with an estimate of your body fat percentage.
4. Interpret the results: After calculating, you’ll receive your estimated body fat percentage and where it falls within the body fat percentage categories described earlier. Note that this general classification only represents one aspect of your physical health and does not necessarily represent your current level of physical fitness, as that can vary based on other characteristics.

You can use these calculator results to help track changes in your body composition and adjust your fitness and nutrition goals accordingly. Keep in mind that body fat percentage is just one measure of health and fitness, so consider it alongside other factors like overall body composition, cardiovascular endurance, and lifestyle habits.

You can also try our BMI calculator to assess your overall weight status and health risk based on your height and weight. Using both the body fat percentage calculator and BMI calculator together can offer a more comprehensive understanding of your health and guide you in making better decisions about your fitness and nutrition journey.

If you have any concerns or questions about your body composition, including body fat percentage, we recommend consulting a healthcare professional for personalized advice.

Using Body Fat Percentage to Set Weight Loss Goals

Tracking body fat percentage can help you set effective and realistic weight loss goals. Whether you want to shed excess body fat, build muscle, or maintain a healthy lifestyle, tracking changes in body fat percentage over time can guide your progress. With this knowledge, you can find a sustainable approach to building healthy habits that help you achieve your goals.