How to Calculate Body Fat % (Navy Method)
What is Body Fat % (Navy Method)?
The US Navy body fat method estimates body fat percentage from circumference measurements (neck, waist, hip for women) and height, without requiring expensive body composition equipment. It was developed for military fitness standards.
Step-by-Step Guide
- 1Male: %BF = 86.010×log10(waist−neck) − 70.041×log10(height) + 36.76
- 2Female: %BF = 163.205×log10(waist+hip−neck) − 97.684×log10(height) − 78.387
- 3All measurements in inches for the original formula
- 4Accuracy ±3–4% compared to DEXA (gold standard)
Worked Examples
Input
Male: neck 38cm · waist 85cm · height 175cm
Result
Body fat ≈ 17%
Healthy range for adult males: 10–22%
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