What is my navy fitness level when measuring body fat using the Navy Body Fat Test and Navy Body Fat Chart?
This Body Fat Navy Calculator uses the U.S. Navy fitness formula to get an estimated measuring of body fat percent. Use a tape measure then enter your waist, hip, and neck measurements.
Combine these measurements with your gender and height and this navy calculator will estimate body fat percent, lean mass, fat mass, and your general navy fitness category. (You can see the Navy Body Fat Chart by clicking the down arrow icon right under the results.)
The water displacement test is the most accurate way to determine body fat percent, but the Navy Body Fat test or YMCA formula is accurate within 1-3% for most people.
The Body Fat Navy Calculator is a Good Tool for Measuring Body Fat and Navy Fitness Level
The comments show passionate emotions and controversial discussions over this Body Fat Navy Calculator! Whether you like the results or not, we’ve had a couple of recruiters tell us they use it all the time.
Please keep in mind that we did not develop the Navy fitness criteria, we just created this Body Fat Navy Calculator using their formulas and interpreted from their body fat chart as a way to help people who are monitoring and measuring body fat.
I haven’t been able to verify this, but I would guess the Navy’s body fat test was developed decades ago by men and during a time when it was only used on male recruits because female servicewomen were not in combat roles.
No body fat percent calculator will be very accurate for people with a very muscular build. There is no argument that a hydrostatic or underwater test is by far the most accurate tool for body fat test tool, but it is not a practical tool to measure ongoing progress due to cost and availability.
There are other formulas for measuring body fat. You may also be interested in another body fat percent calculator: YMCA Body Fat Calculator, 3 Skinfold Body Fat Calculator, 4 Skinfold Body Fat Calculator, 7 Skinfold Body Fat Calculator, Calorie Deficit Calculator and TDEE Calculator or try TDEE Calculator with recommended macronutrients intake as per your goals by FitnessVolt.com
The US Navy Body Fat Standards
US Navy service members are not permitted to exceed the following body fat percentage:
- Age 18 to 21 – 22% for males, 33% for females
- Age 22 to 29 – 23% for males, 34% for females
- Age 30 to 39 – 24% for males, 35% for females
- Age over 40 – 26% for males, 36% for females
Body Fat Categories Table
The Body Fat Range for each Classification indicates how close your calculated Body Fat Percentage is to the next range.
| Category | Women (% fat) | Men (% fat) |
| Essential Fat | 10%-13% | 2%-5% |
| Athletic | 14%-20% | 6%-13% |
| Fit | 21%-24% | 14%-17% |
| Acceptable | 25%-31% | 18%-25% |
| Obese | 32% + | 26% + |
Body fat percentage plays an important role in distinguishing between a healthy and an obese individual, as it has a greater ability to differentiate between lean mass and fat mass compared to BMI. If you’re interested in this topic, check out this article on .
Field Help
Input Fields
Title: A title for these calculator results that will help you identify it if you have printed out several versions of the calculator.
US/Metric: Choose US or Metric units.
Gender: Select your gender.
Weight: Your current scale weight.
Height: Your height. Use feet (ft) and inches (in) if units is US or centimeters (cm) if units is Metric.
Waist (at narrowest): Your waist measurement at its narrowest point (usually right above the belly button).
Waist (at navel): Your waist measurement at the navel (or belly button).
Hip (at widest): Your hip measurement at its widest point.
Neck (at narrowest): Your neck measurement at its narrowest point.
Output Fields
Body Fat: The approximate percentage of your body’s mass that is made up of fat.
Fat Mass: The portion of your weight that is fat.
Lean Mass: The portion of your weight that is lean (not fat).
Body Fat Category: Your body fat category depends on your gender and your body fat percentage.
Body Fat Categories Table: This table shows you the Body Fat Range for each Classification so you can see how close your calculated Body Fat percentage is to the next Body Fat Classification range.
All body fat calculations are based on statistical analysis. Just like how BMI is useful for insurance companies to accurately predict what your medical costs are going to be, this BF% test is useful for the navy to predict your capacity for fitness. It doesn’t actually test your body fat, it doesn’t measure motivation, performance, progress, or appearance. So don’t worry if it’s not accurate. It isn’t meant to be and doesn’t need to be. For the individual, it is useful as a tool to keep yourself grounded with measurable numbers in the context of how you feel about how you look and feel. Even if you had perfectly accurate BF% numbers, who cares? What would you do with that number anyway?
I lost like 3 lbs for mostly my thighs and stomach but gained more upper strength.
This isn’t right because this method DOES allow for half-inch measurements. In fact the instructions say to round to the nearest half inch. The fact that this calculator doesn’t allow decimals at all makes it useless.
just use metric for a more accurate input
This calc is idiotic, I’m around 11-12% but this test tells me 19%. Full retard.
Maybe you just THINK your 11-12%…
Yes, I was wondering the same thing, how did he get the 11-12% reading?
you are idiotic thinking you are 11 or 12 % of you measured waist correctly and neck correctly that is ur bmi
Thank you
To measure waist size at belly button, does stomach have to be relaxed or can you flex it, tightening it up? I’m 42″ relaxed, but 34″ tight and wear a 34″ waist size pants.
Relaxed, exhaled, but not pushing out.
Pant size for men days waist but you measure your hip at narrow point where you belt would be unless you pull your pants up to your bellybutton lol.
If you’re relaxed and measure 42” that’s too much visceral fat ( all males should be 40” or less for good health
Hope that helps
I’m 6 foot 3 150 lbss at 9% body fat and my abs arent too visible even tho i’ve been working them out everyday for almost a month. How great my genetics are.
Mate… if your 150lb at 6’3 and 9% body fat your abs will be showing no matter what
Boda fat: ideal
So I’m 5’3 male 113 lbs and apparently I have -74% body fat, -84 lbs of fat, and 197 lbs of lean mass.
Neat
This numbers don’t look right at all. At 66kg and 170cm with a 39cm neck and 79cm waist, I’m nowhere near 12% body fat.
I’m calling the calculator kinda bullshitty or the formula is probably in a bad shape.
If I had 10cm to the waist (making it 89), it puts me at 20%, which is a bit more believable.
28 % body fat
Hello all. I think for me it got it right. I’m 5’6 and 128 pounds, i got 23% body fat. Last time I visited a nutritionist he calculated body fat using a caliper which is more accurate and he said I had 24%. I used metric in this calculator, if that makes any difference because of not rounding numbers…
I got 2 percent bodyfat even though I look like 9 percent.
This formula is pretty accurate, I have an impedance scale that you step on barefoot and according to that scale I am at 20% body fat and 174 lbs lean mass. This test said 17% body fat lean mass 178lbs. I’d say that’s good enough for government work.
It is pretty accurate. In fact I think it is more accurate then my Omron Body Composition Scale. The scale tells me that I have a 8% BF, but this calculator tells me that my BF is 16%. I am pretty certain the truth lies in between. Maybe if I average out the two it is more accurate. So, I guess I have 12% BF. I suppose I should lose 2 more inches around my waist.
Shocked at my waist size . Says I’m obese which is also had to take but it gives me the determination to turn this around.
5’35, 105 lbs with a 5% body fat. Fat mass is 5 lbs, and lean mass is 100 lbs. while my scale said i have 33% body fat, and when i at gym, the machine said i have 19% body fat.
My friend has -1% in body fat is that good?
NO
I’m a size 4, have a 27” waist and the Navy is telling me I’m obese :o/
This feels decently accurate for me! 5’8 125lbs woman with 25″ waist, this says 21%, my scale for some reason says 16.5% this morning but it’s usually in the low 20s, and looking at pictures of other women at about 21%, I’d say we look pretty similar. Now to gain more muscle!
16 june 22 at 2:55pm
The calculation seems pretty damn inaccurate. This estimation puts me at 9% body fat, I’d say I’m likely much closer to 20. With barely visible abs, and little muscle definition. Coming in at 5,10 180lbs.
My Bioekectrical Impedence Scale putd me between 15-20% body fat. Average. This calculator puts me T 11%. So hard to know which is more accurate. I have scheduled a Dexxa Scan and will compare that to both to see which “may” be mire accurate relative to the Dexxa Scan
It seems to me that this is a good start to worry more about the measurement than the weight. Although I find some problems. If this is true, the famous actor Steve Reves, according to the literature, measured 1.85 meters. and weighed 98 kg. I was 73 cm. waist and 46 neck, this means -4% body fat on the calculator, impossible!
Either these measurements are incorrect or there is some error in the calculation pressure. I have carried out this exercise with supposed measurements of famous athletes and in several cases these inconsistencies occur.
5’11” 189 lbs, 30% body fat, 43” waist, 16” neck, Obese it says. Ok so I have 2 weeks to live you say? Lol. I have been the skinny kid almost all my life. Birth – 32 years, now 44 yr old. I’m bald and fat now. People move out of my way, I got the double chin and pregnant belly look. Taught I was skinny fat but now I’m just fat. Lol, YouTube Jason Fong and fast. The hell with losing 30 lbs in one year or 6 month. Water fast, then soup,salty perfer before passing out, stationary bike ($25 on Craigslist) in the AM on empty stomach, pushups, crunches, bands. Time for me to use the fat on my body how I was designed my the Almighty Creator. I’m tired walking around with this 50 lbs book bag of emergency energy that I never use. Many winters have passed and I still don’t act like a bear, for I am a sophisticated design with a stupid forgetful brain. Not anymore, . Wake-up people, myself included. [email protected] please let me hear your story too.