Body Fat (YMCA) Calculator

How much of my weight is fat (using the YMCA formula)?

This calculator uses the formula developed by the YMCA to estimate your body fat percentage without calipers. Use a tape measure and enter your waist measurement. Combine the waist measurement with your gender and weight and this calculator will estimate your percent of body fat, how much of your weight is lean mass and how much is fat mass, and your general fitness category. 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.

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.

Waist (at navel): Your waist measurement at the navel (or belly button).

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.

29 thoughts on “Body Fat (YMCA) Calculator”

  1. Female size 2. I am 5’7 weigh 123 and I am obese according to your calculator. Really?? My doctors have me drinking 700 calorie shakes and are concerned about my lack of body fat. I work out at the gym 5 days a week and have been instructed by the doctors and my trainer not to do cardio because it will cause further weight loss. This calculator is sending the wrong message.

    Reply
  2. Wtf?? 17 year old male, I’m 5″ 6 and 169 kg, with a waist of 40, yet it says I’m obese?? Like wtf that’s not true, I’m just a little bit chubby but definitely not obese???

    Reply
    • Josh, did you mean 169 Lbs? or 169kg ??
      its a BIG difference!
      so, yes,, if you were 169kg, then you are DANGEROUSLY overweight!!! ie: critically overweight!!
      But if you mean 169 Lbs, then you are overweight, but not in the danger zone.
      idealy, you would want to get your weight down to 152 Lbs (which is 69kg). This gets you back inside the standard zone of weight.

      Reply
  3. I know that this can’t be correct. I’m a female, 190 pounds and waist measurement 36 inches and this is literally the only test that hasn’t told me my weight is acceptable. Every other test tells me I’m obese. I don’t understand???

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  4. So, I am female, 5’3 with a weight of 106 and a waist of 29. This calculator labeled me as obese. Obese? I walk about 2 miles a day at a fast clip. How am I obese?

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  5. 30% that can’t be true I am 13 year old girl who is 95 pounds and 5’2. What the flip?! Will someone recommend a calculator that works so I know how long it takes to get a six pack. I am told 3-6 weeks but i just want to be sure. Please help.

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  6. Very inaccurate. I am into fitness for three years and i have never been overweight all my life. I am 5’1 , 29inch waist and it labelled me Obese!

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  7. Male
    Weight 121 lbs
    Waist 27 inch
    Body Fat 3%
    Fat Mass 4 lbs
    Lean Mass 117 lbs
    Body Fat Category Essential Fat

    Reply
  8. …This is pretty inaccurate. Play around with the numbers –
    130lbs and 24 inch navel = dangerously low
    150lbs and 24inch navel = dangerously low
    Seriously? 20lbs more and still low? Noooope.

    Reply
  9. This is not very accurate way to do female body-fat-estimation, as waist measure is very variable depending on body type, and may wildly over or underestimate your body fat. For men, it’s not so inaccurate.
    Use the same site’s navy body-fat measure for a more accurate reading, more in line with other measures.

    Reply
  10. Guys, you MUST get the entries correct i.e. metric vs imperial and the gender otherwise you’ll get nonsensical results surprise surprise. It should get within 1-4% of your actual body fat. I’m 5″6 164lb and it was tell me 13%, my scale tells me 15% so it’s in the right ballpark.

    Reply
  11. I don’t see how you all seem to be doing this wrong, it is not inaccurate.
    I’m 5.3, 48kgs, and 58cm waist and my body fat % was 9%
    ive calculated this on multiple websites with multiple different methods, and have gotten between 7%-11% every time.
    so I would say this is pretty accurate.

    Reply

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