Army body fat standard for 2026: your waist-to-height ratio, pass or fail against 0.55 (AD 2026-13), the largest passing waist for your height and margin.
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At a recorded height of 70 in, an average waist of 37.667 in gives a ratio of 0.538, which meets the Army standard of below 0.550. The largest passing waist at this height is 38 in, 0.33 in above your average.
| Height | cm | Largest passing waist (in) | cm | Ratio at that waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67.0 in | 170.2 | 36.5 | 92.7 | 0.544 |
| 67.5 in | 171.4 | 37 | 94 | 0.548 |
| 68.0 in | 172.7 | 37 | 94 | 0.544 |
| 68.5 in | 174 | 37.5 | 95.2 | 0.547 |
| 69.0 in | 175.3 | 37.5 | 95.2 | 0.543 |
| 69.5 in | 176.5 | 38 | 96.5 | 0.546 |
| 70.0 in (you) | 177.8 | 38 | 96.5 | 0.542 |
| 70.5 in | 179.1 | 38.5 | 97.8 | 0.546 |
| 71.0 in | 180.3 | 39 | 99.1 | 0.549 |
| 71.5 in | 181.6 | 39 | 99.1 | 0.545 |
| 72.0 in | 182.9 | 39.5 | 100.3 | 0.548 |
| 72.5 in | 184.2 | 39.5 | 100.3 | 0.544 |
| 73.0 in | 185.4 | 40 | 101.6 | 0.547 |
EXORD 182-26 Annex A: measured in socks, rounded to the nearest half inch.
Annex A: waist measurements are always rounded down to the nearest 0.5 inch.
Table B–1: the ratio is recorded to three decimals and digits after the third are dropped, never rounded (0.549888 is recorded as 0.549).
0.538 is below 0.550, so it meets the AD 2026-13 standard.
The largest half-inch waist strictly below 0.55 × height; the same rule produces the Army's Figure B–1 table.
Since July 2026 the Army's body composition standard is a waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) below 0.55, set by Army Directive 2026-13. It replaced the height and weight screening tables and the one-site abdominal tape test for body fat. The waist is measured at the navel three times, each reading rounded down to the nearest half inch; height is rounded to the nearest half inch; the average waist is divided by height and the ratio is cut, not rounded, to three decimals.
Soldiers use it to check where they stand before a record measurement, which happens at least twice a year. At 70 inches tall the largest passing waist is 38 inches, a ratio of 0.542; 38.5 inches gives exactly 0.550 and fails. The same limits appear in Figure B–1 of the Army's implementing guidance, EXORD 182-26 Annex A.
The standard is the same for men and women at every age. A ratio of 0.550 or more after a same-day confirmation by a second team means enrollment in the Army Body Composition Program and a flag.
Since July 2026 the Army measures body composition with a waist-to-height ratio instead of body fat: the average waist at the navel divided by height, cut to three decimals, must be below 0.550. At 70 inches tall, a 38-inch waist gives 0.542 and passes; 38.5 inches gives exactly 0.550 and fails.
The standard comes from Army Directive 2026-13 and is the same for men and women at every age. The result is a ratio, not a body fat percentage.
The implementing guidance, EXORD 182-26 Annex A, sets the recording rules:
For readings of 37.5, 38 and 37.5 inches at 70 inches tall, the average is 37.667 inches. 37.667 ÷ 70 = 0.5381, recorded as 0.538, which meets the standard.
Metric measurements are converted to inches first. At 178 cm (70.08 inches, recorded as 70.0), waist readings of 97, 97 and 97.5 cm all round down to 38.0 inches, for a ratio of 0.542.
The largest passing waist is the largest half-inch value whose ratio stays below 0.55. These match Figure B-1 of Annex A:
When 0.55 × height lands exactly on a half inch, that waist fails and the limit drops half an inch. At 60 inches, 0.55 × 60 = 33.0, so the largest passing waist is 32.5; at 70 inches, 38.5 fails and 38 passes.
If one of the three readings differs by more than 1 inch from the other two, Annex A calls for a fourth. The three closest readings are then averaged, and that average is itself rounded to the nearest half inch.
That last rounding can decide the result. Readings of 38, 38.5, 43 and 38.5 inches at 70 inches tall keep 38, 38.5 and 38.5. Their average of 38.333 is recorded as 38.5, a ratio of exactly 0.550, which fails.
The same three readings taken without a fourth average 38.333 unrounded, for a ratio of 0.547, which passes. A soldier above the half-inch table value can still pass on an ordinary three-reading average.
A confirmed ratio of 0.550 or more means enrollment in the Army Body Composition Program and a flag. No soldier is separated for failing until the Army completes its 180-day assessment of the standard.
Averages keep three decimals.
| Scenario | Applicable average (in) | Recorded ratio | Numerical comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | 37.667 | 0.538 | Meets the standard |
| Exact failure boundary | 38.500 | 0.550 | Does not meet the standard |
| Fourth rounding decides | 38.500 | 0.550 | Does not meet the standard |
For a body fat percentage, use the body fat calculator. The waist-to-hip ratio calculator and BMI calculator give general health screening measures outside the Army standard.
Checked against: EXORD 182-26 Annex A Figure B–1: height 70 in, max waist allowed 38 in, resulting ratio 0.542
Checked against: 38.5 / 70 = 0.55 exactly; Annex A Table B–1: “WHtR of 0.550 does not meet the standard”
Checked against: Figure B–1: 51 in → 28 in, ratio 0.549 (28 / 51 = 0.54902, cut to 0.549 as in Table B–1's 0.549888 → 0.549 example)
Checked against: Figure B–1: 64.5 in → 35 in, ratio printed as 0.5426 (35 / 64.5 = 0.54264), recorded as 0.542
A waist-to-height ratio below 0.55, for all soldiers regardless of age or sex. Army Directive 2026-13 (July 2026) made the ratio the only authorized body composition measure and dropped body fat percentages. The ratio is recorded to three decimals without rounding, so 0.549 meets the standard and 0.550 does not. The directive also covers USMA and Senior ROTC cadets.
No. Army Directive 2026-13 rescinded Army Directive 2023-11, which had introduced the one-site abdominal tape test for body fat in June 2023, and discontinued the height and weight screening tables. The directive also bars any tape test or other body fat assessment as a way to challenge a failed waist-to-height ratio; a failed first measurement gets a confirmation by a different team on the same duty day instead.
The largest half-inch waist that keeps the ratio below 0.55. From the Army's Figure B–1 table: 64 inches tall allows 35 inches, 66 inches allows 36, 68 inches allows 37, 70 inches allows 38 and 72 inches allows 39.5. Height is rounded to the nearest half inch first, and each waist reading is rounded down, so a reading of 38.4 inches counts as 38.
Not any more. Army Directive 2025-17 (September 2025) had exempted soldiers who scored 465 or more on the Army Fitness Test with at least 80 points in each event. Army Directive 2026-13 rescinded it and states that no AFT score exempts a soldier from the waist-to-height standard. Units must leave at least 7 days between an AFT or Combat Field Test and the measurement.
For information only, not medical advice. These formulas describe populations, not you; talk to a clinician before acting on a result.
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