Body Fat Calculator
Estimate your body fat percentage using proven measurement methods, tape, calipers, or BMI, and see your lean mass, BMR, and TDEE in one place.
How Is Body Fat Measured?
BMI Estimate
Quick estimate using height & weight
Tape Measure
US Navy & YMCA circumference methods
Skinfold Caliper
Jackson/Pollock 3-, 4-, and 7-site methods
Your body fat percentage tells you how much of your weight is fat versus lean mass. Tracking it alongside your weight gives a much clearer picture of real progress than the scale alone.
The Basics
What is Body Fat %?
Essential Fat
Men 3–5% · Women 10–13%
The minimum fat your body needs to survive. It protects organs, regulates hormones, and supports the nervous system. Going below this is dangerous and unsustainable.
Athletic Range
Men 6–17% · Women 14–24%
The range where most fit and active people sit. Performance is high, health markers are strong, and body composition is well-balanced. A realistic long-term target for most people.
High Body Fat
Men 25%+ · Women 32%+
Above this range, health risks increase, including insulin resistance, cardiovascular strain, and hormonal disruption. A calorie deficit paired with resistance training is the most effective strategy to reduce it.
Choosing Your Method
Methods vs Accuracy
This calculator gives you three ways to estimate body fat, and the right one depends on what you have available. No home method is perfectly accurate, what matters most is consistency.
BMI (no measurements) is the least accurate for individuals, but it's a fast baseline. It doesn't account for muscle mass, so athletes will often score as "overweight" when they're not.
Tape measure methods (US Navy, YMCA) use circumference at key sites. They're practical, repeatable, and accurate enough to track change over time, especially when measured the same way each time.
Skinfold calipers are the gold standard for home measurement. The Jackson/Pollock 3-, 4-, and 7-site methods can match DEXA accuracy when done consistently by the same person.
Accuracy Comparison
Pro Tip
Pick one method and stick with it. A consistent ±3% reading taken monthly tells you far more about your progress than switching methods every time. Trend direction beats single readings.
Why BF% Beats BMI
Body Fat vs BMI
Muscle Matters
BMI ignores body composition
BMI only uses height and weight. A 90kg bodybuilder and a 90kg sedentary person have identical BMIs, but completely different health profiles. Body fat % separates the two instantly.
Track Real Change
Weight can mislead you
During a body recomposition, losing fat while building muscle, your weight might not move. Your body fat % will drop. Tracking BF% shows progress the scale hides, keeping motivation high when numbers stall.
Health Indicator
Fat location is what matters
Excess body fat, especially visceral fat around organs, directly correlates with metabolic disease risk. Body fat % is a more sensitive early warning than BMI for most health conditions.
Reading the Numbers
Lean Body Mass
Lean Body Mass (LBM) is everything in your body that isn't fat; muscle, bone, organs, water, and connective tissue. It's arguably more important than body fat % because it's what drives your metabolism.
Why LBM matters for calories: muscle is metabolically expensive to maintain. The more lean mass you carry, the higher your BMR and TDEE, meaning you burn more calories at rest, which makes fat loss easier and sustainable.
Protecting LBM during a cut is why protein intake and resistance training matter so much. A diet that causes muscle loss will lower your metabolism, making further fat loss progressively harder.
The calculator shows your estimated LBM alongside your BMR and TDEE so you can understand exactly how body composition affects your energy needs, not just your appearance.
Example — 90 kg · 25% Body Fat
Example — 90 kg · 15% Body Fat