Body Type Calculator

Body type calculators group figures by the proportions between a few key measurements rather than by size. Two people who wear very different clothing sizes can share the same shape. The classification here follows rules published by researchers at North Carolina State University for the Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT) for Apparel, which sorted thousands of 3D body scans into shape groups to improve how clothes are designed and fitted.

To measure, wear light, close-fitting clothing or underwear and use a soft tape measure held level all the way around the body, snug but not tight. Stand straight and relaxed, and breathe normally.

• Bust: around the fullest part of the chest, usually across the nipples, with the tape level across the back.
• Waist: around the narrowest part of the torso, typically a little above the belly button.
• High hip: around the top of the hip bones, about 7 inches (18 cm) below the waist.
• Hip: around the widest part of the buttocks and hips.

Female body shapes in the fashion industry

Fashion designers, stylists and pattern makers have long described women's figures with simple shapes so they can suggest cuts and styles that balance proportions. Popular names include the hourglass, pear or triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle and apple, and some systems use fruit or letter names such as A, V, H, X and O. The FFIT research added more precise boundaries and further groups such as the spoon and the top and bottom hourglass.

Shape descriptions are a tool for fit and style, not a ranking. Studies of large populations, including the US SizeUSA survey, found that the rectangle was the most common shape, while the classic hourglass was far less common than its prominence in fashion images suggests.

What is my body shape?

The calculator compares your measurements in this order and assigns the first shape whose conditions you meet:

• Hourglass: bust and hips nearly equal (bust no more than 1 inch larger, hips less than 3.6 inches larger), with a waist much smaller than both, at least 9 inches less than the bust or 10 inches less than the hips.
• Bottom hourglass: hips 3.6 to 10 inches larger than the bust, waist at least 9 inches smaller than the hips, and a gentle curve from waist to high hip.
• Top hourglass: bust 1 to 10 inches larger than the hips and at least 9 inches larger than the waist.
• Spoon: hips more than 2 inches larger than the bust and at least 7 inches larger than the waist, with a high hip that juts out noticeably from the waist.
• Triangle (pear): hips at least 3.6 inches larger than the bust, but less than 9 inches larger than the waist.
• Inverted triangle: bust at least 3.6 inches larger than the hips, with less than 9 inches between bust and waist.
• Rectangle: bust and hips within 3.6 inches of each other and a waist that is not much smaller than either.

Your shape can change with weight gain or loss, pregnancy, menopause, strength training and age, because these affect both how much fat you carry and where it is stored. The categories were designed for women's clothing; men's figures are usually described more simply by the ratio of shoulders or chest to waist.

Waist-hip ratio

Where you carry fat matters for health as well as for clothing fit. Fat stored around the abdomen, especially visceral fat around the organs, is linked to higher risks of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke than fat stored on the hips and thighs. The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) captures this distribution in one number: divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. With a 24-inch waist and 36-inch hips, the ratio is 24 ÷ 36 = 0.67.

A World Health Organization expert consultation identified a WHR of 0.85 or more in women and 0.90 or more in men as marking a substantially increased risk of metabolic complications. For waist size alone, a circumference above 88 cm (about 35 inches) in women or 102 cm (about 40 inches) in men indicates high risk; lower waist cut-offs are often recommended for people of Asian descent. A person with a pear shape usually has a lower ratio than someone who carries more weight around the middle, sometimes called an apple shape.

Waist-to-hip ratio = waist circumference ÷ hip circumference

Shapes are assigned from differences between bust, waist and hip measurements and the ratio of high hip to waist; for example, an hourglass has bust and hips within about an inch of each other and a waist at least 9 inches smaller than the bust.

Research suggests that waist measures can predict heart disease and death better than BMI alone, because BMI does not show where fat is stored. A large study of over 27,000 people in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study) found waist-to-hip ratio was more strongly associated with heart attack risk than BMI. Another simple guide is the waist-to-height ratio: keeping your waist to less than half your height is a widely used target.

WHR has limits. It is less useful for children, pregnant women and people with a BMI of 35 or higher, and measurement technique strongly affects the result, so measure at the same points each time. A high ratio is a reason to look at other risk factors, such as blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, with a doctor. Regular physical activity, a diet rich in vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, enough sleep and limiting alcohol all help reduce abdominal fat.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• WHO – Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation
• CDC – Healthy Weight and Growth
• NIH NHLBI – Overweight and Obesity