Body Type Calculator
Nine body shapes ยท Somatotype rating ยท Waist to hip ratio
๐ Enter bust, waist, high hip, and hip to see your body shape, the rule it matched, and your waist to hip ratio.
What Is a Body Type Calculator?
"Body type" covers two ideas, and this calculator handles both. Body shape describes the outline of the figure, such as hourglass, spoon, or rectangle, and is found from bust, waist, high hip, and hip measurements. It is used mainly for clothing fit. Somatotype rates physique on three components: endomorphy (relative fatness), mesomorphy (relative muscle and bone robustness), and ectomorphy (relative linearity or slenderness).
Body shape mode uses the Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT), developed at North Carolina State University from 3D body scans, with measurement formulas by Lee and colleagues (2007). Somatotype mode uses the equations from the Heath and Carter anthropometric somatotype manual.
The Nine Body Shapes and Their Formulas
The rules compare circumferences in inches and are checked in this order. The first rule that matches is your shape.
| Shape | Rule (inches) | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Hourglass | bust โ hip โค 1 and hip โ bust < 3.6, and bust โ waist โฅ 9 or hip โ waist โฅ 10 | Bust and hips about equal, defined waist |
| Bottom hourglass | 3.6 โค hip โ bust < 10, hip โ waist โฅ 9, high hip รท waist < 1.193 | Hips larger than bust, defined waist |
| Top hourglass | 1 < bust โ hip < 10, bust โ waist โฅ 9 | Bust larger than hips, defined waist |
| Spoon | hip โ bust > 2, hip โ waist โฅ 7, high hip รท waist โฅ 1.193 | Hips larger than bust, sharp drop from high hip to waist |
| Triangle | hip โ bust โฅ 3.6 and 0 โค hip โ waist < 9, or bust < waist โค hip | Hips larger than bust, little waist definition |
| Inverted triangle | bust โ hip โฅ 3.6, bust โ waist < 9, hip โฅ waist | Bust larger than hips, little waist definition |
| Rectangle | bust and hip within 3.6, 0 โค bust โ waist < 9, 0 โค hip โ waist < 10 | Bust and hips similar, little waist definition |
| Diamond | waist larger than hip and bust | Fullest at the midsection |
| Oval | waist larger than hip, bust โฅ waist | Full midsection, bust largest |
For centimeters, divide by 2.54 first. The diamond and oval rules and the zero checks come from a 2020 revision by Sokolowski and Bettencourt, who found the original formulas misplaced some plus size bodies with a larger abdomen. FFIT was built from 253 women and tested on 531 women from the SizeUSA survey. A result of "no standard shape" is a limit of the formulas, not of your body.
Pear, apple, and banana. Fashion names are not standardized. Pear usually matches triangle or spoon, banana or straight matches rectangle, and apple is used both for a fuller midsection (oval) and for a bust heavy figure (inverted triangle).
How to Measure for Body Shape
- Bust: around the fullest part of the chest, wearing a usual bra.
- Waist: around the narrowest part of the torso.
- High hip: around the top of the hip bones, between waist and full hip.
- Hip: around the widest part of the buttocks.
Stand straight with feet together and arms relaxed. Keep the tape level and snug without pressing into the skin, and breathe out normally before reading the waist.
Waist to Hip Ratio and Health
Waist to hip ratio is waist divided by hip: 28 รท 38 = 0.74.
| Measure (WHO) | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Waist to hip ratio, substantially increased risk | โฅ 0.90 | โฅ 0.85 |
| Waist, increased risk | > 94 cm | > 80 cm |
| Waist, substantially increased risk | > 102 cm | > 88 cm |
A higher ratio means more abdominal fat, which the WHO report links to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. With height entered, the calculator also shows waist to height ratio; NICE treats 0.5 or more as increased risk.
Somatotype Formulas: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, Endomorph
Example: 170.18 cm (5 ft 7 in), 68 kg, skinfolds 8, 10, 7, 6 mm, humerus 6.6 cm, femur 9.4 cm, arm 33 cm, calf 37 cm.
A component at zero or below is set to 0.1. The example rates 2.5, 5.4, 1.9: an endomorphic mesomorph.
Somatotype Ratings and Categories
| Component rating | Level |
|---|---|
| 0.5 to 2.5 | Low |
| 3 to 5 | Moderate |
| 5.5 to 7 | High |
| 7.5 and above | Very high |
Central: no component differs by more than one unit from the other two. Endomorph, mesomorph, or ectomorph: one component leads and the other two are more than half a unit lower. When the two highest are within half a unit, the type is a pair, such as mesomorph ectomorph.
A somatochart plots X = ectomorphy โ endomorphy and Y = 2 ร mesomorphy โ (endomorphy + ectomorphy). For the example, X = โ0.6 and Y = 6.4.
Limitations and Common Mistakes
- Shape rules come from apparel research. They were built on female scans for clothing fit, not for health or for men.
- Small changes move the result. Half an inch near a cutoff can switch hourglass and rectangle.
- Mixing units or pulling the tape tight. Use one unit for all four, and do not compress the waist.
- Somatotype needs calipers. Skinfolds are in mm (0.8 entered instead of 8 gives a wrong endomorphy).
- Wrist quizzes are a different thing. Wrist size or "gain weight easily" questions are not the Heath and Carter method and do not give a somatotype rating.
- Neither mode sets a diet. Somatotype describes current physique, which changes with training and body fat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
- Lee JY, Istook CL, Nam YJ, Park SM. Comparison of body shape between USA and Korean women. Int J Clothing Sci Technol 2007;19(5):374 to 391. doi.org
- Sokolowski SL, Bettencourt C. Modification of the FFIT formulas to include plus size bodies. Proc 3DBODY.TECH 2020. doi.org
- Simmons K, Istook CL, Devarajan P. Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT) for apparel, parts I and II. J Textile Apparel Technol Manag 2004;4(1).
- Devarajan P, Istook CL. Validation of FFIT for Apparel software. J Textile Apparel Technol Manag 2004;4(1).
- Carter JEL. The Heath and Carter Anthropometric Somatotype: Instruction Manual. San Diego State University, 2002.
- WHO. Waist circumference and waist to hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation, 2008 (published 2011). who.int
- NICE, Overweight and obesity management (NG246). nice.org.uk
Results are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a diagnosis or substitute for professional medical advice. Reference data reviewed: 2026.