Body Measurements: How to Take Them Accurately

Bone-to-bone method with a helper

1. Stand straight with your arms relaxed. Don't shrug or roll your shoulders.
2. Your helper finds the bony tip of each shoulder, where the shoulder meets the top of the arm.
3. They hold the tape flat across your upper back, level and straight, without letting it curve over the top of the shoulder.
4. Read the number where the tape meets the second shoulder tip.

Common mistake. Following the curve over the top of the shoulder or around the front adds an inch or more. Keep the tape in a straight line across the back.

Wondering if your shoulders are broad? Shoulder width means more when compared with your hips and waist. If your shoulders are clearly wider than your hips, read about the inverted triangle body shape, or let the body shape calculator compare them for you.

1. Women: wear the bra you wear most days, unpadded if possible. Men: bare chest or a thin tee.
2. Stand tall with your arms relaxed at your sides.
3. Wrap the tape around the fullest part of the chest: across the nipple line at the front and straight across the shoulder blades at the back.
4. Check in a mirror that the tape is level all the way round and snug, not squeezing.
5. Breathe normally and read the number.

Common mistake. Letting the tape sag at the back so it slopes downward. A helper makes this much easier to keep level.

Chest

The fullest part of the chest, taken as described. This is the number used for men's shirts and jackets.

Bust

The same tape line on a woman: the fullest part of the bust, over a well-fitted bra.

Underbust

Snug around the ribcage directly under the bust. Bra fitters use it as the starting point for band size.

Half chest (pit to pit)

Some clothing listings give half the chest measurement, taken flat from armpit to armpit. Double it to compare with your body number.

About averages. The CDC does not publish average chest or bust size, so we don't quote one. Bra and sweater sizing varies by brand, so check the brand's own chart.

1. Stand relaxed with your feet together and your arms loose.
2. Find your waist using one of the methods above.
3. Wrap the tape level with the floor, snug but not digging in.
4. Breathe out gently and read the number at the end of a normal breath. Don't pull your stomach in.

Pick one method and repeat it every time. For tracking or comparing, consistency matters more than which method you choose. If you're unsure where your natural waist is, measure at a few heights and note which reads smallest.

Common mistake. Measuring at the navel out of habit and then comparing the result with charts that use the natural waist.

Where it's used. Your waist on its own says little. Health screening compares it with your height (waist-to-height ratio) or your hips (waist-to-hip ratio).

The high hip is the upper curve of the pelvis, where the hip bones sit. It is optional for most clothing but it sharpens body shape results.

1. Find your natural waist.
2. Find the top of your hip bones with your fingertips. That is usually about 3 to 7 in (8 to 18 cm) below the natural waist, depending on your build.
3. Wrap the tape level all the way round and read the number.

Common mistake. Going down to the widest part of the hips and buttocks. That is the full hip (E), not the high hip.

Why it matters. When the high hip is close to the full hip and both are much larger than the waist, the hips carry a “shelf”. That shelf is what separates the spoon body shape from the pear body shape, which many calculators miss without it.

1. Stand with your feet together. A wider stance changes the reading.
2. Find the fullest part of your hips and seat, usually 7–9 in (18–23 cm) below the natural waist.
3. Wrap the tape around at that level, over thin clothing or underwear.
4. Check from the side in a mirror that the tape isn't dipping at the back.
5. Keep it smooth against the body, without pulling it tight.

Common mistake. Measuring where the hip bones stick out. That is the high hip (D), not the full hip.

Where it's used. Trousers, skirts and fitted dresses depend on the hip number more than any other. Divide your waist by your hip to get your waist-to-hip ratio. The WHO uses cut-offs of 0.85 for women and 0.90 for men to flag increased health risk.

1. Take off your shoes and stand on a hard, flat floor, not carpet.
2. Stand with your heels together and your heels, buttocks and upper back touching the wall.
3. Look straight ahead with your chin level, not tilted up or down.
4. Rest a flat book or ruler on top of your head, against the wall, and mark the wall.
5. Measure from the floor to the mark.

Time of day. You are usually a little taller in the morning, often by around a centimetre, because your spine compresses through the day. Use the same time each time you check.

US averages (CDC, adults 20+). Women 63.5 in (5 ft 3.5 in, 161.3 cm). Men 68.9 in (5 ft 8.9 in, 175.0 cm). Height feeds the waist-to-height ratio calculator, where a result under 0.5 is a common benchmark.