U.S. Army
AR 600-9 — Army Body Composition Program
How the screen works
The Army uses a one-site abdominal circumference tape test at the navel (adopted 2023) scored against an age/sex body-fat table. In 2026 the Army is transitioning toward the DoD WHtR < 0.55 screen (Army Directive 2026-13); confirm the current implementation with your command. Soldiers who score 540+ on the ACFT (minimum 80 points per event) are exempt from the circumference assessment.
| Initial screen | Threshold | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) | must be < 0.55 | Below passes with no tape test; at or above → secondary body-fat evaluation |
Maximum allowable body-fat % (age / sex)
| Age group | Men (max %) | Women (max %) |
|---|---|---|
| 17–20 | 20% | 30% |
| 21–27 | 22% | 32% |
| 28–39 | 24% | 34% |
| 40+ | 26% | 36% |
High-performer allowance. ACFT 540+ (80 pts/event) exempts the tape test. Accession (enlistment) standards are ~4 points more lenient for men.
The publicly circulated one-site regression (weight + abdominal circumference) is an estimate; the official ABCP calculator also uses height and age. Use it for planning only.
Check your measurements
Run your numbers against the Army standard in the multi-branch go/no-go checker.
Open checker →Printable scorecard
Take a clean one-page summary of this branch's screen to your weigh-in.
Get scorecard →Source & verification
- Primary: AR 600-9, Table B-2 (Army.mil ABCP)
- Retrieved and verified: 2026-08-16. Standards change — confirm with the official regulation or your command before any official assessment.