Body Shape Calculator – What Body Type Are You?

Calculate your body shape given your bust, weight, and hip circumference measurements with the calculator below.

How to Find Your Body Shape

Everyone has their own genetic makeup that influences their body shape, or basically how their body distributes fat.

While body shape sometimes brings up negative connotations associated with superficial appearance or attractiveness, knowing your body type is actually a big part of understanding the best dietary choices and exercise routines to adopt in order to lead a healthy lifestyle.

This is because individuals with different body types distribute and store body fat in different areas of their body and have a different distribution of muscle.

Understanding your body shape is also an important component in finding clothes and a style that you feel the most comfortable and confident in.

Determining your body shape takes into account different body measurements. Measurements like hip and waist ratios are big determinants of body shape.

If you’re trying to calculate body surface area to understand its metabolic mass, then you should try our body surface area calculator instead.

How to Measure for Body Shape

There are four main body measurements that are used to determine your body shape.

Use a soft measuring tape to take each of these measurements. You can always print a paper measuring tape too.

Shoulders: Start at the tip of one shoulder and measure in a circle all the way around to your other shoulder. Keep the measuring tape high up around your shoulders so it almost slips off. You may need to have someone help you take this measurement.

Bust: Take the measurement at the fullest point of your bust. Make sure that the tape is not too tight. You should be able to inhale and exhale freely as the measuring tape is wrapped around.

Waist: Measure your waist at the narrowest portion just above your navel.

Hips: For your hip measurement, stand up straight and wrap the tape measure around the widest part of the hips as viewed from the side.

The ratio of these body measurements to one another can then give you an idea of what body type category you fall into, as described below.

What is Your Body Shape?

Body shapes can be categorized into seven main types. These are named after the shape that most resembles how your body is built.

Inverted Triangle

People with inverted triangular body shapes have a shoulder or bust measurement that is more than 5% bigger than their hip measurement. This means that they generally have broad shoulders with a narrow waist. Individuals with this body shape tend to have a high metabolism.

However, if triangularly-shaped people eat a diet laden with fat, they are more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease. In addition to that, people whose body shape fits in this category are also at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.

Rectangle

The rectangle body shape is also sometimes referred to as the ruler or straight body shape. Men and women with a rectangular body type have a waist circumference that is less than 25% smaller than shoulder or bust, while the shoulder, bust, and hip measurements are within 5% of each other.

These people have a narrower frame and may be flatter in the chest and butt. Individuals with a rectangular body shape tend to carry weight proportionately, but can also carry weight around their abdomen.

Many long-distance runners and dancers have this shape. These people generally look skinny, however it may be harder for them to build lean muscle. This can sometimes slow down their metabolism.

Round/Apple

Individuals with an apple shape body type have a waist measurement that is greater than their hip and bust measurements. This means that they have higher levels of abdominal obesity.

As mentioned above, this visceral fat poses the greatest health risk. Many people with an apple shape body type have a greater risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Triangle/Pear

People with a pear-shaped body carry more weight in their hips and butt compared to their stomachs. Their shoulder or bust measurement is more than 5% smaller than hip measurement.

Some studies have found that fat in hips and thighs is actually associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease compared to belly fat.^[1] However, it should be noted that if you are overweight, fat loss in any part of your body is beneficial for overall health.

On average, women have a higher body fat percentage than men. However, women tend to have more of a pear-shaped body fat distribution, while men typically have an apple-shaped body fat distribution.

There do appear to be more health consequences of central obesity that is more typical in men, as compared to the pear-shaped body fat distribution of many women.^[2]

Hourglass

An hourglass body shape has a waist circumference that is at least 25% smaller than shoulder or bust measurements. In addition, their waist is at least 25% smaller than their hips, and the shoulder and hip measurements are within 5% of each other.

This resembles the image of an hourglass. Unlike an apple or pear shape, weight is not concentrated in one area of the body. Many younger women have an hourglass-shaped body type.

Since they accumulate less abdominal fat, these women are less likely to suffer from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer than those with the “apple-shaped” body type.

Top Hourglass

Individuals with a top hourglass body shape have a waist measurement that is at least 25% smaller than shoulder or bust. Along with this, their waist is at least 25% smaller than their hip circumference, and their bust measurement is larger than their hip measurement.

This “top” hourglass is similar to the regular hourglass, however the bust or shoulders are visibly larger than the hips.

Bottom Hourglass

Similar to the top hourglass, this body type has a clearly defined waist. However, the bust is smaller than the hips. In this case, the waist is at least 25% smaller than the shoulder and hips, and the hips are larger than the bust.

What Your Body Type Might Reveal About Your Health

Similar to how the waist to hip ratio can help predict the risk of chronic health problems and obesity, so too can body type.

Understanding what your body type tells you about how your body distributes fat can help you develop an individualized plan to maximize your health and fitness.

Abdominal fat is also known as visceral fat, which can cause a number of health problems. In fact, high amounts of visceral fat are correlated with worsening cardiovascular risk factors.^[3]

Therefore, someone who is more likely to deposit fat in their midsection needs to pay close attention to their nutrition and exercise to decrease their risk factors.

Additionally, a larger waist circumference is associated with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.^[4]
Metabolic syndrome is a condition that includes increased visceral fat (or central adiposity measured by increased waist circumference), glucose intolerance, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

Calculating your waist and hip circumference in relation to the rest of your body can help you determine if you are at a higher risk for these health issues.

How you store fat in your waist and hips is also an indicator of obesity. In fact, studies have demonstrated that these measurements may be a better marker for obesity than simply calculating body mass index.^[5]