Waist to Height Calculator - Imperial

Waist to Height Calculator Usage

You can enter waist and height in either imperial units or metric. The calculator defaults to imperial units. Use the button above the criteria form to switch between the two.

Height: For imperial, enter feet and inches; For metric, enter meters.

Waist Circumference: For imperial, enter in inches; For metric, enter centimeters..

How to Measure Waist Circumference

Circumference is the distance around your waist.

Using a flexible tape measure, measure your waistline, as follows:

Problems Using Body Mass Index to Define Obesity

Body Mass Index (BMI) has been widely utilized for over 50 years as a relatively simple screening test, using one's weight and height to assess if underweight, in a healthy weight range, overweight, or obese.

Despite its wide usage, BMI has several deficiencies: BMI can not distinguish between muscle mass and adipose (fat) tissue, and can therefore mis-categorize someone as being obese who is actually athletic and fit. BMI also does not account for where fat is located, which can make a significant difference to assessing health risks. For example, unlike Waist to Hip Ratio which determines if fat is located on the hips or around the abdomen, with the latter being more detrimental to health.

In January 2025, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission, made up of 56 experts from around the world, released a report on obesity which indicated that BMI, by itself, is inadequate to measure obesity, suggesting that it be supplemented with one or more other anthropometric measures of obesity or by direct fat measurment via a DEXA scan.

How is Obesity Being Re-Defined

Obesity is a world-wide problelm. As of the mid-2020s, it is estimated that 12.5% of the world's population is obese (about 1 billion people).

In early 2025, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission has redefined obesity into two distinct categories:

Preclinical Obesity, where screening determines one is obese and is at risk for future health issues, but is otherwise healthy.

Clinical Obesity, which in and of itself should be considered a disease; Excessive weight has caused organ damage resulting in other diseases (e.g. heart problems, diabetes) requiring medical intervention.

What is Anthropometric Measure?

Anthropometric uses body measurements and proportions in the study of the human body. It is derived from anthropo, meaning human being, and metry, the science of measuring.

Waist and height, and the ratio of waist to height, are exapmles of anthropometry.

Is Body Mass Index an Anthropometric Measure?

Yes, Body Mass Index (BMI) is an anthropometric measure which compares weight to height; Specifically, weight (kilograms) divided by height squared (meters), first developed by Adolphe Quetelet in 1832,

What Other Anthropometric Measures Obesity?

In addition to BMI, other anthropometric measures for obesity include:

What is Visceral Fat and Why is it a Health Risk?

Fat around the abdomen is known as central obesity, and is mainly comprised of visceral fat.

Visceral fat is stored deep within the abdomen, where it surrounds many of the vital organs, from the heart and liver to the intestines; It can also invade the organs.

Excess visceral fat can cause serious health issues, including high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.

The Wasist to Height calculator specifically zooms into abdominal fat, based on waist circumference, adjusted by height.

What does Waist to Height Ratio Mean?

A healthy Waist to Height Ratio is considered to be .5 or less. This means that your waist should be at most half of your height.

The motto of WHtR is Keep your waist to less than half your height

If WHtr exceeds .5, it can pose health risks as outlined in the preceding section.

Waist to Height is a simple anthropometric measure comparing waist to height. It is calculated by dividing waist by height:

What is a DEXA Scan to Measure Fat

Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry, also called a DEXA (or DXA) Scan, has been shown to accurately measure visceral fat.

A DEXA scan measures total body composition, including bone density, total body fat percentage, lean mass, and visceral fat. Find out more about the Dexa Scan.

DEXA was FDA approved in 1988, and originally developed to assess bone density for diagnosing osteoporosis.

What are Advantages of Waist to Height Screening?

Waist to Height ratio (WHtR) is similar to Waist Circumference (WC) in that both calculations are measuring fat located in the abdominal region, where visceral fat poses many health risks. WHtR adjusts by height, which can be important since weight distribution differs for those who are taller or shorter than average.

Several studies show that WHtR and WC perform similarly in predicting higher metabolic risk, with both surpassing BMI.

As noted earlier, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission suggests that BMI be used in conjunction to other anthropometric measures of obesity, or by direct fat measurment (DEXA scan).