Army Height and Weight Standards 2026: The New Waist-to-Height Rule Explained
If you are still studying the old Army height and weight tables, stop. Since Army Directive 2026-13 (signed July 1, 2026), the Army's only body composition standard is your waist-to-height ratio. The height and weight screening tables are gone, the tape test is gone, and so is the AFT exemption. Here is exactly how the new system works, what the numbers mean, and how to stay on the right side of them.
What changed in 2026
A December 18, 2025 Department of Defense memo on military fitness standards ended height and weight tables for evaluating body composition and moved every branch to waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), your waist at the navel divided by your height, with a limit below 0.55, starting January 1, 2026. The Army then went further. Army Directive 2026-13, released July 7, 2026, made WHtR the sole measurement for all Soldiers: no height and weight screening, no circumference tape test, and no other body fat method to challenge the result.
The standard is the same for every age and both sexes: a WHtR of less than 0.55. A Soldier who is 70 inches tall passes with an average waist under 38.5 inches (70 x 0.55). Taller Soldiers get more room, shorter Soldiers get less, which is the point. The ratio scales with your frame in a way the old weight tables never did.
How the Army measures it
Per the Army's July 2026 DA Form 5500 guidance, height is measured in socks and rounded to the nearest half inch. The waist is measured at the navel, tape parallel to the floor, on skin without compressing it, three times, with each reading rounded down to the nearest half inch, then averaged. If one reading is more than an inch off the others, a fourth is taken and the three closest are averaged. The ratio is recorded to three decimal places and never rounded up: 0.549 meets the standard, 0.550 does not. A failing result is confirmed by a different measuring team the same day. Check your own numbers the Army way with our free Army body fat calculator.
What happens at 0.55 or above
A ratio of 0.55 or higher means you are flagged and enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program. Unlike the old system, there is no secondary tape test to clear you. The directive also says no separations will be processed until Army headquarters completes a 180-day assessment of the new standard, so expect details to keep evolving.
The AFT exemption is gone
For about ten months, Army Directive 2025-17 let Soldiers who scored 465 or higher on the Army Fitness Test, with at least 80 points per event, count as compliant with the body fat standard. Army Directive 2026-13 rescinded it: no AFT score exempts a Soldier from the waist-to-height standard. A high AFT score still matters for everything else, so keep scoring yourself with our free AFT calculator and see the event standards in our AFT standards guide.
How to get and stay under the standard
Waist circumference responds to two things: total body fat and time. The playbook is boring and it works. Walk loaded. Daily weighted walking is the highest-compliance fat loss tool there is, easy on the joints, brutal on the calorie balance, and it doubles as ruck prep. Lift two to four times per week so the weight you lose is fat, not muscle. Keep protein high, around 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of target bodyweight. And stop chasing crash diets before a measurement date; the Soldiers who fail repeatedly are usually the ones cutting water weight twice a year instead of changing their baseline.
Our guide to weighted vest walking covers exactly how to load, progress, and program it.
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Shop now →Frequently asked questions
Do the Army height and weight tables still exist?
No. Army Directive 2026-13 discontinued the height and weight screening tables in July 2026. Height is still measured because it is half of the ratio, but the only pass or fail number is your waist-to-height ratio.
What waist-to-height ratio do I need to pass?
Less than 0.55, recorded to three decimals without rounding up. Multiply your height in inches by 0.55: your average waist must come in under that number.
Does the Army still use the tape test?
No. The one-site abdominal tape test that replaced the old neck and waist method in 2023 was itself retired by Army Directive 2026-13. No secondary body fat method can be used to challenge a waist-to-height result.
Can a good AFT score exempt me?
Not anymore. The 465-point exemption under Army Directive 2025-17 was rescinded in July 2026. No AFT score exempts a Soldier from the waist-to-height standard.
How often is body composition checked?
At least twice per calendar year, and the AFT and the waist-to-height measurement must be at least 7 days apart.
Related reading
Keep your numbers moving the right direction: Army AFT standards, weighted vest walking, our waist-to-height ratio calculator, and our free military PT calculators for every branch.
