The Tape Test Is Gone — Waist-to-Height Ratio Is Here
Effective July 7, 2026 under Army Directive 2026-13, the Army retired the AR 600-9 circumference tape test and the height/weight tables. The sole body composition assessment is now the Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR): waist measured at the navel, divided by height in inches, with a standard of 0.55 or below.
What Changed
- Whether a high Army Fitness Test (AFT) score still exempts a Soldier from WHtR testing is unclear from public reporting — Task & Purpose reported the Army's announcement did not mention any such exemption, while Stars and Stripes reported the prior fitness-test exemption was explicitly removed. Treat this as no confirmed exemption rather than assuming one carries over from the old tape-test policy.
- Approximate body-fat percentage ranges associated with a 0.55 ratio (reported by one outlet as roughly 18-26% for men and 26-36% for women) are not an official Army-published conversion — they're a single news report's characterization, not a formula. This site does not treat that range as an official standard.
How to Measure WHtR
- Height — stand erect against a wall, looking straight ahead, measured without shoes.
- Waist — measured horizontally at the navel.
- Ratio — waist (inches) ÷ height (inches). Must be 0.55 or below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Army get rid of the tape test?
Yes. Effective July 7, 2026 (Army Directive 2026-13), the Army replaced the circumference-based tape test and the height/weight tables with a single Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) standard.
What is the Army's new body fat standard?
Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR): waist circumference measured at the navel, divided by height in inches. The standard is a ratio of 0.55 or below.
How often is WHtR measured?
Twice per calendar year. Soldiers get 90 days from the directive's publication to get an initial WHtR screening recorded in ATIS.
What happens if I fail the WHtR assessment?
A ratio of 0.55 or higher triggers a same-day confirmation re-measurement by a different testing team. If the retest also fails, the Soldier is flagged and enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) for remediation, with a medical assessment.
Will I be separated for failing the new standard?
Not immediately. The Army set a 180-day assessment period — no Soldier will be separated for failing the WHtR standard until this period is complete and further guidance is issued
Does a high AFT score exempt me from WHtR testing?
Whether a high Army Fitness Test (AFT) score still exempts a Soldier from WHtR testing is unclear from public reporting — Task & Purpose reported the Army's announcement did not mention any such exemption, while Stars and Stripes reported the prior fitness-test exemption was explicitly removed. Treat this as no confirmed exemption rather than assuming one carries over from the old tape-test policy.
Is the old AR 600-9 tape-test calculator still useful?
Only for historical reference. It's kept further down this page, but it no longer reflects an official Army standard as of July 7, 2026.
Legacy: AR 600-9 Tape Test (Retired July 7, 2026)
Kept below for reference only. The Hodgdon-Beckett tape-test method (neck, abdomen/waist, and hip circumference) was the Army's body-fat standard before July 7, 2026 and no longer reflects official policy.