Body Shape Calculator

What the body shape calculator does

Body shape sorts a figure into a small set of simple outlines according to how the bust, waist and hips compare. This calculator uses three tape-measure readings and names one of four shapes: hourglass, pear, inverted triangle or rectangle. Where the numbers sit between two shapes it says that the figure does not fit into the four types, rather than forcing a label.

The categories are descriptive tools for choosing clothes and patterns. They are not a verdict on health, and nobody needs to aim for a particular one.

How to measure bust, waist and hip circumference

Use a soft, flexible tape measure and keep it level around the body. Measure over thin clothing or bare skin, stand relaxed, and breathe normally. A friend can help keep the tape horizontal.

• Bust: around the fullest part of the chest, with the tape snug but not squeezing.
• Waist: around the narrowest part of the torso, usually just above the navel, without sucking in.
• Hips: around the widest part of the hips and buttocks, with feet together.

Use the same unit for all three. The US units setting takes inches and the Metric units setting takes centimetres. Because the calculator compares ratios, either gives the same answer, and half an inch or one centimetre of measuring error rarely changes the outcome.

How the shape is decided

The calculator first compares hips with bust, then looks at the waist. All of its tests are ratios, so they do not depend on the unit.

1. If the hips are more than 5% larger than the bust (hips ÷ bust > 1.05), the shape is Pear.
2. If the bust is more than 5% larger than the hips (bust ÷ hips > 1.05), the shape is Inverted Triangle.
3. Otherwise, when the bust is within 5% of the hips, the waist decides: a waist below 75% of both bust and hips gives Hourglass, and a waist above 80% of the bust gives Rectangle.

Anything left over, such as a waist between 75% and 80%, or a bust that is exactly 5% larger than the hips, is reported as "Does not fit into the four types". Treat that as a sign you sit between two shapes.

Worked examples

36 in bust, 28 in waist, 38 in hips. Hips ÷ bust = 38 ÷ 36 = 1.056, which is above 1.05, so the result is Pear.

100 cm, 60 cm, 100 cm. Bust and hips are equal and the waist is 60% of each, under the 75% limit, so the result is Hourglass.

100 cm, 90 cm, 100 cm. The waist is 90% of the bust, over 80%, so the result is Rectangle.

108 cm, 90 cm, 100 cm. The bust is 8% larger than the hips, so the result is Inverted Triangle whatever the waist is.

100 cm, 76 cm, 104 cm. The bust and hips are within 5%, but the waist is 76% of the bust. That is not below 75% and not above 80%, so the figure does not fit into the four types.

The four shapes in plain terms

• Hourglass: bust and hips are similar and the waist is clearly narrower than both.
• Pear (triangle): the hips are noticeably broader than the bust.
• Inverted triangle: the bust is noticeably broader than the hips.
• Rectangle: bust, waist and hips are close in size, so the waistline is not strongly marked.

Fashion advice linked to each shape generally aims to balance proportions or to follow the natural lines of the body. Treat it as a starting point and wear what fits and feels good.

Body shape is not a medical measurement. Health professionals use waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio in risk assessment, but a single label from this tool cannot diagnose anything. See our disclaimer, and for weight-related measures try the BMI calculator or the body fat calculator.