Body Shape Calculator

A body shape calculator sorts your figure into a silhouette type, such as hourglass, pear, apple, rectangle or inverted triangle, by comparing three tape measurements. Example: a 36-26-37 figure is an hourglass, because the bust and hips are 2.7% apart and the 26-inch waist is about 30% smaller than the widest point. Your shape depends on how the numbers relate, not on their size.

Body shape is about proportions for styling, not health. For health-related numbers, the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator uses the World Health Organization's cut-offs, the Body Fat Calculator estimates body fat, and the BMI Calculator checks weight against height.

There is no official body shape standard

Body shape names come from fashion and dressmaking, not from medicine, and different charts use different cut-offs. Apparel researchers often use the Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT), which sorts women into nine shapes from bust, waist, high hip and hip measurements. Even that system is sensitive to technique: in a 2021 study of 1,679 3D body scans, slightly different interpretations of where to place the measurements put the same body into a different FFIT shape in up to 40% of cases (Parker et al.). This calculator uses simpler rules and five common shape names, so another site may label you differently.

The rules behind your body shape

The calculator checks three things, in this order:

If the waist is at least as large as both the bust and the hips, the result is apple. Otherwise, balanced bust and hips with a defined waist give hourglass. If the hips are more than 5% wider than the bust, the result is pear (triangle); if the bust is more than 5% wider than the hips, inverted triangle. Balanced bust and hips without a defined waist give rectangle (straight). Because every test is a ratio, inches and centimeters give the same answer.

Which body shape am I? Quick-reference chart

Step-by-step: classifying a 36-26-37 figure

Here is the calculator's default, a 36-inch bust, 26-inch waist and 37-inch hips, one line at a time.

A worked example: pear

Suppose your measurements are bust 36, waist 30 and hips 41 inches. The waist is smaller than both, so the result is not apple. The widest point is the hips at 41. The bust-hip difference is |36 − 41| = 5 inches, which is 5 ÷ 41 = 12.2% of the widest point, well above the 5% line, and the hips are the larger measurement, so the result is pear. The waist-to-hip ratio is 30 ÷ 41 = 0.73 and the waist-to-bust ratio 30 ÷ 36 = 0.83. Bring the hips down to 37 and the bust and hips become balanced (2.7% apart); then the waist decides, and because 30 inches is more than 0.75 × 37 = 27.75, the result would be rectangle.

The five body shapes explained

• Hourglass: bust and hips roughly equal, with a clearly smaller waist. Clothes that follow the natural waistline usually fit well.
• Pear (triangle): hips and thighs are the widest part, with a narrower bust and shoulders.
• Inverted triangle: bust, chest and shoulders are broader than the hips.
• Rectangle (straight): bust, waist and hips are similar, so the body reads as a straight line.
• Apple (round): the midsection is the widest part, with the waist at least as large as the bust and hips.

Body shape chart: sample measurements and their result

These bust-waist-hip figures (in inches) show how the rules work. WHR is waist ÷ hips, WBR is waist ÷ bust, and the bust-hip difference is measured against the widest point.

Note the borderline rows: 38-28-40 sits exactly on the 5% line and stays an hourglass, while 36-26-38 (5.3%) just crosses into pear. A fraction of an inch near a cut-off can change the label.

How to use this body shape calculator

1. Pick your unit: inches or centimeters; switching converts what you entered.
2. Bust: measure around the fullest part of your chest, keeping the tape level across your back.
3. Waist: measure at the narrowest point of your torso, usually just above the navel, after a normal breath out.
4. Hips: measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat, feet together.
5. Read the result: it updates as you type and shows your shape, how far apart your bust and hips are, and how much smaller your waist is than your widest point.

If a result surprises you, re-measure. An uneven or too-tight tape is the most common cause of a flipped result.

Who this calculator is for

• Online shoppers who want to predict how a dress or pair of jeans will fit.
• People building a capsule wardrobe who want silhouettes that work for them.
• People learning to sew or tailor who want to know where garments usually need adjusting.
• The simply curious who have heard the hourglass, pear and apple labels.

A second worked example: rectangle vs. hourglass

Take bust 35, waist 31 and hips 36 inches. The bust-hip difference is 1 inch, 1 ÷ 36 = 2.8%, inside the 5% band, so the bust and hips are balanced. The widest point is 36, and 0.75 × 36 = 27 inches. The 31-inch waist is larger than 27, so it is not defined and the result is rectangle. With a 26-inch waist instead, the same person would be an hourglass.

Key terms explained

• Bust: the circumference around the fullest part of the chest.
• Waist: here, the circumference at the narrowest part of the torso.
• Hips: the circumference around the widest part of the hips and seat.
• Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR): waist divided by hips. The health version measures the waist at a different spot.
• Balanced: bust and hips within 5% of each other, this calculator's line for neither top- nor bottom-heavy.
• Defined waist: a waist at least 25% smaller than the wider of bust and hips.

Scenario comparison: how one change moves your shape

Starting from a balanced 38-28-40 hourglass, here is how a single change can flip the result:

• Hips up to 44: the bust-hip gap grows to 13.6% of the widest point, so the shape becomes pear.
• Bust up to 44 (hips 40): now the bust is 9.1% wider, so the result is inverted triangle.
• Waist up to 33: bust and hips stay balanced, but the waist is no longer 25% smaller than the widest point, so the shape becomes rectangle.
• Waist up to 40: the waist now matches the hips and exceeds the bust, so the result is apple.

Body shape and health

Body shape labels are for styling, but where your body stores fat does matter for health. The World Health Organization uses the waist-to-hip ratio as a marker of fat around the middle: a ratio of 0.85 or more in women, or 0.90 or more in men, indicates substantially increased risk of metabolic complications. The WHO measures the waist midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, not at the narrowest point used for clothing, so the ratio on this page is not the same number. For the health version, use the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator or the Waist to Height Ratio Calculator.

Factors that change the result

• Tape placement: measuring the waist too high or low, or the hips too high, is the most common cause of a flipped result.
• Tape tension: a tight tape understates a measurement; a loose one overstates it.
• Posture and breathing: standing tall and breathing out gives a consistent waist reading.
• Body changes: weight change, muscle gain, pregnancy and aging redistribute measurements.
• Borderline ratios: near the 5% or 25% lines, tiny differences decide the label.

Styling ideas for each shape

• Hourglass: wrap dresses, fitted knits and high-waisted bottoms follow the waist.
• Pear: structured shoulders, boat necks and brighter tops balance wider hips.
• Inverted triangle: V-necks and fuller or wide-leg bottoms balance broader shoulders.
• Rectangle: belts, peplums and seaming suggest a waistline.
• Apple: empire waists, V-necks and straight-leg pants create length through the middle.

These are common styling suggestions, not rules. The most flattering clothing is the clothing you feel good in.

Limitations and assumptions

• It uses this calculator's own 5% and 25% lines; other charts use different cut-offs and names.
• It reduces the body to five categories and ignores height, shoulders and bone structure.
• It makes no medical or fitness claim.
• It assumes accurate, consistent measurements; research shows small placement changes can change the shape.
• The labels are framed for the typical female bust-waist-hip pattern.

How it compares to related calculators

• For a health ratio from your waist and hips, use the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Calculator.
• To estimate body fat percentage, use the Body Fat Calculator.
• For BMI and a healthy weight range, use the BMI Calculator.
• If you searched for a female body type calculator and meant ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph rather than a clothing silhouette, use the Body Type Calculator, which describes build from wrist and waist.

Sources

• Parker CJ, Hayes SG, Brownbridge K, Gill S (2021), Assessing the female figure identification technique's reliability as a body shape classification system, Ergonomics: PubMed 33719914.
• World Health Organization (WHO): Waist Circumference and Waist-Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation (2008, published 2011; waist-to-hip cut-offs and measuring protocol).