Army Body Composition Guides

Every guide on this site answers one specific question, in plain English, and links to the calculator that helps you complete the task. Guides are grouped by where you are: preparing to enlist, measuring yourself, or already serving under the ABCP.

All guides cite primary Army sources — Army Directive 2026-13, AR 600-9, and armyresilience.army.mil — and are re-checked on a regular cadence. Nothing is published until the sources actually support it.

Pillar guide

PILLAR

Will I Pass the Army Height & Weight Test?

The complete guide to the current WHtR standard: the formula, target waist by height, measurement, and what happens next.

For recruits

CURRENT

Pre-Shipping Checklist for Recruits

A timeline-based checklist from MEPS to ship day, focused on arriving within the standard.

CURRENT

MEPS Enlistment Height & Weight Standards

The enlistment screening standards — distinct from the active-duty ABCP standard.

Measurement how-tos

CURRENT

How to Measure Your Waist for WHtR

The iliac-crest protocol, common errors, and why self-measurements run small.

CURRENT

How to Measure Your Height

The wall method done right, with the errors that change your ratio.

ABCP lifecycle

CURRENT

ABCP Process: What Happens If You Fail

The step-by-step lifecycle: assessment, recording window, enrollment, consequences.

Every guide links to the calculator that helps solve the question. Start with the WHtR calculator, browse the calculators hub, or read the standards explained section.