U.S. Army Weight Charts and Height Requirements

The Army Body Composition Program (formerly the Weight Control Program — WCP) requires Army personnel to maintain a certain body weight and fat percentage. Having reasonable weight and fitness standards helps soldiers handle the demands of their work in the field and reduces injury rates during training cycles and deployments. 

Oftentimes, body composition issues affect the attitude and morale of the individual soldier and the unit to which they belong. Soldiers are weighed at least twice per year (usually in conjunction with the Army Physical Fitness Test), to ensure they meet Army standards for weight and fitness.

Exceeding Army Body Fat Standards

Soldiers who exceed the maximum weight shown on the charts below during an exam will be measured for body-fat content. If they exceed the Army's body fat standards, they'll be put on a weight management program, which provides guidance to lose weight at a healthy pace. 

Those who fail to make satisfactory progress while in the weight management program may be subject to involuntary discharge.

If you fall below the minimum weight shown in that column of the table, you will be referred by your commander for immediate medical evaluation. If possible, it's best to try to get into top physical shape before joining the Army or other branches of the U.S. military, because it's easier to stay fit rather than always trying to just meet the minimum standards. The standards are different for men and women.

Male Army Height and Weight Chart

Height (inches)	Weight (pounds)	Age 17-20	Age 21-27	Age 28-39	Age 40+
58	91	-	-	-	-
59	94	-	-	-	-
60	97	132	136	139	141
61	100	136	140	144	146
62	104	141	144	148	150
63	107	145	149	153	155
64	110	150	154	158	160
65	114	155	159	163	165
66	117	160	163	168	170
67	121	165	169	174	176
68	125	170	174	179	181
69	128	175	179	184	186
70	132	180	185	189	192
71	136	185	189	194	197
72	140	190	195	200	203
73	144	195	200	205	208
74	148	201	206	211	214
75	152	206	212	217	220
76	156	212	217	223	226
77	160	218	223	229	232
78	164	223	229	235	238
79	168	229	235	241	244
80	173	234	240	247	250

For heights over 80 inches, add 6 pounds per inch for males.

Maximum Body Fat Standards for Men

Age 17-20 = 20 percent
Age 21-27 = 22 percent
Age 28-39 = 24 percent
Age 40+ = 26 percent

Female Army Height and Weight Chart

Weight (pounds)	Height (inches)	Age 17-20	Age 21-27	Age 28-39	Age 40 plus
58	91	119	121	122	123
59	94	124	125	126	128
60	97	128	129	131	133
61	100	132	134	135	137
62	104	136	138	140	142
63	107	141	143	144	146
64	110	145	147	149	151
65	114	150	152	154	156
66	117	155	156	158	161
67	121	159	161	163	166
68	125	164	166	168	171
69	128	169	171	173	176
70	132	174	176	178	181
71	136	179	181	183	186
72	140	184	186	188	191
73	144	189	191	194	197
74	148	194	197	199	202
75	152	200	202	204	208
76	156	205	207	210	213
77	160	210	213	215	219
78	164	216	218	221	225
79	168	221	224	227	230

For heights over 80 inches, add 5 pounds per inch for females.

Maximum Body Fat Standards for Women

Age 17-20 = 30 percent
Age 21-27 = 32 percent
Age 28-39 = 34 percent
Age 40+ = 36 percent

Staying Fit in the Army

Keeping within the height and weight standards of the Army are mandatory for all active duty and reserve soldiers. For most Army jobs there's enough physical activity involved to ensure that a soldier's weight and body fat composition stays low, but for those assigned to desk duty, it's best to get into a regular physical fitness regimen to avoid putting on extra unwanted pounds.

The Army does not allow individual soldiers to have poor body composition for a prolonged period of time, as it may cause disruption to his unit. 

For the individual soldier who is overweight, performance declines and the risk of developing work-related injury increases. They're also at higher risk of long-term disease. 

Graduate rates from basic are also tied to similar statistics also yielding a greater chance of injury and failure to complete training.