Convert Hip measurement
Typical range: 90–105 cm for adult men, 90–110 cm for adult women
How to measure
Stand with feet together and weight evenly distributed. Wrap a flexible tape horizontally around the widest part of the buttocks, ensuring the tape is level all the way around. View from the side in a mirror to confirm the tape is parallel to the floor. Measure with thin athletic wear or underwear only — bulky clothing introduces error.
Tips for accuracy
- Find the widest point by sliding the tape up and down slightly
- Keep the tape level — sloping front-to-back is the most common error
- Stand naturally; don't clench glutes or shift weight
- Wear minimal clothing for accuracy
Common mistakes
- Clothing bulk — measuring over jeans with back pockets, or bunched fabric, adds inconsistent bulk exactly where the tape needs to sit tightest; measure over thin clothing or skin
- Missing the true widest point — for some body shapes this is at the hip bones, for others it's lower at the widest part of the glutes; find your own widest point rather than assuming a fixed height from the floor
- Uneven stance — standing with weight shifted onto one leg tilts the pelvis and can change the reading; stand with weight evenly on both feet
What affects this measurement
Hip circumference reflects three different tissues layered together: the width of the pelvic bone itself (which is fixed and differs by sex and skeletal frame), the gluteal muscles, and subcutaneous fat. Because the bone component doesn't change, hip measurement changes over time are almost entirely muscle and fat — which is exactly why it's paired with waist in the waist-to-hip ratio: waist reflects mostly abdominal fat, hips reflect a mix of frame, muscle, and fat, and the ratio between them says something neither number says alone.
What it's used for
The waist-to-hip ratio calculator, and the female-specific US Navy body fat formula, which requires a hip measurement for women.
Sources & standards
Measurement technique on this page follows standardized anthropometric protocol — CDC/NHANES for the general circumference-measurement standard used in clinical and population research, and ACE for fitness-industry assessment guidance. Bodybuilding-specific reference ranges (e.g. “typical for trained athletes”) are general guidance, not a clinical benchmark — individual results vary by frame size, training history, and genetics.