High hip
Around the top of the hip bones, above the fullest part of the hips.
Measure the high hipMeasurement guide
How to measure for a body type calculator
Four tape positions decide the result. Each one below is drawn on the body, with the reading it produces and the mistakes that quietly change it.
Before you start
- Use a soft tape that does not stretch, not a rigid ruler or a piece of string.
- Wear a thin top or measure on bare skin, and stand in front of a mirror.
- Keep the tape level all the way around; the back is where it most often slips.
- Measure each position twice and keep the reading that repeats.
All four values are circumferences, measured with the same tape in the same session. Switching between centimetres and inches does not change the result.
01 / Bust
How to measure your bust
The distance around the fullest part of your chest, with the tape level under your arms and across your shoulder blades.
01 / BustFullest part of the chest
Step by step
- Wear a thin, unpadded top, or your usual bra if you normally wear one. Padding and thick knit are measured along with your body.
- Stand with your arms relaxed at your sides and breathe normally. Do not lift your chest or square your shoulders.
- Pass the tape around your back first, level across the shoulder blades, then bring it across the fullest part of your chest.
- Check in a mirror that the front and the back of the tape sit at the same height. A tape that dips at the back reads longer than it should.
- Keep the tape snug enough to stay in place and loose enough to slide one fingertip underneath.
- Read the number where the tape meets, write it down, then measure once more and keep the repeatable reading.
What this number does
Bust is compared with the hips. When the two measurements are close, the upper and lower body read as balanced; when the bust is clearly larger, the upper body reads wider. This calculator uses a circumference, so it never claims to know your shoulder width.
Common mistakes
- The tape dips across the back.
- The reading comes out longer, and the bust can appear closer to the hips than it is, which moves the result toward a balanced reading.
- Measuring over a padded bra or a heavy knit.
- The tape includes the padding rather than your body, so the number describes the layer you put on.
- Holding your breath or lifting the chest.
- A held breath changes the circumference from one second to the next, and the reading will not repeat.
- Measuring under the bust instead of across it.
- That is an underbust measurement at a different position. It reads smaller and does not describe the same line.
Bust here means a circumference, not a cup size and not shoulder width. The two are different quantities and are never compared directly in this calculator.
02 / Waist
How to measure your waist for a body type calculation
The distance around the narrowest part of your torso, usually a little above the navel.
02 / WaistNarrowest part of the torso
Step by step
- Wear a thin top, or measure on bare skin. A waistband, a belt, or gathered fabric sits between the tape and your body.
- Stand tall and relaxed with your feet together, and breathe out normally. Do not suck in or hold your breath.
- Find the narrowest part of your torso, usually a little above the navel. Bending gently to one side shows where the crease sits.
- Wrap the tape level around that line, with the front and back at the same height, and check the back in a mirror.
- Slide one fingertip under the tape. It should stay in place without pressing into the skin.
- Read the tape after a normal breath out, and write the number down before moving to the next measurement.
What this number does
Waist is compared with the hips, so it decides how defined the middle reads. At or below 80% of the hips, the waist reads as defined; at or above 88% it reads as straight, and the reading moves toward Apple or Rectangle rather than Hourglass.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the tape tight to get a smaller number.
- The tape measures compression instead of your body, and the reading will not repeat on a second try.
- Measuring at the navel or at the top of the hip bones.
- Both positions sit lower than the narrowest point and read larger, which can make the middle look straighter than it is.
- Measuring over a waistband, belt, or tucked-in shirt.
- The fabric adds a layer, and a stiff belt can add several centimetres at exactly the line being measured.
- Letting the tape sag at the back.
- A sagging back edge reads longer; a back edge that climbs reads shorter.
Several body type charts, and health sources such as waist-circumference guidance, place the waist differently, for example at a point between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone. A number measured with another convention will not match these thresholds. This calculator uses one waist position everywhere: the form hint, this guide, the method section, and the FAQ.
03 / High hip
How to measure your high hip
The distance around the top of your hip bones, above the fullest part of your hips, where the hip curve begins.
03 / High hipTop of the hip bones
Step by step
- Find the top edge of your hip bones at the front: two bony points below the waist, one on each side.
- Place the tape so the front passes across those two points.
- Keep the back of the tape at the same height as the front, above the fullest part of your seat.
- Check in a mirror that the tape is level and has not slid up at the back.
- Keep the tape snug without pressing into the bone, and read the number.
- Measure a second time. If the two readings differ, check the tape height before choosing one.
What this number does
High hip is compared with the hips and tells the calculator whether the lower body keeps widening below the hip bones. At or under 95% of the hips the curve continues; above it, the high hip is nearly as wide as the full hip, and the result moves to Rectangle even when the waist is narrow.
Common mistakes
- Measuring the widest part of the hips instead.
- That is the hips measurement. Using the same line twice removes the difference this rule is looking for.
- Calculating high hip by subtracting a few centimetres from the hips.
- It is a separate tape position, not an arithmetic step. How far the fullest hip sits below the bone depends on your body.
- The tape rising at the back.
- The back edge climbs above the front, the loop gets shorter, and the reading looks closer to the waist than it is.
- Measuring over a low-rise waistband or a slung belt.
- The band marks a different height, and stiff fabric holds the tape away from the body.
High hip is not the seat and not a fixed number of centimetres below the waist. It is Bodytype's operating position, measured at the bone rather than at a set height. If the reading comes out larger than your full hip, the form asks you to check the tape position.
04 / Hips
How to measure your hips
The distance around the fullest part of your hips and seat, with your feet together.
04 / HipsFullest hips and seat
Step by step
- Stand with your feet together. The seat changes shape when the feet are apart, and the reading changes with it.
- Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your hips and seat, usually about a hand's width below the hip bones.
- Keep the tape level all the way around, and check the back in a mirror: the back is where it most often rides up.
- Smooth the tape so it is not twisted, and keep it flat against the body all the way around.
- Keep it snug with room for one fingertip underneath, and read the number where the tape meets.
- Measure once more and note both readings before you enter a value.
What this number does
Hips are the reference for the other three values: bust, waist, and high hip are each compared with the hips. A hip reading taken at a different height changes all three ratios at once, which is why the tape position matters more here than the exact number.
Common mistakes
- The tape rides up at the back.
- The loop is shorter than the actual circumference, so the hips read smaller and the bust and waist look larger by comparison.
- Measuring across the hip bones instead.
- That line is closer to the high hip and reads smaller, which changes all three ratios at once.
- Measuring over a phone, keys, or a bulky wallet in a pocket.
- Anything in a pocket is inside the loop and adds to the measurement.
- Standing with the feet wide apart.
- The seat flattens and the loop gets shorter; the same body measures smaller than it does with the feet together.
Hips and high hip are two different positions, and both are required. Neither replaces the other, and the calculator does not derive one from the other.
Close positions
High hip is not the hips
These two lines are a hand's width apart, and they are the pair most often mixed up. The high hip sits at the top of the hip bones, where the curve begins. The hips sit at the fullest part of the seat, usually lower.
Hips
Around the fullest part of the hips and seat, with the feet together.
Measure the hipsNeither value is calculated from the other. If your high hip comes out larger than your hips, the calculator asks you to check the tape position rather than guessing which number is right.
Questions
Measuring questions
Where is the high hip compared with the hips?
High hip goes around the top of the hip bones, above the fullest part of the hips, while hips go around the fullest part of the hips and seat. They are two separate tape positions and both are needed for the calculation.
How tight should the tape be?
Snug enough to stay in place and loose enough to slide one fingertip underneath. A tape that presses into the skin measures compression, not circumference, and the reading will not repeat.
Can I enter measurements in inches?
Yes. The calculator accepts centimetres or inches and converts to one internal unit, so the same body gives the same result in either unit.
Do I need someone to help me measure?
A mirror is enough for most positions. A second person is useful for checking that the tape is level across your back, which matters most for bust and hips.
What if two of my measurements are almost the same?
That is normal. Close values are common between bust and hips, or between high hip and hips, and the result describes the proportion rather than forcing a difference. Near a rule boundary, a small change in tape position can change which reading applies.
Ready with your four numbers?
The calculator compares them in your browser and explains which ratio produced the result.
This is a styling reference, not a medical diagnosis or health assessment.