You store fat internally as well, but since the majority of your fat is below your skin , you can use skinfold measurements to estimate your overall body fat percentage. After taking one or more measurements at various sites around the body, you can convert that sum of the skin folds into a body fat percentage using a math equation or an easy conversion chart that has already done the math for you.

Some electronic calipers have the formulas built in, so they automatically display a body fat percentage right on the digital screen. The purpose of this post is to show you some of the popular skinfold calipers, ranging from expensive professional models that are usually only used by trainers or health clubs, to super cheap plastic calipers that you can use at home.

As you pinch the skinfold, you can see the thickness reading in millimeters on a digital readout. The precision is impressive — it measures the skin folds to the tenth of a millimeter example 7.

Some argue that measuring skinfolds to the decimal point is moot, owing to the margin for error inherent in body fat testing. But personally, if a caliper offers that kind of precision, I like it, and I believe other experienced technicians will appreciate it too.

You can order the SKYNDEX with two different formulas for adults: The Durnin 4-site formula bicep, triceps, iliac crest and subscaplular or the Jackson Pollock 3-site formula abdominal, thigh and pectoral for men or thigh, iliac and tricep for women. Jackson-Pollock is a different dude who artistically splattered paint on canvases.

I use the caliper with the Durnin formula. Usually, the Durnin formula is recommended for the general population, while the 3-site Jackson Pollock formula is recommended for lean, athletic types.

This is just my opinion, but I find the Durnin skinfold sites much easier to pinch. The abdominal and especially the thigh skin folds can be tricky. Whether I was testing a lean athlete or not with the Durnin formula never bothered me because body fat testing is more for charting progress from one reading to the next than it is for testing absolute accuracy.

Of course you have to be a cadaver for that…. I used this one myself when I was taking exercise science classes in college, when. The Lange skinfold caliper is not digital, it uses the traditional gauge readout, where a needle points to the millimeter reading on a scale. Step one is taking the skinfold measurements.

Step two is adding up the sum of the skinfolds and looking it up on a conversion chart to find the body fat reading.

The Skyndex does the conversion for you. The Harpenden caliper works almost the same way as a Lange, it simply has a different design. Some health and fitness researchers and practitioners call this the gold standard caliper or at least the most prestigious. Studies have compared the Lange and Harpenden calipers and found the results were similar, both calipers being able to accurately measure body fat without error due to caliper design.

Researchers have noted in these comparison studies that both the Lange and Harpenden tended to underpredict body fat when compared to Hydrostatic weighing. Construction is one reason for the bargain price — this caliper is made out of all plastic with a metal spring for the proper caliper grip tension.

I found the measurements provided by this caliper astonishingly consistent with the much pricier Skyndex or the Lange calipers. These calipers are ideal for personal use if you are testing other people at multiple skinfold sites such as with the Jackson Pollock or Durnin Formula or if someone else will be testing you at home.

com: www. When you get to a skinfold like the tricep, it really gets hard to pinch yourself accurately. The Accumeasure changed all that. It can accommodate up to nine users and has a pound weight capacity.

The scale's proprietary app is free, and Weight Watchers members can also sync the scale to the WW app. The scale is accurate every time we use it and is so precise that it can even pick up small, normal daily weight fluctuations.

The display on the scale is very bright and easy to read. The proprietary app tracks weight, body fat, body water, bone mass, muscle mass, and BMI. We like that you can earn badges in the app for consistency and progress that help keep you motivated towards your goals.

Style: Scale Data Memory: Unlimited users-unlimited data points Smart Features: Syncs with proprietary app; bioelectrical impedance technology can be turned off Our Overall Rating: 4. Best for users who are new to smart body fat monitors and want to try one out without spending a lot. If you want to try out a smart body fat monitor but aren't ready to make a major investment, we recommend Etekcity's Smart Scale.

The app supports unlimited users and is quick to set up and easy to use. The scale has a baby mode that allows you to track your baby's growth, and the bioelectrical impedance features—the technology that can be turned off if you want to use the device as a regular weight scale without having it monitor your body fat.

It measures 13 different metrics , and it's very accurate. We never have to re-calibrate the scale, even after using it multiple times per week, unless we move it to a new location.

We like that the display is simple, clear, and easy to read. The scale itself only displays weight, but you can see other metrics by opening its proprietary app on your smartphone.

We like that you can rearrange the order in which metrics appear in the app so you can order them based on which ones are most important to you. While we didn't test these three skinfold calipers ourselves, we still think they deserve a spot on our list of top picks. While smart scales are typically easier to use compared to skinfold calipers, they also tend to cost a lot more.

So if you want a budget-friendlier way to measure your body fat percentage, you may want to opt for skinfold calipers instead.

Style: Calipers Data Memory: None Smart Features: Reads measurements in millimeters or inches and shows measurements digitally on large display.

Best for users looking for a portable measuring system that is very accurate and easy to read. Want to combine the skinfold assessment method with an easy-to-read digital display?

Check out these Qiorange calipers. They are primarily designed to provide a body fat percentage reading by measuring subcutaneous fat, which is the fat just under your skin, specifically around the stomach. You can also use it to measure other areas of your body, like your thigh area, biceps, or anywhere your body typically stores fat.

For ultimate accuracy, some users recommend measuring the same area with the same technique three times and averaging the reported results. This method helps to account for human error and inconsistencies in skinfold measurements so you get a more reliable approximation of your body fat composition.

We also love that the LED display is large enough for easy reading. Style: Calipers Data Memory: None Smart Features: None. Best for those who want a portable, no-frills body fat monitor and have a trusted friend or partner to assist in it's use.

If you have a friend, family member, or trainer who can help you measure your body fat percentage with skinfold calipers , snag this very affordable wellness tool. Used by fitness professionals across the globe, skin calipers offer a simple way to measure subcutaneous fat.

There may be a bit of a learning curve to using skinfold calipers, but you can't beat the convenience of being able to drop them in your gym bag and use them wherever you want. Think of this tool as a fat-specific measuring tape.

These calipers are lightweight , easily portable , and very simple to use. The World Natural Bodybuilding Federation also endorses them as the premiere fat caliper measuring tool on the market.

This may also be a great option if you're not the most tech-savvy person, as it doesn't require you to interact with technology in the way that a smart scale might. With an anti-slip grip, these calipers are easy to use.

Best for users who are new to body fat measurement as a health metric and have never used calipers before. Similar to the calipers from Accu-Measure, this manual tool helps you gain a clear picture of your body fat levels so you can create and tackle appropriate health and wellness goals.

But, since many people are not familiar or comfortable with the skinfold assessment method, this particular tool comes with a quick-start guide to help set you up for success.

You can also trust that the spring-loaded mechanism will apply consistent pressure measurement after measurement, giving you accurate readings every time you use it.

In addition to researching dozens of skinfold calipers and other body fat monitors, and only including the most accurate and easy-to-use ones on our list, we also tested 17 different body fat monitor scales. Out of the 17 scales we tested, only five rated high enough to make our final list of recommendations.

These three weren't our top picks, but they still have some valuable features worth mentioning:. After testing 17 digital scales at home for a month, and researching dozens of other body fat monitoring devices, Fitindex Wi-Fi Bluetooth Body Fat Scale is our top choice for its sleek, easy-to-clean design, and accurate readings.

We found it very easy to use and like that it syncs with multiple health apps. We continue to test each body fat monitor at home and will update our recommendations if we notice any changes in our findings that haven't already been noted here.

To find the best body fat monitors on the market, we received expert input from three experts and researched dozens of options. We also tested 17 bathroom scales and smart scales that monitor body fat for a four-week period at home. When researching and testing smart scales and other body fat monitoring devices, we evaluate each product for six key criteria: ease of setup , reading precision , data storage , display and readability , ease of use , and value.

We did our best to evaluate each product we researched but weren't able to test for these criteria, relying on expert input, user reviews, and our own judgment based on thorough research for the product category. For the monitors we were able to test, we followed these six steps:.

While all bodies are different and body fat percentage may vary depending on several factors, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that, based on BMI, these ranges would be considered "healthy" for each age bracket:.

A body fat measurement can tell you what percentage of your body weight is made up of fat relative to other lean tissues such as bone, muscle, water, and organs. Body fat percentage is a clearer measurement of your health and fitness than weight or BMI.

While body fat percentage can give you insight into your health and fitness, several other factors should be considered when assessing your wellbeing. Vitals such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar are all good measurements of your overall health.

Additionally, you'll want to look at your nutrition and physical activity. Sleep habits can also play a role in overall health and fitness. Over the years, she has reviewed dozens of products, from athletic recovery aids to homeopathic essential oils to ever-trendy CBD topicals, to help readers like you discover products that can help you live your best life.

She also worked as a personal trainer in New York City for several years, using several tools on this list to help her clients measure their progress and success accurately. Bär KJ, Critchley H. Autonomic control. Brain Mapping. Eaton-Evans J. Nutritional assessment: anthropometry. Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition Third Edition.

Published online Khalil SF, Mohktar MS, Ibrahim F. The theory and fundamentals of bioimpedance analysis in clinical status monitoring and diagnosis of diseases. Gallagher D, Heymsfield SB, Heo M, Jebb SA, Murgatroyd PR, Sakamoto Y.

Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Winchester Hospital. Your body fat percentage: What does it mean? Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.

Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance.

Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. Other devices use sensors that rotate around your body.

In this way, 3-D body scanners are similar to circumference measurements. However, a greater amount of information is provided by a 3-D scanner The method uses information about your body shape to predict your body fat percentage. More information is needed about the accuracy of these methods.

Multi-compartment models are considered to be the most accurate method of body composition assessment 3 , These models split the body into three or more parts. The most common assessments are called 3-compartment and 4-compartment models. These models require multiple tests to get estimates of body mass, body volume, body water and bone content For example, hydrostatic weighing or ADP can provide body volume, BIS or BIA can provide body water and DXA can measure bone content.

Information from each of these methods is combined to build a more complete picture of the body and obtain the most accurate body fat percentage 21 , However, they involve multiple tests and are not typically available to the general public.

Some methods, such as skinfold measurements, circumference calculations and portable BIA devices, are inexpensive and allow you to be measured in your own home as frequently as you like. The devices can also be purchased online easily, such as on Amazon.

Most of the methods with highest accuracies are not available to use in your own home. If you want a more accurate assessment and are willing to pay for it, you could pursue a method with good accuracy like hydrostatic weighing, ADP or DXA.

Ideally, you should do the test before you have anything to drink, especially for methods that rely on electrical signals like BIA, BIS and EIM. Assessing yourself the same way each time will reduce error rates and make it easier to tell if you are making progress.

However, you should always interpret your results from any method with caution. Even the best methods are not perfect and only give you an estimate of your true body fat.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Several dietary and lifestyle changes can help you burn body fat.

Here are 12 great methods to promote long-term fat loss. It is a myth that a pound of body fat contains exactly 3, calories. This article explains the actual amount and what that means for weight loss. This article takes a look at the science behind targeted fat loss, and checks if you can slim down specific areas of your body.

If losing weight is your goal, this article covers 18 foods that may help support a healthy and sustainable weight loss journey, according to science. Making a few small changes to your morning routine can help you lose weight and keep it off.

This article tells you how. Exercise burns calories, but many people claim it doesn't help you lose weight. This article explores whether exercise really helps with weight loss. Male body types are often divided into three types, determined by factors like limb proportions, weight, height, and body fat distribution.

You can easily estimate your basal metabolic rate using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation — or by using our quick calculator. Here's how. Many think the pear body shape is healthier than the apple body shape.

This article explains the pear and apple body shapes, the research behind them…. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based The 10 Best Ways to Measure Your Body Fat Percentage.