Body fat - Skinfold - Durnin and Womersley Print E-mail
durnin and womersley skinfoldAmong affordable methods for measuring body fat percentage, using a skinfold caliper is still the best and the 4 spot formula by Durnin and Womersley is very accurate for most people.

Among affordable methods for measuring body fat percentage, using a skinfold caliper is still the best and the 4 spot formula by Durnin and Womersley is very accurate for most people.

Skinfold spotsInstructions:
1. Measure skinfold in millimeters as indicated on the pictures and enter values.
2. For further instructions see our guide "How to measure body fat with a skinfold caliper"

 

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Background

The original formula takes age in to account by having seperate formulas for different age categories. This however gave som abrupt changes in the results whe going from one age category to another. Also, the reference material for som of the older groups was rather small. We have therefore chosen to use only the formula for the interval 20-29 years. This means that if you are older and unfit, your fat percentage will probably be underestimatet.

References

Durnin JVGA, Womersley J. Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. Br J Nutrition. 1974; 32: 77-97.

Siri WE. The gross composition of the body. pages 239-280. IN: Lawrence JH, Tobias CA (editors). Advances in Biological and Medical Physics. Academic Press, Inc. Advances in Biological and Medical Physics. 1956; 4: 239-280.

 

Comments (11)add comment

Jon Mc. said:

Here is the Durnin & Womersley complete formulas:
Calculation of Body Density According to the method of Durnin & Womersley
(Biceps, Triceps, Subscapula, and Suprailiac)

Equations for Men
Age range
17-19D = 1.1620 – 0.0630 x (log ∑)
20-29D = 1.1631 – 0.0632 x (log ∑)
30-39D = 1.1422 – 0.0544 x (log ∑)
40-49D = 1.1620 – 0.0700 x (log ∑)
50+D = 1.1715 – 0.0779 x (log ∑)

Equations for Women
Age range
17-19D = 1.1549 – 0.0678 x (log ∑)
20-29D = 1.1599 – 0.0717 x (log ∑)
30-39D = 1.1423 – 0.0632 x (log ∑)
40-49D = 1.1333 – 0.0612 x (log ∑)
50+D = 1.1339 – 0.0645 x (log ∑)

Race
American Indian18-60Female(4.81/Db)-4.34
Black 18-32Male(4.37/Db)-3.93
24-79Female(4.85/Db)-4.39
Hispanic20-40Female(4.87/Db)-4.41
Japanese Native18-48Male(4.97/Db)-4.52
Female(4.76/Db)-4.28
61-78Male(4.87/Db)-4.41
Female(4.95/Db)-4.50
White 7-12Male(5.30/Db)-4.89
Female(5.35/Db)-4.95
13-16Male(5.07/Db)-4.64
Female(5.10/Db)-4.66
17-19Male(4.99/Db)-4.55
Female(5.05/Db)-4.62
20-80Male(4.95/Db)-4.50
Female(5.01/Db)-4.57
Levels of Body Fatness
Anorexia15-30Female(5.26/Db)-4.83
Obese 17-62Male(5.00/Db)-4.56
Athletes*High school and college age Male and female(4.57/Db)-4.142

I hope this is detailed enough for everyone.
December 31, 2009

kerim said:

this is the formula of durnin/Womersley;
S = Sum of all four folds
A = age in years
d = 1,1714 - 0.063 * log(S) - 0.000406*A
Bodyfat [%] = 495 / d - 450
December 15, 2009

Cameron Hunt BHK said:

This is a great site. However I've noticed that there is no change in the result when the age of the subject is altered. I'm pretty sure the Durnin-Womersly is age sensitive. I'd like to use for my clients but unfortunatly I'm not sure there is enough accuracy. Could you let me know your thoughts. Thanks
December 01, 2009

charles olivier said:

What is the formulae for this body fat estimation?
November 17, 2009

RG said:

How can I interprete the results of o;dy fat and lean body mass?
October 22, 2009

RG said:

Which caliper is recommended? Lange or Harpenden? Because they have different compressiblility...
Where I can get the formula for D&W equation?
Thanks,
October 22, 2009

Wes said:

RE: Calculator, Body fat - Skinfold - Durnin and Womersley
I really like your web-site and the BFP calculator is a valuable pubic service. When I did a sensitivity analysis, I discovered that the results do not seem to vary as I vary the age in the calculator. My understanding is that age is an important parameter in this formula. Am I doing something wrong or is there an error? Also, I am 70 years old and suspect that this formula is only marginally accurate for my age group. Are you aware of any research to establish an accurate skinfold BFP estimator for seniors?
Thanks,
Wes
October 20, 2009

Morten Z said:

Image updated :-)
September 29, 2009

Morten Z said:

Thanks for the comment - never gave that a thought. I will change it ASAP.
September 22, 2009

Dr. Dan said:

I really like your web site, but I couldn't use it for my health class because you had to use a model with BIG breasts and nipples. Freshman high school students just can't separate science and nudes. Let me know of any changes. Thanks.
September 22, 2009


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