How to Complete the Army Body Fat Content Worksheet: DA Form 5501

DA Form 5501, the Army Body Fat Content Worksheet for female Soldiers, records circumference tape measurements and converts them into a body fat percentage under the Army Body Composition Program. The June 2023 edition has two pages: Page 2 covers the one-site abdominal method, which is now the primary authorized tape test, and Page 1 covers the older three-site neck-waist-hip method, which is used as a secondary check if the one-site measurement puts the Soldier over her standard. Below is how to complete each field correctly, in the order an evaluator actually works through the form.

When the Form Is Required

As of January 1, 2026, the initial body composition screen across all services is waist-to-height ratio. A female Soldier whose WHtR is below 0.55 passes the screen and does not need a tape test or a DA Form 5501 at all.¹ The form only comes out when her WHtR is 0.55 or higher.

Several categories of Soldiers are also exempt from body composition assessment and will not have this form completed:

Pregnant Soldiers, and postpartum Soldiers for 180 days after delivery under AR 600-9. An exception to policy extended the postpartum window to 365 days for Regular Army and Army Reserve Soldiers, during which they cannot be flagged or enrolled in the ABCP.²³
Soldiers with major limb loss, defined as amputation above the ankle or wrist, including full hand or foot loss.
Soldiers hospitalized 30 or more continuous days, exempt through the recovery period specified by their profile, up to 90 days after discharge.²
New recruits, who have six months from entry on active duty to meet retention standards.
Soldiers who scored 540 or higher on the ACFT. The form itself has a checkbox for this exemption on Page 2.

Where to Get the Current Form

Use the June 2023 version. The Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil hosts the official copy, and U.S. Army Recruiting Command also provides a downloadable fillable PDF.⁴ Older editions may not include the one-site measurement page or the supplemental body fat assessment fields, so verify the date before use.

Tools and Header Fields

You need a non-stretchable fiberglass circumference tape calibrated in half-inch increments. Elastic or fabric tapes stretch and produce inaccurate readings. The Soldier wears the authorized physical fitness uniform. The hip site measurement procedure specifically accounts for PT shorts being worn, allowing the tape to be drawn snug without compressing soft tissue.⁵

Both pages start with the same identifying block:

Name (last, first, middle initial)
Rank
Height, recorded to the nearest 0.50 inch
Weight, recorded to the nearest pound
Age, which determines which body fat threshold applies

There is no field for SSN or DoD ID.⁴ Height rounds to the nearest half inch, not the nearest quarter inch. Getting that wrong throws off the body fat lookup in the reference tables.

Page 2: One-Site Abdominal Measurement

Under ALARACT 032/2025, effective June 9, 2024, the one-site abdominal tape method and supplemental body fat assessments are the only authorized methods for measuring body composition.⁶ Most evaluators will start and often finish on Page 2.

Step 1. Measure the abdomen at the level of the navel and round down to the nearest 0.50 inch.⁴ Take three sequential measurements. If any single reading differs from the other two by more than one inch, re-measure until three consistent readings are obtained.

Step 2. Record the average of the three readings.

Step 3. Cross-reference the average abdominal circumference and the Soldier’s weight in the table at AR 600-9, Figure B-2.

Step 4. Enter the resulting body fat percentage.

The bottom of Page 2 has compliance checkboxes, a field for supplemental body fat assessment results if one was performed, and the ACFT 540 exemption checkbox.⁴

Page 1: Three-Site Method as Secondary Check

Page 1 captures the traditional neck, waist, and hip protocol. It may still be used as a secondary evaluation if a Soldier fails the one-site measurement. Three sequential sets are taken for each site, always cycling neck, then waist, then hips before beginning the second and third rounds. That sequence prevents an evaluator from unconsciously repeating a reading.⁵

Neck

Measure just below the larynx, perpendicular to the long axis of the neck. The Soldier looks straight ahead with shoulders down, not hunched. Keep the tape as close to horizontal as possible, with the front and back at the same height. Round the neck measurement up to the nearest 0.50 inch.⁵

Waist

Measure against the skin at the point of minimal abdominal circumference, usually about halfway between the navel and the bottom of the breastbone. If the narrowest point isn’t obvious, take readings at a few likely spots and record the smallest value. The Soldier’s arms hang at her sides, and the reading is taken at the end of a normal relaxed exhale. Round down to the nearest 0.50 inch.⁵

Hips

View the Soldier from the side and place the tape around the widest point of the buttocks, level with the floor. Check the tape front to back and side to side before recording. With PT shorts worn, draw the tape snug to minimize their effect. Round down to the nearest 0.50 inch.⁵

The rounding directions are the most common source of error on this form. Neck rounds up. Waist and hips round down. Reversing that shifts the circumference value in a direction that inflates the calculated body fat percentage.

The Calculation Lines

After averaging each site’s three readings, complete the calculation fields:

Line 4A: average waist circumference
Line 4B: average hip circumference
Line 4C: 4A + 4B
Line 4D: average neck circumference
Line 4E: circumference value (4C minus 4D)
Line 4F: height in inches to the nearest 0.50 inch
Line 4G: body fat percentage, from the AR 600-9 Figure B-2 table for women, using 4E and 4F

Check the appropriate compliance box at the bottom of Page 1.⁴

Reading the Result Against the Standard

The Army’s maximum allowable body fat percentages for women:

Ages 17–20: 32 percent
Ages 21–27: 32 percent
Ages 28–39: 34 percent
Ages 40 and older: 36 percent

A Soldier at or below her age group’s limit is in compliance. If she exceeds it, check the noncompliance box and note the monthly weight loss goal of 3 to 8 pounds or 1 percent body fat.⁵

Signatures

The form has two signature blocks, not three. The evaluator who performed the measurements signs as “Prepared By” with rank and date. A supervisor signs as “Approved By” to verify that the assessment followed proper procedures.⁴ There is no signature line for the Soldier being measured. Both signatures include printed name, rank, and date in YYYYMMDD format. An unsigned or partially signed form is not valid for any administrative action.

Supplemental Testing After a Failed Tape

A Soldier who fails both the one-site abdominal test and the three-site test can request a supplemental body fat assessment using one of three authorized technologies: dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the InBody 770, or the Bod Pod. The option is available only if one of these machines is reasonably accessible.⁷ Page 2 has fields for the machine used, its location, and the result. A Soldier who does not request a supplemental assessment, or who fails it, is referred to the Army Weight Control Program.

What Happens With the Completed Form

DA Form 5501 is retained at the unit level as a supporting document. It is not uploaded to iPERMS. Recent Army guidance identifies the ABCP documents that go into iPERMS as the notification counseling, the Soldier’s acknowledgment, the Soldier’s action plan, and the release memorandum, filed together and kept on record for 36 months from the ABCP release date.⁸

If the completed form documents a body fat percentage above the Soldier’s age limit and she does not pass a supplemental assessment, she is flagged with a DA Form 268 and enrolled in the ABCP. The flag suspends promotion, attendance at institutional training, assignment to command, command sergeant major or first sergeant billets, and reenlistment or extension. Missing the monthly progress target on two consecutive assessments, or on three or more nonconsecutive assessments within the first six months, constitutes program failure, and when a medical evaluation finds no underlying condition the commander initiates separation.⁵ Once the Soldier meets the standard and the flag is removed, she becomes eligible for promotion the following month, subject to the commander’s recommendation through the chain of command.

1
Department of Defense. Additional Guidance on Military Fitness Standards
2
Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 600-9 – The Army Body Composition Program
3
The United States Army. Army Extends Timeline for Postpartum Soldiers to Meet Body Fat Standards
4
U.S. Army Recruiting Command. DA Form 5501 – Body Fat Content Worksheet (Female)
5
Department of the Army. Army Regulation 600-9 – The Army Body Composition Program
6
Army Resilience Directorate. Army Body Composition Program
7
Army Resilience Directorate. ABCP – Body Fat Calculator
8
U.S. Army Japan Inspector General. Army Body Composition Program – Enrollment and Separation