Navy 2019 Maximum and Minimum Weight Standards

Meeting height and weight standards in the Navy no matter your age takes effort and focus. Navy personnel are tested for physical fitness twice a year, and even though the requirements get slightly easier the older you are, they're still too strict for you to slack off and stop eating right and exercising.

The weight standards for the Navy are used to determine what further screening is needed for applicants. Only applicants not meeting the Navy weight standard for their height will be measured for body fat percentage.

If you exceed the weight on the weight charts, an abdominal circumference measurement will be taken. If your measurement is equal to 39 inches or less for men or 35.5 inches or less for women, you may still qualify. The measurement is taken on bare skin, at the uppermost hip bone with the arms at your sides after you've exhaled.

If you don't qualify based on the height/weight chart and the abdominal circumference measurement, then further measuring is done to determine your body fat percentage. For men, the limit is 23 percent body fat. It is determined by a neck measurement and abdomen measurement. For women, the limit is 34 percent body fat determined by a neck, waist, and hip measurement.

If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 19, the Chief Medical Officer of the Military Entrance Processing Station will further assess you. This is done to determine if you have a medical or psychiatric condition that has resulted in being underweight. The physician will do a thorough medical history and examination.

You can be down to 17.5 BMI if you don't have an underlying problem and be qualified to serve. But you may be temporarily disqualified if you are below 17.5 BMI and given a four-day delay for each pound under the standard.

Yes, there is also a minimum height and weight standard for the military. If you're too short, too tall, or too thin, you may not be eligible for military service according to the above minimum standard chart. You will be measured at the recruiting station to gain entry into the military, however, if you continue to lose weight while serving and are not able to meet the standards, you could be separated from the service.