Skip navigation

Medical Encyclopedia

Calculating body frame size

Body frame size is determined by a person's wrist circumference in relation to his height. For example, a man whose height is over 5' 5" and wrist is 6" would fall into the small-boned category.

Determining frame size: To determine the body frame size, measure the wrist with a tape measure and use the following chart to determine whether the person is small, medium, or large boned.

Women:

• Height under 5'2"
  • Small = wrist size less than 5.5"
  • Medium = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75"
  • Large = wrist size over 5.75"
• Height 5'2" to 5' 5"
  • Small = wrist size less than 6"
  • Medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"
  • Large = wrist size over 6.25"
• Height over 5' 5"
  • Small = wrist size less than 6.25"
  • Medium = wrist size 6.25" to 6.5"
  • Large = wrist size over 6.5"

Men:

• Height over 5' 5"
  • Small = wrist size 5.5" to 6.5"
  • Medium = wrist size 6.5" to 7.5"
  • Large = wrist size over 7.5"