The Marine Corps just replaced height-and-weight with a waist tape. Here's what that means for you.

The Corps quietly changed how it measures body composition.

Not tweaked. Changed.

If you're a Reserve Marine, this affects your next physical readiness cycle. Here's the plain-English version of what happened.

Reference: MARADMIN 066/26, signed 26 February 2026. This is a change to MARADMIN 613/25, and it draws from Secretary of War guidance issued in December 2025.

The old problem

The Corps used a semiannual height-and-weight screening as the first gate in body composition evaluation.

Step on the scale. Too heavy for your height? Proceed to the tape test.

It was a blunt instrument. Weight alone tells you nothing about whether a Marine is actually healthy or fit. A dense, muscular Marine could fail the scale and pass the tape every single time. The system created friction without adding much value.

That system is now gone.

The new rule, in one line

Your waist measurement divided by your height is now the first and only gate for body composition screening.

(Yes, it's that simple. Waist divided by height.)

How the new system actually works

Step 1. The WHtR screen

WHtR stands for waist-to-height ratio.

The formula: waist measurement divided by height measurement.

The standard: your result must be less than 0.52, regardless of sex.

To find your max waist, look up your height in the table below. If your waist is at or under that number, you pass the screen. Done.

WHtR Max Waist Table

| Height | Max Waist | Height | Max Waist | |--------|-----------|--------|-----------| | 53.0" | 27.5" | 64.5" | 33.5" | | 53.5" | 27.5" | 65.0" | 33.5" | | 54.0" | 28.0" | 65.5" | 34.0" | | 54.5" | 28.0" | 66.0" | 34.0" | | 55.0" | 28.5" | 66.5" | 34.5" | | 55.5" | 28.5" | 67.0" | 34.5" | | 56.0" | 29.0" | 67.5" | 35.0" | | 56.5" | 29.0" | 68.0" | 35.0" | | 57.0" | 29.5" | 68.5" | 35.5" | | 57.5" | 29.5" | 69.0" | 35.5" | | 58.0" | 30.0" | 69.5" | 36.0" | | 58.5" | 30.0" | 70.0" | 36.0" | | 59.0" | 30.5" | 70.5" | 36.5" | | 59.5" | 30.5" | 71.0" | 36.5" | | 60.0" | 31.0" | 71.5" | 37.0" | | 60.5" | 31.0" | 72.0" | 37.0" | | 61.0" | 31.5" | 72.5" | 37.5" | | 61.5" | 31.5" | 73.0" | 37.5" | | 62.0" | 32.0" | 73.5" | 38.0" | | 62.5" | 32.5" | 74.0" | 38.0" | | 63.0" | 32.5" | 74.5" | 38.5" | | 63.5" | 33.0" | 75.0" | 38.5"* | | 64.0" | 33.0" | | |

The MARADMIN table ends at 75" without listing a value. Check fitness.marines.mil for the complete table or confirm with your S-1.

How the waist measurement is taken:

✦ Measured at the navel, parallel to the deck.

✦ Uses a self-tensioning tape device.

✦ Measured twice. The lower number is used.

✦ Rounded down to the nearest half-inch.

✦ The evaluator must be the same sex as the Marine being evaluated.

How height is measured:

✦ Same process as before, but now also rounded down to the nearest half-inch.

Step 2. Body fat evaluation (only if you exceed WHtR)

If your waist is over the max for your height, you move on to a body fat measurement.

Two methods are authorized:

✦ The multi-site tape test (same as before).

✦ Bioelectrical impedance analysis, or BIA (a newer device-based method).

The rule on which method to use:

If your unit has an approved BIA device available, you can choose either method first.
If you fail your first method, you must be tested with the other method.
If you fail both the tape test and BIA, you are processed for the Body Composition Program (BCP).
If you pass at least one method, you meet the body fat standard.

(You only need to pass one. Not both.)

Body fat standards themselves have not changed.

Step 3. Physical performance considerations

Your PFT and CFT scores can now affect your body fat allowance.

Here is how it works:

✦ Score 285 or higher on both your PFT and CFT: Males are allowed up to 26% body fat. Females are allowed up to 36%. Exceed those numbers and you go to BCP regardless of score.

✦ Score 250 or higher on both your PFT and CFT: You get an additional 1% body fat added to your standard. This bonus cannot push you past the 285-tier maximums above.

✦ These considerations only apply if you have a first-class PFT and CFT in the current semiannual period. No medical exemptions. No partial scores. No deployment waivers.

✦ If your body composition evaluation happens before you've done your fitness tests for the period: Your scores from the prior calendar year can be used, as long as they were first class.

A note on weight in 2026

The Corps is still weighing Marines this year, but only to study the impact of the new system.

Weight does not count for body composition evaluation. It cannot be used against you.

The shift. Why this is a big deal.

The old system punished body weight. This system targets waist size relative to height, which is a better proxy for actual health risk.

For Reserve Marines specifically, this matters because:

✦ You are evaluated semiannually, just like active duty. The WHtR screen is a semiannual requirement for both components.

✦ If you already passed a height-and-weight eval between January 1, 2026 and February 26, 2026 (when this MARADMIN dropped), that evaluation does not count. You must be reevaluated under the new process.

✦ The only way to skip that reevaluation is a waiver. Those waivers require General Officer endorsement and must be submitted through ETMS2 to "USMC TECOM" no later than May 1, 2026.

✦ Marines currently assigned to BCP who were enrolled on or after January 1, 2026 must be reevaluated using WHtR. If they now pass the waist screen, the BCP assignment gets deleted as erroneous. If they still fail, BCP continues on the existing timeline.

✦ Marines enrolled in BCP before January 1, 2026 stay in BCP. That assignment does not get restarted or erased.

A note on recordkeeping right now

Marine Corps information systems are not ready to accept the new measurements yet.

Until they are:

✦ Units must document waist, height, weight (for 2026), and body fat on paper or local records.

✦ That documentation gets uploaded to the relevant calendar event in MCTIMS.

✦ Do not submit body composition scoresheets through the MCTIMS Unit Training Module.

More guidance on system updates will come in a follow-on message.

What goes on your fitness report

The body composition section of the fitness report changes too.

✦ Enter "000" in height and weight fields.

✦ Leave the body fat field blank.

✦ Use the directed comments specified in the MARADMIN based on the Marine's outcome:

Within WHtR standard: "Directed Comment. Sect A, Item 8e: The MRO's current body composition evaluation is within standards."
Exceeds WHtR but within body fat standards: "Directed Comment. Sect A, Item 8f: The MRO's current body composition evaluation is within standards."
Exceeds WHtR and body fat standards, no waiver: Report is rendered adverse. Specific measurements must be listed in the directed comment.
Granted a reevaluation waiver: Note the waiver in the directed comment.
Granted a BCP assignment waiver: Note out-of-standards status and the waiver in the directed comment.
BIA required but not completed before the reporting occasion ends: Use the Marine's last official body composition evaluation for the fitness report.

(If you are a reporting official, read paragraph 3.g of the MARADMIN carefully. The exact wording of those directed comments matters.)

A smaller note for active-duty Marines

This MARADMIN applies to the total force, so active-duty Marines are equally subject to all of the above. The same WHtR standard, the same body fat rules, and the same fitness report guidance apply. If your unit ran height-and-weight evaluations between January 1 and February 26, 2026, those also need to be redone.

The bottom line

The scale is out. The waist tape is in.

Your waist divided by your height must be below 0.52 to clear the first gate. If you clear it, you're done. If you don't, body fat testing follows. Your PFT and CFT scores can give you a small buffer on body fat. If you passed height-and-weight in early 2026, that eval doesn't count anymore. You need to be reevaluated.

What to do with this

If you are an individual Reserve Marine:

✦ Find your height in the table above and note your max waist measurement. Measure yourself now so you know where you stand.

✦ Know your PFT and CFT scores from the current or prior semiannual period in case the performance considerations apply to you.

✦ If your unit ran height-and-weight between January 1 and February 26, 2026, expect to be reevaluated.

✦ Bookmark fitness.marines.mil for the complete table, training materials, and FAQs.

If you are a unit S-1 or admin chief:

✦ Identify every Marine who was evaluated under the old height-and-weight process since January 1, 2026. Those evaluations must be redone.

✦ If operational constraints make reevaluation impossible before May 1, 2026, start a waiver request now. It requires General Officer endorsement and must go through ETMS2 to "USMC TECOM."

✦ If any Marines were assigned to BCP on or after January 1, 2026, reevaluate them under WHtR at the earliest opportunity.

✦ Update your fitness report practices. "000" in height and weight. Body fat field blank. Use the directed comments exactly as written in the MARADMIN.

✦ Document everything locally in MCTIMS until system updates are confirmed.

If you are a commanding officer:

✦ Ensure your unit has a plan to reevaluate Marines who were screened under the old process.

✦ If you need a reevaluation waiver, you are the one routing it up to the first General Officer in the chain.

✦ Watch for the forthcoming TFRS message on retention documentation under the new system.

If you are a Marine currently assigned to BCP:

✦ Talk to your S-1 immediately. If your assignment started on or after January 1, 2026, you must be reevaluated using WHtR.

✦ If you pass the waist screen, your BCP assignment should be removed.

✦ If your BCP assignment predates January 1, 2026, it continues unchanged.

This is written by a reservist, for reservists. It is not an official publication of HQMC or MARFORRES. Always verify guidance with your command or unit S-1 before acting on any article or summary.

Want a shorter version of this? The one-paragraph summary is available on request. Want more detail on the fitness report directed comments or the BIA device rollout? Ask and I can go deeper on either.

CHANGE 1 TO THE ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO THE MARINE CORPS PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST AND BODY COMPOSITION EVALUATION PROCESS