Body frame size

Measure your wrist, add your height and see whether your frame is small, medium or large.

Your details

Sex
Height
Wrist
Your weight (optional)

Wrist: measure just above the wrist bone, on the side you write with.

Your frame size

Medium

Height divided by wrist: 10.7

  • Wrist for a medium frame at your height5.8 in to 6.3 in
  • Small frameover 11
  • Medium frame10.1 to 11
  • Large frameunder 10.1
  • NHS healthy weight for your height7 st 10 lb to 10 st 5 lb
  • Hamwi reference weight, medium frame8 st 8 lb

Most adults have a medium frame. Your bones are about what you would expect for your height. The Hamwi figure is an old dietitian’s rule of thumb, not a target, and the NHS range is the one to go by.

The working

Height divided by wrist

Divide your height by your wrist, both in the same units. 5 ft 4 in is 64 in, and 64 ÷ 6 = 10.7. For a woman that is a medium frame.

FrameWomenMen
Smallover 11.0over 10.4
Medium10.1 to 11.09.6 to 10.4
Largeunder 10.1under 9.6

Why it helps

Reading BMI with your frame in mind

Bigger bones weigh more. Someone with a large frame might sit a couple of points higher on BMI than someone with a small frame and the same amount of fat. That is not a licence to ignore BMI, but it is a fair reason to read it alongside your waist.

Your weight

What frame does and does not change

We show the NHS healthy weight range for your height, which does not adjust for frame, and an old dietitian’s reference called the Hamwi formula: 45.5 kg for a woman at 5 ft plus 2.2 kg for each inch over (48 kg plus 2.7 kg for men), take off 10% for a small frame and add 10% for a large one. At 5 ft 4 in with a medium frame that is 54.3 kg (8 st 8 lb), and the NHS range is 48.9 to 65.8 kg. Your wrist for a medium frame at that height would be 5.8 to 6.3 in. If you add your weight, we show your BMI too. With a large frame and a BMI just over 25, your waist is the fairer check.

Questions

Common questions

How do I know if I am big boned?

Measure your wrist and divide your height by it. A result under 10.1 for women or 9.6 for men points to a large frame.

Does frame size change my healthy weight?

The NHS BMI range does not adjust for frame. Small framed people often sit comfortably lower in the range and large framed people higher.

Where does the wrist method come from?

It was set out by John Grant in a 1980 nutrition handbook and is still used by dietitians as a quick check.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

If your weight is on your mind

Talk to your GP if your weight has changed a lot without trying, or if it is worrying you. If food or your body feels hard to think about, Beat has a free helpline on 0808 801 0677 (England, weekdays 3pm to 8pm).

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