Body shape chart
Nine FFIT shapes, five everyday families, and the measurement rule behind each one. The figures are diagrams drawn from each shape’s proportions, not photographs of people.
A body shape chart is only useful if you can tell which row you are looking at. This one gives each shape four things: the family it belongs to, the measurement pattern that produces it, the shape it is most often confused with, and — where the data exists — how often it appeared in a 2003 US sizing study.
All nine at a glance
| Shape | Family | Measurement pattern | 2003 US sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourglass | Hourglass family | Bust and hips close, waist clearly smaller | 8.4% |
| Top Hourglass | Hourglass family | Bust leads the hips, waist still defined | — |
| Bottom Hourglass | Hourglass family | Hips lead the bust, waist defined, no high-hip shelf | — |
| Spoon | Pear family | Hips lead, high hip flares, waist defined | 20.9% |
| Triangle (Pear) | Pear family | Hips lead, waist drop modest or undefined | — |
| Rectangle | Rectangle | Bust, waist and hips stay close | 46.1% |
| Inverted Triangle | Inverted triangle | Bust leads the hips, waist drop under 9 in | 13.8% |
| Oval | Apple family | Waist larger than hips, not larger than bust | — |
| Diamond | Apple family | Waist larger than both bust and hips | — |
The four percentages come from the 2003 SizeUSA scan survey of 6,318 US women: Rectangle 46.1%, Spoon 20.9%, Inverted Triangle 13.8%, Hourglass 8.4%, and 10.7% reported as other shapes. The summary does not break out that remaining 10.7%. The sample is American, from 2003, and not a global average.
Hourglass
Bust and hips land within an inch of each other, the hips are less than 3.6 inches larger than the bust, and the waist is at least 9 inches smaller than the bust or 10 inches smaller than the hips. The waist is the narrow point; the upper and lower body carry similar width.
Rule: Bust − hip ≤ 1 in, hip − bust < 3.6 in, waist at least 9 in under bust or 10 in under hips.
Most often confused with: Top hourglass and bottom hourglass, which differ only in whether the bust or the hips lead.
Top Hourglass
The bust is 1–10 inches larger than the hips, and the waist is at least 9 inches smaller than the bust. The lower body is narrower than the upper body, but the waist still reads as a distinct narrow point.
Rule: Bust − hip between 1 and 10 in, waist at least 9 in under bust.
Most often confused with: Inverted triangle: both have a larger bust, but inverted triangle does not require the 9-inch waist drop.
Bottom Hourglass
The hips are 3.6–10 inches larger than the bust, the waist is at least 9 inches smaller than the hips, and the high hip is less than 1.193 times the waist. The lower body leads, but the high hip does not flare sharply away from the waist.
Rule: Hips 3.6–10 in larger than bust, waist at least 9 in under hips, high hip ÷ waist < 1.193.
Most often confused with: Spoon. The two use the same bust and hip pattern; the high-hip ratio is what separates them.
Spoon
The hips are more than 2 inches larger than the bust, the waist is at least 7 inches smaller than the hips, and the high hip is at least 1.193 times the waist. That last number is the “shelf”: the upper hip flares out quickly below the waist, then the fullest hip sits below it.
Rule: Hips more than 2 in larger than bust, waist at least 7 in under hips, high hip ÷ waist ≥ 1.193.
Most often confused with: Bottom hourglass and triangle. The high hip is the deciding measurement.
Triangle (Pear)
The hips are at least 3.6 inches larger than the bust, and the waist is less than 9 inches smaller than the hips; in the 2020 revision, a body whose bust is smaller than the waist but whose hips still lead also lands here. The lower body leads without the strong high-hip shelf that defines Spoon.
Rule: Hips at least 3.6 in larger than bust, waist less than 9 in under hips (or bust smaller than waist).
Most often confused with: Rectangle when the hip lead is modest; Spoon when the high hip flares.
Rectangle
Bust and hips sit within 3.6 inches of each other, and the waist is less than 9 inches smaller than the bust and less than 10 inches smaller than the hips. The silhouette runs straighter through the middle; the waist is a gentler indent rather than a narrow point.
Rule: Bust and hips within 3.6 in, waist within 9 in of bust and 10 in of hips.
Most often confused with: Triangle or inverted triangle at the edges, where one of the two differences just crosses 3.6 inches.
Inverted Triangle
The bust is at least 3.6 inches larger than the hips, the waist is less than 9 inches smaller than the bust, and the hips are not smaller than the waist. The upper body carries more width than the lower body.
Rule: Bust at least 3.6 in larger than hips, waist less than 9 in under bust, hips not smaller than waist.
Most often confused with: Top hourglass, which has the same bust lead but a waist at least 9 inches under the bust.
Oval
The waist is larger than the hips but not larger than the bust. The 2020 revision added this condition alongside Diamond; before that, the seven-formula set had no way to describe a waist that overtakes the hips.
Rule: Waist larger than hips but not larger than bust (2020 revision).
Most often confused with: Diamond, where the waist also overtakes the bust.
Diamond
The waist is larger than both the bust and the hips. This is one of the two shapes the 2020 revision reintroduced so that bodies with a larger abdomen are not forced into Rectangle or Inverted Triangle.
Rule: Waist larger than both bust and hips (2020 revision).
Most often confused with: Oval, where the waist is larger than the hips but not larger than the bust.
How to use the chart without guessing
- Measure bust, waist and hip first. Add high hip if you want to separate Spoon, Bottom Hourglass and Triangle.
- Enter the numbers in the calculator. It will tell you which rule fired, not just which silhouette looks closest.
- If the result sits near a boundary, read the sensitivity note. A label that flips within ±1 cm should be treated as a label, not a verdict.
The exact inequalities are on the method page. If you want the measurement instructions first, start with how to measure.
Chart questions
Which body shape is most common?
In the 2003 SizeUSA study of 6,318 US women, Rectangle was the most common at 46.1%, followed by Spoon at 20.9%, Inverted Triangle at 13.8% and Hourglass at 8.4%. The remaining 10.7% fell into other categories. That is one US sample from 2003, not a global average.
Why are there nine shapes but only five families?
Everyday styling language usually uses five families: hourglass, pear, rectangle, inverted triangle and apple. FFIT splits three of those families further: the hourglass family has top and bottom variants, the pear family has triangle and spoon, and the apple family has oval and diamond. The families are easier to talk about; the nine shapes are what the measurement rules actually return.
What if my measurements sit between two shapes?
That is common near a threshold. Use the calculator: it shows the closest boundary and re-runs the rules with each measurement moved by 1 cm. If the answer flips inside that range, the honest result is “between two shapes”, not one label presented as certain.
Sources
- Simmons, Istook & Devarajan (2004). Simmons, K., Istook, C. L., & Devarajan, P. (2004). Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT) for Apparel. Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, 4(1). https://www.ergo-eg.com/uploads/books/devarajan_full_106_04%20(3).pdf
- Lee, Istook, Nam & Park (2007). Lee, J. Y., Istook, C. L., Nam, Y. J., & Park, S. M. (2007). Comparison of body shape between USA and Korean women. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 19(5), 374–391.
- Sokolowski & Bettencourt (2020). Sokolowski, S. L., & Bettencourt, C. (2020). Modification of the Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT) Formulas to Include Plus Size Bodies. Proceedings of 3DBODY.TECH 2020. DOI 10.15221/20.22. https://doi.org/10.15221/20.22
- Parker, Hayes, Brownbridge & Gill (2021). Parker, C. J., Hayes, S. G., Brownbridge, K., & Gill, S. (2021). Assessing the female figure identification technique’s reliability as a body shape classification system. Ergonomics, 64(8), 1035–1051. DOI 10.1080/00140139.2021.1902572. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2021.1902572
- Istook / SizeUSA distribution (2005). North Carolina State University (2005). Fashion designers ignoring shapes of women’s bodies. Newswise / NC State news release; Newcomb, B., & Istook, C. (2006). Using SizeUSA to improve apparel fit. https://www.newswise.com/articles/fashion-designers-ignoring-shapes-of-womens-bodies