skin-fold thickness

Last reviewed 01/2018

Skin-fold thickness is an anthropometric method of assessing subcutaneous fat thickness in a subject; it is a standardized way of assessing fat deposition and its variation with health.

It is measured by a trained observer with specialised skin-fold calipers over the triceps muscle in the arm. However, a number of sites can be used for more rigorous comparison. The minimum values are 13mm in females and 10mm in males. The figure obtained can be used in conjunction with standardized tables to roughly calculate total body fat.

The trend is more important than any individual reading.

Ultrasonography of soft tissue adipose is an alternative, accurate means of determining fat deposition, but it is not cheap nor widely available.