SizeComparedHow to measure your height at home accurately
You only need a flat wall, a hardback book (or a box) and a tape measure. Done carefully, a home measurement is usually within half a centimetre of a doctor’s stadiometer.
Step by step
- Take off shoes, and remove hair clips or buns on top of the head.
- Stand on a hard floor (not carpet) with heels, buttocks, shoulders and the back of the head touching the wall.
- Look straight ahead: the line from the ear hole to the bottom of the eye socket should be level (the “Frankfort plane”).
- Place the book flat on your head, pressed against the wall, and mark the wall under it with a pencil.
- Step away and measure from the floor to the mark. Measure twice and take the average.
Why your height changes during the day
The discs in your spine compress while you are upright, so most adults are about 1 cm shorter in the evening than just after waking. Measure at the same time of day when comparing.
Common mistakes
- Tilting the chin up or down (can change the result by 1–2 cm).
- Measuring on carpet or with socks.
- Using a soft tape against the body instead of a mark on the wall.
Now enter your result on the board to compare yourself with friends, celebrities or the average height in your country.