Skinfold Caliper Guide

Harpenden Caliper — the Harpenden Caliper is the gold standard caliper for skinfold measurement. They are capable of measuring accurately up to approx. 50 mm skinfold thickness. They are a very well made sturdy instrument, commonly used by professionals and in scientific research, and one of the most expensive skinfold calipers available. Cost ~$400. > more

Slim Guide Caliper — the slim guide caliper is highly reliable, and has the same jaw pressure as the Harpenden, and studies have shown it can produce almost identical readings, for a much cheaper price. Cost ~$20. > more

Fat Track Calipers — the Fat Track Digital Skinfold Caliper come as a 'gold' or 'pro' model. These are relatively inexpensive electronic devices for determining percent bodyfat. The Fat Track has a digital display which show the results of each pinch, and allows you to take several samples at each measurement site. The caliper stores three measurements and then calculates and displays body fat percentage. It comes with instructions, and uses 2 AA batteries.

Cost $40-100 > more

Lange Fat Caliper — the Lange Fat Calipers are sturdy and lightweight. They feature spring-loaded arms providing a constant standard pressure of 10 gm./sq.mm. over the operating range up to 60mm. Another feature of these calipers are floating (pivoted) tips that can adjust to enable parallel measurement of skinfolds. The product includes an instruction booklet and handy carry case. Cost ~$250. > more

Accu-Measure — The Accu-Measure skinfold caliper is a simple and inexpensive product that is surprisingly accurate and reliable. With these calipers it is easy to test yourself in the privacy of your own home, with only a small outlay. There is also a similar skinfold testing device the Fat Control, Inc. Caliper. Cost ~$10. > more

Personal Body Fat Tester — another budget caliper, that is still able to provide fairly reliable and accurate results. A simple one piece design with no springs, which fits easily in one hand. The unique thumb pressure device gives a consistent pressure at the tip for reliable measurements. Cost ~$10. > more

Skyndex — There are two versions, the Skyndex I and II, the difference is essentially the presence of the built-in computer. The Skyndex I Body Fat Caliper is unique with a built in computer that calculates and displays percentage bodyfat directly on its digital readout, eliminating the necessity to add the readings and compute the percentage bodyfat from formulas or tables. This is Ideal for those who need to measure a lot of people quickly, and it also reduces the chance of transcription errors. There are three formulas available to calculate percentage bodyfat: the Durnin, Jackson-Pollock and Slaughter-Lohman formulas, and each is appropriate to a specific population. Cost ~$300-500. > more

Lafayette — There have been two major designs in the Lafayette range. The first was one of the first commercially available skinfold calipers and was widely used. It has been replaced with the uniquely designed and more affordable Lafayette Caliper II. This caliper has an easy to read scale up to 100mm (compared to many others only going up to 50-60mm), allowing you to accurately measure the skinfold thickness of a larger portion of the population. The caliper is lightweight, durable, and does not need calibration. (cost ~ $450 Lafayette Caliper 1127A, ~$90 Lafayette Caliper II) > more

Pooya Caliper — the Pooya caliper is a lightweight caliper, measuring to an accuracy of 0.5 mm. It has been compared with Harpenden and Slim Guide calipers, which found a similar caliper pressure as Harpenden, and lower than the Slim guide caliper. The smaller size of the Pooya caliper make it easier for normal hand size people. It is suitable for use in research, teaching, clinics and at home. Cost ~$15.

Warrior Digital Body Mass Caliper — The Warrior Digital Body Mass Caliper is the first caliper to calculate Lean Body Mass and Body Fat%. It displays your last and current results for up to 4 users: Weight, Body Fat %, Lean Body Mass, Upper, Middle, and Lower Measurements. Cost ~$40. > more

Defender Body Fat Caliper — This caliper has a unique feature of a visual pressure indicator, to ensure you have the correct pressure - the indicator turns from red to green letting you know when to release the caliper and take your reading. It also comes with a body fat results wheel - no measurement charts or formulas required. Cost ~$16. > more

Digital Body Fat Caliper- these calipers are made in China and can be bought online for $10-30. Battery powered plastic calipers with digital display and measurement. Can measure up to 50mm. Able to hold measured values, which makes it suitable for self assessment. > more

Cescorf - a design similar to the Harpenden, made in Brazil. Measures to an accuracy of 0.1 mm, up to a jaw width of 88mm. Jaw pressure measured at 10g/mm2. Weight 260g. Dimensions: 286mm. x 165mm

Holtain - this instrument was developed in close collaboration with the London University Institute of Child Health. It provides a measuring range: 0 mm to 48 mm with 0.2 mm graduation, a constant pressure of 10 gms/sq. mm. Cost ~$500.

Body Caliper - a modern new design plastic caliper. Each unit is individually calibrated using the patented AccuSpring (TM) technology, said to give a lifetime of accurate readings. Product ships with a video describing its use. Cost ~$50.

Sanny Professional Skinfold Caliper - a highly accurate professional skinfold caliper. The Sanny caliper has the same jaw area (90 sq. mm) jaw length and jaw pressure (900 gms) as the Harpenden caliper and features the world famous highly accurate Starrett dial gage which reads with a resolution of 0.1 mm up to 75 mm. It has a very comfortable grip and easy to work actuating lever.

Fat-O-Meter - an economy skinfold caliper with a spring-loaded arm and 50mm scale. Cost ~$30.