# A wrist test to calculate body frame size.



## Ballerina

I'm polling this as although it's widespread over the internet (including publication on credible websites such as http://www.nlm.nih.gov/), there's little information on its results available. So we're briefly and casually experimenting its validity! If you receive two different results from both wrists, use the narrower one. 
I'd hazard it's a general indicator at best. Factors outside frame can change wrist circumference. 
Keep in mind you can be large framed and slender, or small framed and overweight, so hakuna matata.

"Body frame size is determined by a person's wrist circumference in relation to his height. For example, a man whose height is over 5' 5" and wrist is 6" would fall into the small-boned category. 
*Determining frame size:* To determine the body frame size, measure the smallest part of the wrist with a tape measure and use the following chart to determine whether the person is small, medium, or large boned.
*Women:*


Height under 5'2"
Small = wrist size less than 5.5"
Medium = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75"
Large = wrist size over 5.75"

Height 5'2" to 5' 5"
Small = wrist size less than 6"
Medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"
Large = wrist size over 6.25"

Height over 5' 5"
Small = wrist size less than 6.25"
Medium = wrist size 6.25" to 6.5"
Large = wrist size over 6.5"

*Men:*


Height over 5' 5"
Small = wrist size 5.5" to 6.5"
Medium = wrist size 6.5" to 7.5"
Large = wrist size over 7.5""

There's also an elbow breadth test if you're interested.


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## Revenwyn

Height 5'2" to 5' 5"

Small = wrist size less than 6"
Medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"
Large = wrist size over 6.25"
I must be "XXL framed" because based on the size difference between medium and large it allows for 1/4 inch difference... my wrist is a whopping 7 inches and I can clearly see the wrist bone jutting out.

Also of note: My rib cage is 40" and I can clearly see the bones.


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## Ballerina

Ballerina said:


> Keep in mind you can be large framed and slender, or small framed and overweight, so hakuna matata.





Revenwyn said:


> Height 5'2" to 5' 5"
> 
> Small = wrist size less than 6"
> Medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"
> Large = wrist size over 6.25"
> I must be "XXL framed" because based on the size difference between medium and large it allows for 1/4 inch difference... my wrist is a whopping 7 inches and I can clearly see the wrist bone jutting out.
> 
> Also of note: My rib cage is 40" and I can clearly see the bones.


A rib cage of 40" is consistent with your wrist results. Grats on them!


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## Revenwyn

Yeah I'm not over fat (19% actually) but I'm only 5'4" so my whopping measurements make me look short, squat, and rather dumpy. :/


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## Ballerina

Revenwyn said:


> Yeah I'm not over fat (19% actually) but I'm only 5'4" so my whopping measurements make me look short, squat, and rather dumpy. :/


19%, impressive. I'm 22-23%. Aww, I doubt that. I envy petite women. I'm 5'8 ahhaah.


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## Revenwyn

Well, as it is, my bust alone is enough to put me in a US 16-18. My hubby sometimes calls me his little bulldog.


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## Ballerina

Revenwyn said:


> Well, as it is, my bust alone is enough to put me in a US 16-18. My hubby sometimes calls me his little bulldog.


That's what I wear when my tissue boxes and sock drawers are empty!

Ahaha hand to God I don't really stuff my bras, but I've been very tempted.


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## puffins

i must have a tiny frame then.....maybe that's why i was able to fit into a size 0 at 5'6"


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## Revenwyn

Yeah you probably do, I've never been a size 0, lol. Smallest I've been since I hit puberty was a 12. O_O and that was when I was still growing.


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## bezoomny

My wrist is 6 3/4 inches, but my height is very well over 5'5'' (try 5'10''). Iono.

My dress size is 6-8, fwiw.


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## Revenwyn

bezoomny said:


> My wrist is 6 7/8 inches, but my height is very well over 5'5'' (try 5'10''). Iono.


I would call that a medium frame for your height. Wowza, I appear to be very abnormal. :/


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## Perfectionist

I'm 5'9" and my wrist is 6.5"

I feel like this should be a profound discovery or something.


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## whiterabbit

I don't really know what my height is. 5'5" or 5'6" I'd say. My wrist is 5.5". 

I consulted youtube to see how I should measure my wrist. Unbelievable.


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## Elleire

I'm a she-beast, but I already knew that. :|

5'7" with my wrist measuring exactly 7 inches. I'm double huge - giganti-framed and _also_ fat. No matter how much weight I lose, and even having been thin not so long ago, I've never been/never will be "petite." :no


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## Revenwyn

phoelomek said:


> I'm a she-beast, but I already knew that. :|
> 
> 5'7" with my wrist measuring exactly 7 inches. I'm double huge - giganti-framed and _also_ fat. No matter how much weight I lose, and even having been thin not so long ago, I've never been/never will be "petite." :no


5'4" with wrist measuring exactly 7 inches. I feel your pain. The smallest I've been since puberty was a 12, the smallest I've been since I've gained full height, some brands of 14.

I'm typically a 16-18 sometimes 20, because I have giganti-ribs, which also are elongated for my height causing me to be able to obtain a waist no less than 36 inches... and that's with some nice abs!


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## Elleire

Revenwyn said:


> 5'4" with wrist measuring exactly 7 inches. I feel your pain. The smallest I've been since puberty was a 12, the smallest I've been since I've gained full height, some brands of 14.
> 
> I'm typically a 16-18 sometimes 20.


Yep! Sounds familiar. I went from wearing kid sizes straight to an 8 womens. :/ There _is_ an upside though, or at least, something that helps me feel a bit better. :b People can never guess how much I weigh, maybe that's the case for you as well? Perhaps it might also be that they're too polite to give an honest guess, but it even surprised my doctor, not that that's a good thing, exactly.


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## Revenwyn

Sounds about right... a size 12 and 160 for me as well. Currently I'm about 175, 19% body fat, and a size 16 jeans. It's the body fat assessment that surprises all my doctors since I'm "obese" according to the BMI.

I went from girl's 14 to womens 14 in 6 months!


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## dullard

It says that I am medium.. I still think my wrists are tiny with me being 6'2 and a wrist circumference of 6.5".


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## shadowmask

7'' wrists @ 5'11''


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## Atticus

6.5 wrists at 6-1 and 165. When I give my height and weight people suggest I could or should weigh more, but my frame doesn't weigh much or aesthetically support much and at 180 or so I'm getting fat.


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## kesker

Wrists 7.0, 6'0 tall
so I guess begonia salada
to your hakuna matata?


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## melissa75

I'm 5'5.5", and my wrist is 5.5". Lots of 5's there :lol. 

I should probably lose some weight to match my newly discovered small-frame body type.


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## Revenwyn

Also remember, sometimes peoples ribs are not proportional to their wrists. If you're seeing your ribs, but you're supposedly a "small" frame, go with the rib measurement instead.


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## kosherpiggy

Another test is if your wrap your thumb and middle finger around your wrist it will tell you. 
If your fingers overlap, you are small-framed.
If your fingers touch, you are medium-framed.
If your fingers do not touch at all, you are large-framed.


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## Meli24R

I'm 5'4" and my wrist is 6" so medium framed


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## strawberryjulius

Slightly above 5 inches. I'm 4'9. Not really surpised that I'm consider small-framed. :lol


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## Diacetylmorphine

Medium!

5"9 in height and just under 7 inches in wrist circumference.

Weird, always thought I was small framed.


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## GunnyHighway

7.5" circumference, 5'8" tall. Guess that makes me the first large framed male of the forum. ****...


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## millenniumman75

6'3" with 6.5" wrists. I have Paxil fat, though .


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## ktbare

Mine's slightly less than 5.5 but I'm 5'8, I never really saw myself as that small.


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## cat001

I'm a little over 5'6" with a wrist width of 6"

Small framed it seems


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## diamondheart89

5'4'' with 5.6 wrist.


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## Revenwyn

kosherpiggy said:


> Another test is if your wrap your thumb and middle finger around your wrist it will tell you.
> If your fingers overlap, you are small-framed.
> If your fingers touch, you are medium-framed.
> If your fingers do not touch at all, you are large-framed.


That assumes you have normal length fingers however.


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## Marlon

6.5" wrists, 5'7", 125 pounds (sadly). I thought my wrists were tiny... yet it's labeled as "medium"



kosherpiggy said:


> Another test is if your wrap your thumb and middle finger around your wrist it will tell you.
> If your fingers overlap, you are small-framed.
> If your fingers touch, you are medium-framed.
> If your fingers do not touch at all, you are large-framed.


@ this test my thumb can completely cover my middle finger's fingernail


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## Revenwyn

Marlon said:


> 6.5" wrists, 5'7", 125 pounds (sadly). I thought my wrists were tiny... yet it's labeled as "medium"
> 
> @ this test my thumb can completely cover my middle finger's fingernail


As I said it assumes regular length fingers. People whose fingers are long for their hand size or abnormally short for their hand it doesn't work for.

My hand is the size of the average 9 year old.


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## Fenren

I'm quite paranoid over my skinny looking wrists, my result puts me as small framed unsurprisingly!


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## Dane

6'0" with a 6 1/2 inch wrist puts me on the line between small and medium frame. I'd say that's about right.


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## pita

Height: 5'6"
Wrist: 5 3/4"


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## JayDontCareEh

6'0 with a 6.5" wrist.

So a small medium?


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## Annie K

Small framed. I'm about 5'11" and my wrist is 6.2".


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## Ballerina

I was curious about the distribution. So thanks for responding!! My small frame is common, hmm. 


phoelomek said:


> I'm a she-beast, but I already knew that. :|
> 
> 5'7" with my wrist measuring exactly 7 inches. I'm double huge - giganti-framed and _also_ fat. No matter how much weight I lose, and even having been thin not so long ago, I've never been/never will be "petite." :no


Poppycock, I've seen you before! The Lindsay-Kunis morph (it's a very pretty and striking morph and resemblance to the point your face is hard to forget). 


Revenwyn said:


> Also remember, sometimes peoples ribs are not proportional to their wrists. If you're seeing your ribs, but you're supposedly a "small" frame, go with the rib measurement instead.


Is there a rib test? Unless you meant weight-wise. The wrist test is used as the wrists are one of the areas which attract the least amount of fat, regardless of a BMI of18 or 38. Weight becomes a negligible factor since you can pinch the tape anywho.



melissa75 said:


> I'm 5'5.5", and my wrist is 5.5". Lots of 5's there :lol.
> 
> I should probably lose some weight to match my newly discovered small-frame body type.


Hahaah!
You're probably a great weight. I used to be morbidly obese so I love stuff relating to this, and

"Use your wrist circumference in relation to your height to determine whether your frame is small, medium or large. Measure your wrist with a tape measure and compare the measurement to the standards shown in the article, Calculate Body Frame Size, at About.com. After you find your frame size, use the BMI (Body Mass Index) chart to determine your ideal weight. Within the healthy weight range for height, BMI 19 - 21 is best for a small frame, BMI 21 - 23 is for a medium frame, and, for a large frame, use BMI 23 - 25. Of course, exceptions apply." 
http://caloriecount.about.com/frame-small-medium-large-q2909

There's also the 10% equation. But I've found almost everyone to be an exception (thus none being exceptions at all) from empirical evidence and research, and the above concept to be overly general and theoretical. Combining something as general as the BMI with something as general as the frame test, ugh.

On the topic, I really love this site. http://www.mybodygallery.com/ It shows photos of women categorized by weight, height, shirt and pant sizes, even body shapes. Maybe some take flattering shots, but I've realized how sedentary I must be as most women of my BMI look like one of each could fit into each leg of my pants ahaa.

I really do need to get fit though, for the sake of health. I'm not an agoraphobe anymore and don't have an excuse not to fit in incidental exercise.



Atticus said:


> 6.5 wrists at 6-1 and 165. When I give my height and weight people suggest I could or should weigh more, but my frame doesn't weigh much or aesthetically support much and at 180 or so I'm getting fat.


More cushion for the pushin', baby.


millenniumman75 said:


> 6'3" with 6.5" wrists. I have Paxil fat, though .


 I feel you.


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## Cyrus

I have abnormally small wrists/lower forearms..smaller than 6 inches..ugh. Rest of my body seems ok though but I'm small framed soo..


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## Rosedubh

5"6 and wrist 6.4"


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## LynnNBoys

I'm 5'9" and about 7" wrist. Didn't use a real tape measure.

I have long fingers. My thumb overlaps my middle finger.


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## Revenwyn

Ballerina said:


> Is there a rib test? Unless you meant weight-wise. The wrist test is used as the wrists are one of the areas which attract the least amount of fat, regardless of a BMI of18 or 38. Weight becomes a negligible factor since you can pinch the tape anywho.
> 
> I feel you.


I mean weight wise. Seeing the ribs isn't really good. :/ But when you have a 40 inch rib cage like I do, and can STILL count all my ribs... that's just terrible! Size 16-18 and can STILL see all my ribs when I'm supposed to be in a size 4-6 based on my height... I just don't get it. :/


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## Ballerina

My ribs were visible when I was overweight, but at my current average weight I still don't have dimples of Venus. :mum :mum I want them, they're gorgeous. 
It's probably mostly your bust, bow chika wow wow! Let's trade.


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## supersoshychick

Hmm, I don't feel like getting up looking for a measuring tape.....I know that I'm overweight....or actually obese, but for some reason my wrists are small....


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