39 Stature Estimation

Stature or height can be measured using any of the long bones, although the femora are considered the best option for obtaining the highest accuracy rate. A number of factors appear to influence height including sex, nutrition, geographic location, and genetics. It is suggested that stature formulae specific to sex and a particular geographic location or ethnic group be used to ensure accuracy. Below several formulae are shown after Bass (1995):

Male

Femur

White 2.32(femur in cm) + 65.53 +/- 3.94
Black 2.10(femur in cm) + 72.22 +/- 3.91
Mogoloid 2.15(femur in cm) + 72.57 +/- 3.80
Mexican 2.44(femur in cm) + 58.67 +/- 2.99

Tibia

White 2.42(tibia in cm) + 81.93 +/- 4.00
Black 2.19(tibia in cm) + 85.36 +/- 3.96
Mogoloid 2.39(tibia in cm) + 81.45 +/- 3.27
Mexican 2.36(tibia in cm) + 80.82 +/- 3.73

Fibula

White 2.60(fibula in cm) + 75.50 +/- 3.86
Black 2.34(fibula in cm) + 80.07 +/- 4.02
Mogoloid 2.40(fibula in cm) + 80.56 +/- 3.42
Mexican 2.50(fibula in cm) + 75.44 +/- 3.52

Humerus

White 2.89(humerus in cm) + 78.10 +/- 4.57
Black 2.88(humerus in cm) + 75.48 +/- 4.23
Mogoloid 2.68(humerus in cm) + 83.19 +/- 4.16
Mexican 2.92(humerus in cm) + 73.94 +/- 4.24

Radius

White 3.79(radius in cm) + 79.42 +/- 4.66
Black 3.32(radius in cm) + 85.43 +/- 4.57
Mogoloid 3.54(radius in cm) + 82.00 +/- 4.60
Mexican 3.55(radius in cm) + 80.71 +/-4.04

Ulna

White 3.76(ulna in cm) + 75.55 +/-4.72
Black 3.20(ulna in cm) + 82.77 +/-4.74
Mogoloid 3.48(ulna in cm) + 77.45 +/- 4.66
Mexican 3.56(ulna in cm) + 74.56 +/- 4.05

Female

Femur[1]

White 2.47(femur in cm) + 54.10 +/- 3.72
Black 2.28(femur in cm) + 59.76 +/- 3.41

Tibia[2]

White 2.90(tibia in cm) + 61.53 +/- 3.66
Black 2.45(tibia in cm) + 72.65 +/- 3.70

Fibula[3]

White 2.93(fibula in cm) + 59.61 +/- 3.57
Black 2.49(fibula in cm) + 70.90 +/- 3.80

Humerus[4]

White 3.36(humerus in cm) + 57.97 +/- 4.45
Black 3.08(humerus in cm) + 64.67 +/- 4.25

Radius[5]

White 4.74(radius in cm) + 54.93 +/-4.45
Black 3.67(radius in cm) + 71.79 +/-4.59

Ulna[6]

White 4.27(ulna in cm) + 57.76 +/-4.30
Black 3.31(ulna in cm) + 75.38 +/- 4.83
  1. After Trotter and Gleser (1952:495, 1977:355) ↵
  2. After Trotter and Gleser (1952:495, 1977:355) ↵
  3. After Trotter and Gleser (1952:495, 1977:355) ↵
  4. After Trotter and Gleser (1952:495, 1977:355) ↵
  5. After Trotter and Gleser (1952:495, 1977:355) ↵
  6. After Trotter and Gleser (1952:495, 1977:355) ↵

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Introduction to Human Osteology Copyright © 2010 by Roberta Hall; Kenneth Beals; Holm Neumann; Georg Neumann; and Gwyn Madden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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