Since long many candidates who are interested to join Indian army are confused with the minimum height required to join the Indian army, in this article we are simply covering whether or not you are eligible for Indian army with your current height, in simple words, what is the minimum height required to join Indian army as an officer and to join as a soldier.
Minimum Height Required To Join Indian Army As an Officer
Many defence aspirants want to know the height and weight required to join the Indian army, air force and navy. In this article we will discuss about the minimum height required to join the Indian armed forces as an officer.
Minimum height shall not be less than the minimum height prescribed by the RPWD Act — 2016 (as amended from time to time). The requirement of minimum height is service-specific and should be intimated by the administrative authorities as the case may be. In any case, it cannot be less than the height described in RPWD Act-2016 as amended from time to time). The present guidelines are as under:-
Minimum Height for Male To Join The Indian Army
The minimum height required for entry into the Armed Forces for male cadets is 157 cm or as decided by the respective recruiting agency. Gorkhas and candidates belonging to Hills of North Eastern region of India. Garhwal and Kumaon will be accepted a minimum height of 152 cm. An allowance for growth of 02 cm be made for candidates below 18 yrs at the time of examination. The minimum height requirement for the Flying Branch is 163 cm. Other anthropometric standards like sitting height, leg length and thigh length are required by the Flying Branch.
Minimum Height for Female To Join The Indian Army
The minimum height required for entry into the Armed Forces for female cadets is 152 cm. Gorkhas and candidates belonging to Hills of North Eastern region of India Gharwal and Kumaon will be accepted with a minimum height of 148 cm. An allowance for growth of 02 cm will be made for candidates below 18 yrs at the time of examination. The minimum height requirement for the Flying Branch is 163 cm. Flying Branch also requires other anthropometric standards like sitting height, leg length and thigh length.
The minimum acceptable height for male candidates is 157.5 cms. (157 cms for Navy and 162.5 cms for Air Force). For Women candidates minimum acceptable height is 152 cms. For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills of North-Eastern region of India, Garhwali and Kumaon, the Minimum acceptable height will be 5 cms less. In case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum acceptable height can be reduced by 2 cms. However, minimum height for all entries is 148 cm after all types of waivers/dispensations. Otherwise the candidate shall be considered a dwarf.
Height and Weight Ratio for Indian Armed Forces
Weight for height charts given in this manual will be the standard for all categories of personnel. These charts have been based on the BMI. The charts specify the minimum acceptable weight that candidates of a particular height must have. Weights below the minimum specified will not be acceptable in any case.
Minimum Height Required To Join Indian Army As JCO and Other Ranks
The entire country has been divided into six regions namely; Western Plains Region, Eastern Plains Region, Central Region, Southern Region, Western Himalayan Region and Eastern Himalayan Region. The minimum physical standards for the various regions are as follows:
| Regions | States | Height (Cms) | Chest(Cms) | Wt(Kgs) | ||
| Sol GD & Tdn | Sol Tech/ NA | Clk/SKT | ||||
| Western HimalayanRegion | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab Hills (Area South and West of the Inter State Border between Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and North and East of Road Mukerian, Hoshiarpur, Garh Shankar, Ropar and Chandigarh), Garhwal and Kumaon (Uttrakhand) | 166 | 163 | 162 | 77 | 48 |
| EasternHimalayan Region | Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam and Hill Region of West Bengal (Gangtok, Darjeeling and Kalimpong Districts) | 160 | 157 | 160 | 77 | 48 |
| Western Plains Region | Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh,Delhi, Rajasthan and WesternUttar Pradesh (Meerut and Agra Division) | 170 | 170 | 162 | 77 | 50 |
| Eastern Plains Region | Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa | 169 | 169 | 162 | 77 | 50 |
| Central Region | Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Dadar, Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu | 168 | 167 | 162 | *77 | 50 |
| SouthernRegion | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa andPuducherry | 166 | 165 | 162 | 77 | 50 |
* Dispensation in chest measurement of 01 cm has been granted for Sol Tech cat in the Central Region.
SPECIAL PHYSICAL STANDARDS
Minimum physical standards as given below will apply to the followings:-
| Height(Cms) | Chest(Cms) | Weight(Kgs) | |||
| (a) | Ladakhi | 157 | 77 | 50 | |
| (b) | Gorkhas both Nepalese and Indian | 160 | 77 | 48 | |
| (c) | Candidates from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Group including Minicoy:- | ||||
| (i) Settlers | 165 | 77 | 50 | ||
| (ii) Locals | 155 | 77 | 50 | ||
| (d) | Tribals of recognized tribal areas | 162 | 77 | 48 | |
| (e) | The Brigade of Guards | 173 | 77 | 50 | |
| (f) | Medium Artillery | 170 | 77 | 50 | |
| (g) | Corps of Military Police | 173 | 77 | 50 | |
| *(h) | Clk (SD)/SKT | 162 | 77 | 50 | |
| (j) | RT JCO | 160 | 77 | 50 | |
| (k) | Soldier Tradesmen | Minimum physical standards of the regions given above, minus 1 Cm chest and 2 Kg weight. Ht criteria would be at par with Sol GD as relevant to the region. | |||
| (l) | JCO Catering (ASC) / Surveyor Auto Cartographer (Engr Gp) / Havildar Education | As applicable to soldier General Duty for various regions. | |||
Note :- * Regional physical standards lower than the standards laid down in Para 2(h) above will be applicable to clerical candidates belonging to those region.
RELAXATIONS IN PHYSICAL STANDARDS
The following categories will be permitted relaxations in physical standards as mentioned against each:-
| Height(Cms) | Chest(Cms) | Weight(Kgs) | ||
| (a) | SOS, SOEX, SOWW and Widow of Ex-Servicemen Adopted Son/Son-in-Law of a War Widow, if she has no son and including a legally adopted son of serving Sol/Ex-Servicemen | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| (b) | Outstanding Sportsmen (National/ State & those who represented District / College / School in State / University / Board Championship & earned 1st/2nd position) | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| (c) | For candidates belonging to chronically poor areas and those desirous of joining overage categories who are from families engaged in traditional profession. This relaxation may be given at the discretion of DDG Rtg (States) or Centre Commandants | NIL | NIL | 2 |
Hope this will clear the doubts on minimum height required to join Indian army as an officer and other ranks. If you have any doubt regarding the physical standards required for Indian army, do write it in the comment section below. All the best.
