Blood Pressure Category Chart
Enter the systolic and diastolic numbers from your own cuff. Categories follow AHA adult ranges.
100% free. Runs entirely in your browser - your files and data never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to any server.
Sit, feet on the floor, cuff on the bare upper arm, after 5 quiet minutes. Repeat on another day before you treat a single reading as the story.
Estimates only. Not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Talk to a clinician about your own numbers. Home cuffs can be off. A clinician confirms hypertension from repeated readings, not one number on a website.
About this tool
Adult categories here follow American Heart Association bands: normal under 120/80, elevated 120-129 with diastolic under 80, stage 1 from 130 or 80, stage 2 from 140 or 90, and a crisis-style alert over 180 or 120. You enter numbers from your own cuff. One reading is not hypertension. Repeat seated, rested, cuff on the bare upper arm. Estimates only. Not medical advice and not a diagnosis. If a reading is in the crisis range with chest pain, weakness or breathlessness, seek emergency care.
How to use this tool
- Measure with a validated upper-arm cuffSit, feet on the floor, five quiet minutes, arm at heart height. Avoid talking and caffeine just before.
- Type systolic then diastolicSystolic is the upper number. Diastolic must be lower than systolic.
- Read the AHA band, pulse pressure and MAPLog several days rather than reacting to a single home reading.
How to read a blood pressure reading
A reading is written as two numbers, such as 128/78. The first (systolic) is the pressure when the heart beats; the second (diastolic) is the pressure between beats. Under the AHA bands, 128/78 is elevated, 135/85 is stage 1 hypertension and 142/92 is stage 2.
Pulse pressure is systolic minus diastolic - 50 for 128/78. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) is diastolic plus one third of the pulse pressure: 78 + 50 / 3 = about 95. Take readings seated and rested, at the same time of day, and look at the average over several days rather than one result.
Key features
- AHA adult categories from the numbers you type.
- Pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic) and estimated mean arterial pressure.
- A crisis-range note that tells you to seek emergency care if symptoms match.
- Nothing is diagnosed. The cuff reading stays on your device.
Common uses
- Checking what 132/82 is called on the AHA adult chart.
- A home log before a GP appointment.
- Understanding pulse pressure and MAP labels on a printout.
Tips for better results
- Take two or three readings a minute apart and use the average.
- Measure at the same time of day, same arm, same cuff.
- Wrist cuffs are easier to mis-position. Upper arm is the usual recommendation.
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling yourself hypertensive from one stressful reading.
- Crossing your legs, talking, or holding the phone while the cuff inflates.
- Using this page as triage for chest pain or stroke symptoms. Call emergency services.
- Stopping prescribed blood-pressure medicine because a home reading looked "normal".
Frequently asked questions
AHA adult normal is under 120 systolic and under 80 diastolic, on repeated measurements, not once after coffee or a workout.
Systolic minus diastolic. Isolated high systolic with a wide pulse pressure is something to mention to a clinician, especially with age.
If that reading is real and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, vision loss or weakness, seek emergency care. If you feel well, contact a clinician promptly rather than using this page as triage.
Mean arterial pressure is estimated as diastolic plus one third of pulse pressure. It is a derived number, not a replacement for the two cuff values.
No. Hypertension is confirmed from repeated readings, often in clinic, sometimes with a 24-hour monitor. This is a category chart for numbers you already have.
Sit quietly for five minutes with your back supported and feet flat, rest your arm at heart level and use a cuff that fits your upper arm. Avoid caffeine, exercise and smoking for 30 minutes before, and take two readings a minute apart.
Many people's pressure rises in a clinic setting - often called white-coat hypertension. Home readings averaged over several days give a fuller picture, so bring a log to your appointment.
Both. In adults over 50 the top (systolic) number is the stronger predictor of heart and stroke risk, while a high bottom (diastolic) number is more common in younger adults. The category is set by whichever is higher.