Overview of the CDC Growth Charts

2. Individual and Clinical Growth Charts Are Available on the Internet

The CDC growth charts are available on the Internet at www.cdc.gov/growthcharts and include individual and clinical charts.

The individual charts are formatted with one chart per page and the grid is scaled to English units (inches, pounds); metric units (centimeters, kilograms) are also shown.

The clinical charts are most commonly used by health care providers and differ from the individual growth charts in three ways.

1. Each clinical chart has a data entry box to record individual patient data.

2. The clinical growth charts are formatted with two sets of percentile curves per page, with the exception of the BMI-for-age and the weight-for-stature charts, which have only one chart per page.

3. The grid in the charts is scaled to metric units; English units are also shown.

Both the individual and clinical charts are provided in sets that display different percentile lines to meet the needs of various users. The percentile lines for the clinical charts are listed below.

Clinical Charts

Set 1 shows the 5th through the 95th percentiles. These charts will be used for the majority of the routine public health and clinical applications. The percentiles shown: 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th; 85th on the BMI-for-age and weight-for-stature charts.

Set 2 shows the 3rd through the 97th percentiles. Pediatric endocrinologists and others providing services to special populations may choose to use these charts when caring for children growing at the outer percentiles. The percentiles shown: 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th; 85th and 95th on the BMI-for-age; 85th on the weight-for-stature chart.