Blood Pressure Category Calculator (US and European Guidelines)

The same blood pressure reading can carry different labels depending on which guideline your doctor follows. Enter your systolic and diastolic numbers to see the category under the US ACC/AHA scheme or the European ESH 2023 and ESC 2024 guidelines, which number sets it, and how the reading is classed under all three side by side.

How to use this tool

1. Enter the top (systolic) and bottom (diastolic) numbers from your monitor.
2. Pick the guideline used where you live, or keep ACC/AHA.
3. Read the category, and whether the systolic or diastolic number puts you there.
4. Compare the three guidelines in the second table.

Formula

Category = the higher of the systolic category and the diastolic category; MAP = diastolic + (systolic − diastolic) ÷ 3

ACC/AHA: normal under 120/80, elevated 120–129 with diastolic under 80, stage 1 at 130–139 or 80–89, stage 2 at 140 or 90 and above, severe above 180 and/or 120. These categories date from the 2017 guideline and were kept in the 2025 update. ESH 2023 grades from optimal through grade 3 (180/110 and above) and labels isolated systolic or diastolic hypertension. ESC 2024 uses three groups: non-elevated (under 120/70), elevated and hypertension (140/90 and above). These are adult office-reading categories; home and ambulatory diagnostic thresholds can differ.

Example

A reading of 128/84 is stage 1 hypertension under ACC/AHA because the diastolic 84 is in the 80–89 band, even though 128 alone is only elevated. The same reading is normal under ESH 2023 and elevated under ESC 2024. Its MAP is 84 + 44 ÷ 3 ≈ 99 mmHg and the pulse pressure is 44 mmHg.