Blood Pressure Category Checker (Non-Diagnostic)
See which simple category your reading lands in
Blood pressure categories, readings and common questions
What do the systolic and diastolic numbers mean?
Systolic (top number) is the pressure when your heart beats. Diastolic (bottom number) is the pressure when your heart relaxes between beats. Both matter. Category checks usually use whichever number is higher to avoid underestimating risk.
Which adult categories does this tool use?
The checker uses common adult categories such as normal, elevated, high blood pressure stage 1, high blood pressure stage 2 and a hypertensive crisis range for very high values. These bands come from widely used professional guidelines and are meant as a simple label, not a full assessment.
Is one reading enough to diagnose high blood pressure?
No. Guidelines emphasise that diagnosis usually relies on multiple readings over time, taken correctly, often including home or ambulatory monitoring. This page just shows where a single reading sits in the common category chart.
What if the systolic and diastolic fall in different categories?
That is very common. Most charts and tools, including this one, assign the category based on the higher of the two. For example, a 128/92 reading lands in a higher category because of the diastolic number.
Who is this tool not for?
This short checker is not built for children, pregnant people, people in emergencies or anyone with special monitoring plans. In those cases you need direct instructions from the team that knows your history.
What should I do with a very high reading?
If your monitor shows very high numbers (for example, around 180/120 mmHg or higher), especially with chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, vision changes or trouble speaking, emergency services are more appropriate than an online tool. Follow any action plan you have been given and seek help immediately.
How can I improve my blood pressure over time?
Many people work with their clinicians on a mix of medications, food patterns, movement, sleep, stress and smoking changes. Any plan needs to be tailored to your health conditions and other medicines, so this checker deliberately does not suggest specific treatments.
How to use this blood pressure category checker
This tool is meant to answer “What category does this reading land in?” using a simple adult chart. You enter one blood pressure reading, pick where you took it, and the calculator returns a category label plus a short explanation.
1. Take or find a recent adult reading
First, take a blood pressure reading with a properly sized, validated cuff, or use a recent reading from your monitor or clinic notes. For home readings, many teams suggest resting quietly for a few minutes, feet flat on the floor, and taking two readings one minute apart.
2. Enter the systolic and diastolic numbers
Add the top number (systolic) and bottom number (diastolic) into the boxes in mmHg. The tool checks that the numbers are in a typical adult range before it shows a category, and asks you to adjust anything that looks far outside expected values.
3. Choose where the reading was taken
Use the context box to note whether this was a home, clinic, pharmacy or other reading. Home readings can look different from office readings because people are often less stressed. The context is also copied into the summary so you can paste it into a log.
4. Read the simple category and table
When you tap Check blood pressure category, the tool shows:
- Your systolic and diastolic numbers.
- The category label the reading falls into.
- Which number (systolic or diastolic) drove the category.
- A short text range for that category.
The aim is a quick, readable label you can line up with professional charts or advice you have already been given.
5. Use the note and copyable summary
The note box lets you tag the reading (for example, “home AM, before meds” or “clinic visit”). That note appears in the copyable summary so you can paste a clean line into a tracking sheet, app, or message to your healthcare team.
Treat this checker as a labelling helper, not as a verdict. Real decisions about diagnosis, medication changes or emergency care need a human clinician who can weigh your whole situation, not just one set of numbers.
How the blood pressure category math works
The classification logic follows common adult guidelines that divide blood pressure into normal, elevated and stages of hypertension. The tool always uses the higher of systolic or diastolic to avoid underestimating the category.
1. Check that values are in a typical range
First, the calculator checks that systolic and diastolic values sit within broad adult limits (for example, systolic between about 70–250 mmHg and diastolic between about 40–150 mmHg). Anything far outside these bands leads to an error message instead of a misleading label.
2. Apply category thresholds
For a single adult reading, a common set of categories is roughly:
Normal: systolic < 120 and diastolic < 80 mmHg
Elevated: systolic 120–129 and diastolic < 80 mmHg
Stage 1 hypertension: systolic 130–139 or diastolic 80–89 mmHg
Stage 2 hypertension: systolic ≥ 140 or diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg
Hypertensive crisis range: systolic ≥ 180 or diastolic ≥ 120 mmHg
The checker assigns your reading to the highest category it qualifies for based on either number.
3. Note which number drives the category
The tool then looks at which number pushed the reading into that category. If both fall in the same category, it simply reports that. If one is lower, it notes whether systolic or diastolic was the main driver so you can match this with professional charts.
4. Keep the output short and readable
Finally, the calculator formats a short summary line (reading, category, percentage ranges) and a compact table. There are no treatment instructions or personalised thresholds; those belong in a clinic visit, not in a quick online label.
Health outcomes depend on patterns over time, other conditions, medicines and lifestyle factors. Use this page as a visual aid and logging helper alongside guidance from your own healthcare team.
References and further reading on blood pressure categories
These resources outline adult blood pressure categories, definitions and why sustained high readings matter:
- American Heart Association — Understanding blood pressure readings — explains systolic and diastolic numbers, adult categories from normal to severe ranges, and when to seek urgent care.
- ACC/AHA — 2017 Guideline for High Blood Pressure in Adults (ten points) — summarises key definitions, including thresholds for elevated blood pressure and stages of hypertension in adults.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — About high blood pressure — describes what high blood pressure is, common cut-offs like 130/80 mmHg, and why controlling it reduces heart and stroke risk.
Use these as general background and combine them with one-to-one advice from your clinicians, especially if you have diagnosed hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, pregnancy, or other conditions affecting how your blood pressure is managed.