An MHD theory is developed for the standoff distance as of the bow shock and the thickness Δms of the magnetosheath, using the empirical Spreiter et al. relation Δms=kX and the MHD density ratio X across the shock. The theory includes as special cases the well-known gasdynamic theory and associated phenomenological MHD-like models for Δms and as. In general, however, MHD effects produce major differences from previous models, especially at low Alfven (MA) and sonic (MS) Mach numbers. The magnetic field orientation, MA, MS, and the ratio of specific heats &ggr; are all important variables of the theory. In contrast, the fast mode Mach number need play no direct role. Three principal conclusions are reached. First, the gasdynamic and phenomenonogical models miss important dependence on field orientation and MS and generally provide poor approximations to the MHD results. Second, changes in field orientation and MS are predicted to cause factor of ~4 changes in Δms at low MA. These effects should be important when predicting the shock's location or calculating &ggr; from observations. Third, using Spreiter et al.'s value for k in the MHD theory leads to maximum as values at low MA and nominal MS that are much smaller than observations and MHD simulations require. Resolving this problem requires either the modified Spreiter-like relation and larger k found in recent MHD simulations and/or a breakdown in the Spreiter-like relation at very low MA. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994