Grading systems and equivalents
Browse grades by system and quickly convert between scales.
Compare the whole mountain
Each column is a system. Move down the rows to follow grade progression — the warmer the color, the more demanding the climb.
Sport climbing
| GRADE | YDS American | FR Francesa | UK Britânica (UK Tech/Adj) | UIAA UIAA | SAX Sajona | AUS Australiana e Sulafricana | FIN Finlandesa | NOR Noruega | BR Brasileira |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 2nd class | 1" | — | I | I | — | — | — | Isup |
| 02 | 3rd class | 2" | — | II | II | — | — | — | II |
| 03 | 4th class | 3" | — | III | III | — | — | 3 | IIsup |
| 04 | 5.0-5.4 | 4- | VD | IV | IV | 11 | — | 4 | III |
| 05 | 5.5 | 4/4+ | S | IV+ | V | 12 | 5- | 5- | IIIsup |
| 06 | 5.6 | 4 | HS | V | VI | 13 | 5 | 5 | IV |
| 07 | 5.7 | 5 | VS | VI- | 14 | ||||
| 08 | 5.8 | 5/5+ | HVS | VI | VIIa | 15 | 5+ | 5+ | IVsup |
| 09 | 5.9 | 5+ | VIIb | 16 | V | ||||
| 10 | Vsup | ||||||||
| 11 | 5.10a | 6a | E1 | VI+ | VIIc | 17 | 6- | 6-/6 | VI |
| 12 | 5.10b | 6a+ | VII- | 18 | 6 | ||||
| 13 | 5.10c | 6b | E2 | VII | VIIIa | 19 | 6 | 6+ | |
| 14 | 5.10d | 6b+ | VII+ | VIIIb | 20 | 7- | VIsup | ||
| 15 | 5.11a | 6c | E3 | VIIIc | 21 | 7a | |||
| 16 | 5.11b | 6c/6c+ | VIII- | 22 | 6+ | 7 | 7b | ||
| 17 | 5.11c | 6c+ | E4 | IXa | 23 | 7c | |||
| 18 | 5.11d | 7a | VIII | IXb | 24 | 7- | 7+ | 7c+ | |
| 19 | 5.12a | 7a+ | E5 | VIII+ | IXc | 25 | 7+ | 7+/8- | 8a |
| 20 | 5.12b | 7b | IX- | Xa | 26 | 8- | 8- | 8b | |
| 21 | 5.12c | 7b+ | E6 | IX | Xb | 27 | 8 | 8 | 8c |
| 22 | 5.12d | 7c | 28 | 8+ | 8/8+ | 9a | |||
| 23 | 5.13a | 7c+ | E7 | IX+ | Xc | 29 | 9- | 8+ | 9b |
| 24 | 5.13b | 8a | E8 | X- | 30 | 9 | 9- | 9c | |
| 25 | 5.13c | 8a+ | E9 | X | 31 | 9+ | 9-/9 | 10a | |
| 26 | 5.13d | 8b | E10 | X+ | 32 | 10- | 9 | 10b | |
| 27 | 5.14a | 8b+ | 33 | 10 | 9/9+ | 10c | |||
| 28 | 5.14b | 8c | E11 | XI- | 34 | 10+ | 9+ | 11a | |
| 29 | 5.14c | 8c+ | 11- | 11b | |||||
| 30 | 5.14d | 9a | XI | 35 | 11 | 11c | |||
| 31 | 5.15a | 9a+ | XI+ | 12a | |||||
| 32 | 5.15b | 9b | 12b | ||||||
| 33 | 5.15c | 9b+ | 12c |
Bouldering
| GRADE | V Hueco Tanks | FONT Fontainebleau |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | V1 | 5 |
| 02 | V2 | 5+ |
| 03 | V3 | 6a |
| 04 | V3/4 | 6a+ |
| 05 | V4 | 6b |
| 06 | V4/5 | 6b+ |
| 07 | V5 | 6c |
| 08 | V5/6 | 6c+ |
| 09 | V6 | 7a |
| 10 | V7 | 7a+ |
| 11 | V8 | 7b |
| 12 | V8/9 | 7b+ |
| 13 | V9 | 7c |
| 14 | V10 | 7c+ |
| 15 | V11 | 8a |
| 16 | V12 | 8a+ |
| 17 | V13 | 8b |
| 18 | V14 | 8b+ |
| 19 | V15 | 8c |
| 20 | V16 | 8c+ |
How to compare climbing grades
Grading systems express the difficulty of a climb, but each developed in a different context. The Brazilian scale is widely used for routes in Brazil; the French scale is common in sport climbing; the American system uses the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS); and bouldering is usually recorded with V-Scale or Fontainebleau grades.
The comparison above aligns scales by normalized difficulty. Equivalent grades therefore appear on the same row — for example, Brazilian 8a and French 7a+. When a scale has no intermediate grade, its cell spans more than one row to preserve the visual correspondence.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use the grade converter?
Choose the source scale, enter the grade and select the target scale. Treat the result as a reference: perceived difficulty can vary by style, rock and region.
What French grade is equivalent to Brazilian 8a?
In the ClimberCodex catalogue, Brazilian 8a corresponds to French 7a+.
Can I compare a boulder grade with a route grade?
Not directly. Route and boulder grades assess different experiences, so this page shows a separate view for each discipline.