In rock climbing, a grade tells you how hard a route is: 6a, 7b+, 8c and so on. This page explains how a grade is given, the grading systems used in different countries and how they compare. Competition routes are not graded. To see how athletes are ranked in competitions, read our Sport Climbing Competition Rules page.
What is a route?
A route is the sequence of holds followed from start to finish on a climbing wall or on rock. In gyms, the holds of one route are the same colour or marked with coloured tape. Routes are created by route setters. In competitions, the Chief Route Setter and their team set the routes for each round and prepare a scoring topo showing how many points each hold is worth. This topo cannot be changed once the round has started.
Grades in rock climbing
The difficulty of a route is expressed as a grade. A grade combines the size of the holds, the angle of the wall, the spacing of the moves, the hardest move and the length of the route into a single value. In gyms and on natural rock, in Europe and in Türkiye, the common language of sport climbing is the French scale.
How is a grade given?
A route’s grade is not the result of a measurement but a consensus. The process usually works like this:
- Proposal: the first person to climb the route (the first ascent) proposes a grade, based on comparison with routes they have climbed before.
- Confirmation: later climbers confirm the proposed grade or say they found it easier or harder. Guidebooks and online climbing databases collect these opinions into a consensus grade.
- Revision: over time an easier sequence (beta) may be found, or a hold may break. The route is then downgraded or upgraded.
- In gyms, the grade is the route setter’s estimate. The same grade can feel different from gym to gym.
Why are grades personal?
The same route can feel very different to two climbers. A grade is an estimate for an “average climber”, and it doesn’t feel the same to everyone because of these factors:
- Body type: height and arm span affect reach to distant holds; finger size affects fitting into small pockets and cracks. A short climber may need several moves where a tall climber needs one, or the other way round.
- Climbing style: some climbers are better on steep, powerful overhangs, others on vertical, balancy slabs. Small edges (crimps) and rounded holds (slopers) also call for different skills.
- Conditions: temperature, humidity and the friction of the rock can make the same route feel a grade easier or harder. Holds grip better in cool, dry weather.
- Beta: a route is easier for someone who already knows how to climb it, from watching or being told. That is why climbing a route first go (onsight) is harder than climbing it after working it (redpoint).
- Regional differences: some areas and gyms grade stiffly. Routes that are hard for their grade are called “sandbagged”, and easy ones “soft”.
- Time: with better shoes and better training knowledge, some old routes can feel easier than their grade today.
So a grade is a guide, not an exact measure. You get a more accurate picture of your level by looking at routes you have climbed in different styles and areas, not at a single route.
The French scale
It starts with a number, followed by the letters a, b, c and, if needed, a + sign: 6a+ is one step easier than 6b. The scale is open-ended; as new and harder routes are climbed, the top of the scale rises.
The bands are approximate: someone who climbs regularly usually reaches 5 and 6a within a few months; grades 7 and 8 take years of regular training; grade 9 is a level that only a limited number of athletes in the world can climb.
Grade conversions
The same route is expressed on different scales in different countries. The table below shows the UIAA (Central Europe) and YDS (USA) equivalents of the French scale. The scales do not match exactly; the equivalents are approximate.
| French | UIAA | YDS (USA) |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | ||
| 3 | III | 5.3 |
| 4a | IV | 5.4 |
| 4b | IV+/V− | 5.5 |
| 4c | V | 5.6 |
| 5a | V+ | 5.7 |
| 5b | VI− | 5.8 |
| 5c | VI | 5.9 |
| Intermediate | ||
| 6a | VI+ | 5.10a |
| 6a+ | VII− | 5.10b |
| 6b | VII | 5.10c |
| 6b+ | VII+ | 5.10d |
| 6c | VIII− | 5.11a/b |
| 6c+ | VIII | 5.11c |
| Advanced | ||
| 7a | VIII | 5.11d |
| 7a+ | VIII+ | 5.12a |
| 7b | VIII+/IX− | 5.12b |
| 7b+ | IX− | 5.12c |
| 7c | IX | 5.12d |
| 7c+ | IX+ | 5.13a |
| Expert | ||
| 8a | X− | 5.13b |
| 8a+ | X−/X | 5.13c |
| 8b | X | 5.13d |
| 8b+ | X+ | 5.14a |
| 8c | XI− | 5.14b |
| 8c+ | XI | 5.14c |
| Elite and world limit | ||
| 9a | XI+ | 5.14d |
| 9a+ | XII− | 5.15a |
| 9b | XII−/XII | 5.15b |
| 9b+ | XII | 5.15c |
| 9c | XII+ | 5.15d |
Boulder grades
Bouldering uses its own scales: the Fontainebleau scale with capital letters in Europe (6A, 7B+ and so on) and the V scale in the USA. A boulder grade and a route grade written the same way do not mean the same difficulty: a 7A boulder is much harder than a 7a route. The equivalents below are approximate.
| Fontainebleau | V scale (USA) |
|---|---|
| 4 | V0 |
| 5 | V1 |
| 5+ | V2 |
| 6A / 6A+ | V3 |
| 6B / 6B+ | V4 |
| 6C / 6C+ | V5 |
| 7A | V6 |
| 7A+ | V7 |
| 7B / 7B+ | V8 |
| 7C | V9 |
| 7C+ | V10 |
| 8A | V11 |
| 8A+ | V12 |
| 8B | V13 |
| 8B+ | V14 |
| 8C | V15 |
| 8C+ | V16 |
| 9A | V17 |
Milestones
- 1991, 9a: Action Directe, climbed by Wolfgang Güllich in Germany, is generally accepted as the first 9a route.
- 2012, 9b+: Adam Ondra climbed the first 9b+ with Change in Norway.
- 2016, 9A (boulder): Nalle Hukkataival climbed the first 9A boulder with Burden of Dreams in Finland.
- 2017, 9c: Adam Ondra climbed the first 9c with Silence in Norway. It is still the highest grade reached in sport climbing.
