By Philipp — Rollbook · Updated November 1, 2026
BJJ Belts in Order: Every Jiu-Jitsu Rank for Adults and Kids
Every BJJ belt in order: the adult ranks from white to red, all 13 kids belts, stripes and black belt degrees, with the IBJJF's current minimum ages and times.
On this page
- BJJ Belt Order at a Glance
- IBJJF Minimum Ages and Times for Every Belt
- The Adult Belts in Order
- Black Belt Degrees, the Coral Belt and the Red Belt
- The Kids Belt System (Ages 4 to 15)
- Stripes and Degrees Explained
- How Long Does Each Belt Take?
- How BJJ Promotions Work
- What Each Belt Means
- BJJ Belts FAQ
- Official Sources
BJJ Belt Order at a Glance
The adult belt order in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is white, blue, purple, brown and black. Above black belt come three ranks that take decades to reach: the red-and-black belt (the 7th degree, often called the coral belt), the red-and-white belt (8th degree) and the red belt (9th and 10th degree).
Children aged 4 to 15 have their own ladder of 13 belts: white, then grey, yellow, orange and green, each in three versions. In the year they turn 16, they move over to the adult belts.
The ages and times in this guide come from the General System of Graduation of the IBJJF, the federation that runs the World Championship, in the edition it published in June 2026. That edition lowered the black belt age to 18 for brown belts who win the adult World Championship.
Adult belts in order (16 and older)
A quick walk through every belt, what each level represents and what separates one rank from the next:
IBJJF Minimum Ages and Times for Every Belt
| Belt | Minimum age | Minimum time at the belt |
|---|---|---|
| White | Any age | None |
| Blue | 16 | 2 years |
| Purple | 16 | 1.5 years |
| Brown | 18 | 1 year |
| Black | 19 | 31 years, in 6 degrees |
| Red and black | 49 | 7 years |
| Red and white | 56 | 10 years |
| Red | 66 | — |
The one exception to the ages: a brown belt who wins the adult IBJJF World Championship can be promoted to black belt at 18.
Four things to know about these numbers:
- Up to black belt, they're minimums, not a schedule. Your professor decides when you're promoted. The IBJJF only refuses to recognize a promotion that comes too early.
- The times apply from age 18. Teenagers aged 16 and 17 have no minimum time at white or blue belt, but a juvenile purple belt has to wait for the adult division to get brown.
- From black belt on, the times are fixed. The IBJJF says a black belt stays at each rank for exactly these lengths, and only years as an active black belt count (more on that below).
- Age counts by birth year. The IBJJF takes the current year minus your birth year, so someone born in 2010 counts as 16 for all of 2026, even before their birthday.
Some athletes get shorter minimums: those who held kids or juvenile belts before they turned 18, and adult world champions at blue, purple or brown belt. Our IBJJF graduation requirements guide lists those exceptions in full.
The Adult Belts in Order
White Belt: Learning to Survive
Everyone starts at white belt, whatever their age or background. A wrestler or a judo black belt starts here too, though they usually move up faster.
- Typical time: 1 to 2 years
- IBJJF minimum: none. Your professor can promote you to blue as soon as you're ready, as long as you're 16.
- Stripes: up to four
At white belt you learn the main positions (mount, side control, guard and back control) and which ones are better than others, how to escape the bad ones, and a few submissions that work on a resisting partner. Just as important, you learn to stay calm under a heavier partner and to roll without hurting yourself or anyone else. Our beginner's guide covers the first months in detail.
Pro Tip: Don't count stripes. Some gyms hand them out every few months, others barely use them. What gets you promoted is what you can do against a resisting partner.
Track every roll — log sessions and techniques for free
Blue Belt: Building Your Own Game
- Minimum age: 16
- Typical time: 2 to 4 years (IBJJF minimum: 2 years)
Blue belt is the first big milestone. A blue belt can defend themselves against an untrained person, knows the basic positions and escapes, and starts building a personal game: favorite guards, passes and submissions. It's a long belt because there's so much to learn, and it's when many people start competing.
Blue belt also has a reputation, the "blue belt blues": after the first big promotion, plenty of people lose motivation and drift away. A new goal helps, like a first competition, a guard you want to own or a submission you want to make reliable. For the road to blue itself, see how long it takes to get a blue belt.
Jocko Willink on how long a blue belt takes, what it actually means, and why the journey matters more than the belt:
Purple Belt: Connecting the Pieces
- Minimum age: 16
- Typical time: 2 to 3 years (IBJJF minimum: 1.5 years)
Purple belt is where most people consider a student advanced. Techniques start to link into sequences, a purple belt has a recognizable style, and on a good day they can trouble the higher belts. Many purple belts help teach beginners or lead the warm-ups. More in our purple belt guide.
Brown Belt: Closing the Gaps
- Minimum age: 18
- Typical time: 1 to 2 years (IBJJF minimum: 1 year)
Brown belt is about polishing: closing the holes in your game, sharpening details and teaching more. In IBJJF competition it is also where the rules open up. Knee bars and toe holds become legal, and in no-gi, adult brown and black belts may use heel hooks and knee reaping. See which techniques are legal at each belt, and our brown belt guide for what else changes.
Black Belt: The Start of Mastery
- Minimum age: 19 (18 for a brown belt who wins the adult World Championship)
- Time from white belt: most people who get there take 8 to 12 years
A black belt has a complete game, can teach every part of the art and often runs classes or an academy. Many black belts say the real learning starts here, once the pressure of the next promotion is gone. Our black belt guide covers the degrees and how the fastest black belts got there.
For the IBJJF to recognize a black belt, the promotion has to be signed by a black belt professor who holds at least two IBJJF-certified degrees. To get the IBJJF black belt certificate, the new black belt also needs an active IBJJF membership, a first aid or CPR certificate, and a certificate from an IBJJF referee training program, rules seminar or rules webinar dated within the past 12 months.
Black Belt Degrees, the Coral Belt and the Red Belt
After black belt, rank goes up in degrees. The IBJJF counts only years as an active black belt, such as years with an IBJJF membership, a registered academy, approved student memberships, IBJJF titles, or its referee and rules courses. A year with none of these doesn't count toward the next degree.
| Degree | Belt | Years since last | Total years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Black | 3 | 3 |
| 2nd | Black | 3 | 6 |
| 3rd | Black | 3 | 9 |
| 4th | Black | 5 | 14 |
| 5th | Black | 5 | 19 |
| 6th | Black | 5 | 24 |
| 7th | Red and black | 7 | 31 |
| 8th | Red and white | 7 | 38 |
| 9th | Red | 10 | 48 |
| 10th | Red | — | Pioneers only |
The Coral Belt: 7th and 8th Degree
"Coral belt" is the common name for the red-and-black belt of a 7th-degree black belt, and the red-and-white belt of the 8th degree is often called a coral belt too. Under IBJJF rules the earliest ages are 49 for red and black and 56 for red and white, after 31 and 38 years as an active black belt. Both belts alternate sections of red with black or with white, and carry a white bar edged in silver for their degrees. See who holds the coral and red belts for the best-known ones.
The Red Belt: 9th and 10th Degree
The red belt is the highest rank in jiu-jitsu and the rarest. The 9th degree takes 48 years as an active black belt, and the minimum age is 66. There is no path to the 10th degree: the IBJJF gave it only to the art's five pioneers, the brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão, George and Helio Gracie. A red belt carries a white bar edged in gold.
Did You Know: Each kind of belt keeps its degrees in a bar near one end. Colored belts have a black bar for stripes. A black belt has a red bar edged in white, with room for six degrees. Coral and red belts mark their degrees in red on a white bar.
The Kids Belt System (Ages 4 to 15)
Kids have more belts, so they reach a new milestone about once a year. Every color after white comes in three versions: with a white line along the middle, plain, and with a black line along the middle.
Kids belts in order (ages 4 to 15)
| Color group | From age | IBJJF kids divisions |
|---|---|---|
| White | Any age | All |
| Grey | 4 | Mighty Mite 1 to Teen 3 |
| Yellow | 7 | Pee Wee 1 to Teen 3 |
| Orange | 10 | Junior 1 to Teen 3 |
| Green | 13 | Teen 1 to Teen 3 |
How kids belts work under IBJJF rules:
- No minimum time. There's no waiting period at any kids belt; the ages above are the only limits. A child who starts at 12 can move through grey and yellow quickly if their professor thinks they're ready.
- Degrees. The IBJJF suggests three ways to split each kids belt into degrees, and every one of them reaches the next belt after about a year: a degree every 3 months (three degrees, then the new belt), every 4 months (two degrees, then the new belt), or every month (eleven degrees, then the new belt). In the monthly system the first four degrees are white, the next four red and the last three the color of the next belt. White and grey-and-white belts get a degree every month and take six months each.
- Turning 16. In the year a child turns 16, they switch to the adult belts. A white belt can stay white. Grey, yellow and orange belts must become blue. A green belt becomes blue or purple, as the professor decides.
- Ages 16 and 17. There's no minimum time at white or blue belt, so a strong teenager can reach purple quickly. Brown belt has to wait for the adult division at 18.
Warning: Some guides still say kids belts can go back to white at 16. Under the current IBJJF rules only a white belt stays white. Every other kids belt moves up to blue, or to purple from green.
Choosing a kids program? Our parents' guide to BJJ for kids covers what to look for in a class and an academy.
Stripes and Degrees Explained
Stripes show progress within a belt. Here's how they work at each level:
- White, blue, purple and brown: up to four stripes. The IBJJF splits each colored belt into four degrees but leaves it to each professor whether to use them. Stripes are usually pieces of white tape on the black bar.
- Black belt: up to six degrees, marked on the red bar, on the IBJJF timeline above.
- Coral and red belts: degrees in red on the white bar.
- Kids belts: one of the three IBJJF systems described above, or the academy's own.
Gyms use stripes very differently. Some give one every few months, some tie them to a curriculum, some give all four at once before a promotion, and some don't use stripes at all. A fourth stripe usually means a promotion is close, but not always.
The graduation system even sets the belt's size: adult belts are 3.5 to 4.5 cm wide and kids belts 2.5 to 3.5 cm, each with a bar about 10 cm long placed 2 to 3 cm from one end (about 15 cm long on coral and red belts).
How Long Does Each Belt Take?
| Belt | IBJJF minimum | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| White | None | 1–2 years |
| Blue | 2 years | 2–4 years |
| Purple | 1.5 years | 2–3 years |
| Brown | 1 year | 1–2 years |
Most people who reach black belt take about 8 to 12 years. The fastest IBJJF path for someone who starts as an adult and never wins Worlds is 4.5 years from blue belt to black, plus the time at white, and almost nobody moves that fast.
What makes the biggest difference:
- How often you train. Three or four sessions a week moves much faster than one or two.
- Consistency. Long breaks cost more than the months you're away.
- Grappling background. Wrestlers and judoka usually move faster through white and blue.
- Your academy. Promotion standards vary between gyms and affiliations.
- Competition. Results give your professor a clear picture of your level against people at your belt.
Key Takeaway
The IBJJF minimums add up to 4.5 years from blue to black belt, but most people take 8 to 12 years from their first class. Consistent training, week after week, matters more than anything else.
How BJJ Promotions Work
Your professor decides when you're promoted. The IBJJF only sets the minimums and requires that every white to brown belt's membership is approved by an IBJJF-affiliated black belt professor.
What most instructors look at:
- Technique: Can you do it correctly under pressure, and do you understand why it works?
- Rolling: How do you do against people at your belt, and can you survive and learn against higher belts?
- Consistency: Do you show up, week after week?
- Understanding: Can you explain what you know to a newer student?
- Character: Are you a good training partner who helps others improve?
How the promotion happens varies too. Some academies call you up at the end of a class, some hold scheduled belt tests with a set curriculum, and some promote only at a few ceremonies a year.
A realistic benchmark for what your rolling and technique should look like at each belt, and what coaches and training partners are actually evaluating:
What Each Belt Means
Belts measure more than technique:
- White belt: humility and the persistence to keep showing up
- Blue belt: commitment, the decision to keep going after the first milestone
- Purple belt: understanding, creativity and giving back to newer students
- Brown belt: responsibility, and a game with very few holes
- Black belt: mastery of the fundamentals, and the start of really learning
The belt is a symbol of your journey, not a measure of how you'll do in a single roll. You'll meet purple belts who trouble black belts and blue belts who are dangerous to everyone. Train, help your partners improve, and the belt comes when it comes.
What BJJ belts represent beyond technique: the character, identity and meaning behind each rank.
BJJ Belts FAQ
How many belts are there in BJJ?
The IBJJF uses 8 adult belts (white, blue, purple, brown, black, red and black, red and white, and red) and 13 kids belts. Most people only ever see the first five adult belts on the mat.
What is the highest belt in BJJ?
The red belt, worn at the 9th and 10th degree. It takes 48 years as an active black belt, and the minimum age is 66.
What is the rarest belt in BJJ?
Also the red belt. Only the art's five pioneers, the Gracie brothers, ever received the 10th degree.
Is there a grey belt for adults?
Not under IBJJF rules. Grey belts are for kids aged 4 to 15, and adults go from white straight to blue.
Can a child get a blue belt?
Not before the year they turn 16. Then grey, yellow and orange belts become blue, and a green belt becomes blue or purple.
How many stripes do you need for the next belt?
Usually four on adult colored belts. The IBJJF leaves stripes to each professor, though, so a promotion can come at any stripe count.
What is the youngest age for a black belt?
19, or 18 for a brown belt who has won the adult IBJJF World Championship.
Why do black belts have a red bar?
The bar near the end of a belt holds its stripes or degrees. Colored belts have a black bar; a black belt has a red bar edged in white, with room for up to six degrees.
Official Sources
- IBJJF Graduation System: the General System of Graduation (June 2026 edition) and the IBJJF belt poster
- IBJJF graduation requirements: the shorter minimums for former kids belts, teenagers and world champions
Keep a record of your own belt journey. Rollbook keeps a belt timeline of every promotion and stripe from white to black belt, and shows how many days and logged sessions you have at your current rank. Rollbook is free on iOS and Android.
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