BJJ Belts in Order

The IBJJF, the largest federation in the sport, sets the order of the belts, the minimum age for each one and the minimum time an athlete has to spend at each rank in its General System of Graduation, last revised in June 2026. Kids under 16 wear a separate set of colored belts, covered further down this page.

Updated October 1, 2026.

What are the BJJ belts in order?

For athletes 16 and older, the IBJJF lists eight belts, from white to red. The table shows the minimum age for each belt and how long an adult has to stay at it before the next promotion, according to the IBJJF.

From black belt up, the IBJJF treats those periods as fixed lengths rather than minimums. The red and black and red and white belts are often called coral belts.

The IBJJF counts age by birth year: an athlete's age is the current year minus the year they were born. An athlete counts as 19 for the whole year they turn 19, so they can be promoted to black belt while still 18 by their birthday.

How long does it take to get a black belt in BJJ?

For an adult, the IBJJF minimums add up to four and a half years across blue, purple and brown belt, with no minimum at white belt. Most people take far longer than that, and the pace is up to each athlete's professor, since the IBJJF only sets the minimums and recognizes a promotion that meets them.

For hobbyists

People who train for fun rather than on the competition track take about 10 years, give or take, to reach black belt.

For kids who start young

Kids who start young often take more than 10 years, because nobody can hold a black belt before IBJJF age 19, or 18 for an athlete who has won the Adult World Championship at brown belt. Because the IBJJF counts age by birth year, that means 18 by birthday, or 17 for a brown belt world champion.

Many of the competitors who reach black belt that young move through blue, purple and brown in about a year. After years in the kids belts, the rules let them skip most of the adult minimums: a former green belt has no minimum at blue belt, a juvenile purple belt has no minimum at purple belt, and only the one year at brown belt applies. Those athletes spend very little time as adult colored belts.

Exceptions to the minimum times

The exceptions, according to the IBJJF:

• World champions: an adult who wins the World Championship at blue, purple or brown belt can be promoted with no minimum period at that belt.
• Athletes who started as kids: the blue belt minimum drops to one year for an athlete previously registered at grey, yellow or orange belt, and to none for a former green belt or juvenile blue belt.
• Juvenile purple belts: the purple belt minimum drops to one year after juvenile blue belt, and to none for an athlete already registered as a juvenile purple belt.

The IBJJF counts each period from the day the athlete registers the new belt with the federation.

How long does it take to get a blue belt in BJJ?

The IBJJF sets no minimum time at white belt, so the timing is the professor's decision. The only federation rule is age: an athlete has to be at least 16 to wear a blue belt.

What do the stripes on a BJJ belt mean?

Stripes mark progress within a belt. Under the IBJJF system, white, blue, purple and brown belts are each divided into four degrees, usually shown as stripes, and whether to use them is up to the professor. The black belt is divided into six degrees, and the seventh, eighth and ninth degrees are the red and black, red and white and red belts.

How do black belt degrees work?

Black belt degrees follow a set schedule. A black belt can request each degree after a minimum period since the previous one, or after a total number of years of activity at black belt recognized by the IBJJF.

The tenth degree red belt was given only to the pioneers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, whom the IBJJF names as Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Helio.

Each new degree is counted from the athlete's last IBJJF certificate. A year counts toward the next degree only if the athlete was active under the IBJJF that year, and the IBJJF accepts any of these as proof:

• Active IBJJF membership through the year.
• An academy registered with the IBJJF, with the athlete listed as head professor or additional professor.
• Regularly approving students' IBJJF membership requests as their professor.
• A black belt or degree certificate already granted by the IBJJF.
• A title won at an IBJJF championship.
• The IBJJF Referee Training Program certificate or the Rules Course certificate, though neither counts as an athlete's first year of activity.

The IBJJF can also recognize an athlete or professor who has made a significant contribution to the sport.

What does the IBJJF require for a black belt certificate?

To apply for a black belt certificate or a new degree, an athlete has to be affiliated with the IBJJF and cannot hold a provisional graduation, according to the IBJJF. They also need a first aid or CPR course certificate, and an IBJJF Referee Training Program, rules seminar or rules webinar certificate dated within the 12 months before the application. The IBJJF reviews each application individually, may ask for extra courses, and can require more documents in some countries.

What belts do kids wear in BJJ?

Athletes aged 4 to 15 use their own belt system, according to the IBJJF. After white belt come four color groups, grey, yellow, orange and green, and each group has three belts: one with a white bar, a solid one and one with a black bar, for 13 kids belts in all. Each group has a minimum age.

The IBJJF sets no minimum time at any kids belt.

What happens to a kid's belt at 16?

In the year an athlete turns 16, they move to the adult belt system. A white belt can stay white, a grey, yellow or orange belt moves to blue, and a green belt moves to blue or purple, depending on the professor's decision, according to the IBJJF.

Where can I see black belts compete?

Every upcoming IBJJF, ADCC and pro event we cover is on the Fabric Jiu-Jitsu calendar, and the latest black belt podiums are on our results page.

Source: IBJJF General System of Graduation, June 2026 revision, read October 1, 2026.