Quick answer: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has five adult belts: white, blue, purple, brown and black. Under the IBJJF system you need to be at least 16 for blue and purple, 18 for brown and 19 for black, and most people take 8 to 12 years of steady training to earn a black belt. Kids under 16 follow a separate system of 13 belts: white, then grey, yellow, orange and green.
This guide covers the full belt order for adults and kids, how stripes work, the minimum ages and times, what each belt usually means on the mats, and how promotions actually happen.
Contents
- BJJ belt order at a glance
- How stripes work
- White belt
- Blue belt
- Purple belt
- Brown belt
- Black belt and its degrees
- Coral and red belts
- Kids BJJ belts
- How promotions work
- How long does it take to get a black belt?
- Frequently asked questions
BJJ belt order at a glance
These are the adult ranks in the IBJJF graduation system, which most academies follow or loosely base their own system on. The minimum time is how long you must hold a belt before you can be promoted to the next one.
| Belt | Minimum age | Minimum time at this belt | Typical time at this belt |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | None | None | 1 to 2 years |
| Blue | 16 | 2 years | 2 to 4 years |
| Purple | 16 | 1.5 years | 2 to 3 years |
| Brown | 18 | 1 year | 1 to 2 years |
| Black | 19 | 31 years to reach 7th degree | For life |
How stripes work
Below black belt, each belt can carry up to four stripes, usually white tape wrapped around the black bar near the end of the belt. Stripes mark progress inside a belt, so a blue belt with four stripes is close to purple.
Not every academy uses them the same way. Some give stripes regularly, some hold formal stripe gradings, some skip stripes entirely and only promote belts. Ask your coach how your academy does it.
At black belt, the bar becomes red, and stripes become degrees, which are awarded for years spent teaching and contributing to the art rather than for beating people in training.
White belt: learning to survive
Minimum age: none. Minimum time: none. Typical time: 1 to 2 years.
Everyone starts here. White belt is about learning the basic positions, staying calm under pressure and not getting submitted. Most coaches agree that escapes come first: getting out of mount, side control and back control. After that come a few reliable sweeps and submissions from closed guard.
What usually earns a blue belt is not one technique but consistency: you show up, you can defend yourself against untrained people and newer white belts, and you can explain and perform the fundamentals. If you're just starting out, our guide to the basics of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the BJJ terms every grappler should know are good places to begin.
Blue belt: building your game
Minimum age: 16. Minimum time before purple: 2 years. Typical time: 2 to 4 years.
Blue belt is often the longest stage. You know enough to experiment, so this is where people try different guards, passes and submissions to see what suits their body and style. It is also the belt where many people stop training, so getting through it is an achievement in itself.
A solid blue belt can play from top and bottom, escape from training partners of a similar level, finish submissions against resisting opponents and defend themselves against a bigger, untrained person using technique rather than strength.
Purple belt: refining and helping others
Minimum age: 16. Minimum time before brown: 1.5 years. Typical time: 2 to 3 years.
Purple belts start linking techniques into combinations and develop a recognisable style. They usually control blue belts comfortably and give brown belts a hard time. Many academies also lean on purple belts to help coach newer students, which tends to sharpen their own understanding.
Brown belt: polishing the details
Minimum age: 18. Minimum time before black: 1 year. Typical time: 1 to 2 years.
Brown belt is the last step before black. The focus moves from learning new things to tightening what you already do: fewer mistakes, better timing and cleaner transitions. Brown belts are expected to control and submit purple belts with confidence and to be ready for the responsibility of a black belt.
Black belt and its degrees
Minimum age: 19. Typical time to reach it: 8 to 12 years from your first class.
A black belt is expected to have a deep understanding of the fundamentals, effective attacks from every position, and the ability to teach. Many black belts describe it as the start of a new phase of learning rather than the end of the journey.
Black belts then earn degrees over decades. Under the IBJJF system the time between degrees is:
| Rank | Time at previous rank |
|---|---|
| Black belt, 1st degree | 3 years as a black belt |
| 2nd degree | 3 years |
| 3rd degree | 3 years |
| 4th degree | 5 years |
| 5th degree | 5 years |
| 6th degree | 5 years |
| 7th degree (red and black coral belt) | 7 years, about 31 years as a black belt in total |
| 8th degree (red and white coral belt) | 7 years |
| 9th degree (red belt) | 10 years |
| 10th degree (red belt) | Reserved for the founders |
To be registered as a black belt with the IBJJF, you also need to be promoted by a recognised black belt instructor and meet the federation's other requirements, which include first aid certification and completing a referee course. Most people who never compete don't register at all, and their black belt is just as real at their academy.
Coral and red belts
The red and black coral belt (7th degree) and red and white coral belt (8th degree) go to people who have spent most of their lives teaching and building the art. The red belt is for 9th degree grandmasters. The 10th degree was given only to the Gracie brothers who founded the art: Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., Jorge and Helio Gracie.
Kids BJJ belts
Children under 16 use a separate system so they have smaller goals to work towards. There are 13 kids belts. After white, each colour comes in three versions: with a white bar, solid, and with a black bar (for example grey and white, solid grey, then grey and black).
| Belt group | Belts | IBJJF age range |
|---|---|---|
| White | White | Any age |
| Grey | Grey and white, grey, grey and black | 4 to 15 |
| Yellow | Yellow and white, yellow, yellow and black | 7 to 15 |
| Orange | Orange and white, orange, orange and black | 10 to 15 |
| Green | Green and white, green, green and black | 13 to 15 |
There are no fixed minimum times between kids belts. Coaches promote based on skill, attendance, effort and behaviour on the mats. At 16, teenagers move into the adult system. Green belts can move to blue belt, or to purple belt at their coach's discretion. Other kids belts are placed in the adult system by their coach.
Kids belts give children clear, regular wins, which keeps them training. For academies, a matching team rash guard or club gi does a similar job: kids feel part of the team. See our custom academy uniforms if you're kitting out a kids program.
How promotions work
Your head instructor decides when you're promoted, and every academy does it a little differently. Some hold formal gradings, some promote at the end of a normal class, and some only promote belts and skip stripes. Coaches usually weigh up:
- Technical skill: how well you understand and apply techniques for your level.
- Live performance: how you do in sparring and, if you compete, in tournaments.
- Well-rounded game: attack and defence, top and bottom, gi and no-gi where relevant.
- Time and consistency: how long and how often you've trained.
- Attitude: being a good training partner and helping others.
Some coaches use a curriculum where each stripe is tied to a skill set, such as guard retention or escapes, so students know exactly what they're working towards.
How long does it take to get a black belt?
For most people training three or more times a week, it takes 8 to 12 years. A small number of full-time competitors have done it in under five years, and plenty of hobbyists take longer than 12, which is completely normal. Missed time for injuries, work and family adds up, and it doesn't matter.
As many coaches put it, care more about what you can do on the mat than the colour of the belt holding your gi together. The people everyone respects are the ones whose skill is better than their belt suggests.
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of belts in BJJ?
For adults: white, blue, purple, brown, black. After black come the coral belts (red and black, then red and white) and the red belt. Kids under 16 go white, grey, yellow, orange and green, with three versions of each colour after white.
How many stripes are on each BJJ belt?
Up to four stripes on each belt below black. Black belts earn degrees instead, up to 6th degree before the coral belt.
How long does it take to get a blue belt in BJJ?
Usually 1 to 2 years of regular training. There is no minimum time at white belt, but you must be at least 16 to get an adult blue belt.
Why is there no yellow or green belt for adults?
Those colours belong to the kids system. Adults start at white and go straight to blue, so each adult belt takes longer to earn than in many other martial arts.
Can you skip a belt in BJJ?
It's rare in the adult system and not allowed under IBJJF rules. The main exception is teenagers moving from kids belts to adult belts, where a green belt can be promoted straight to purple at their coach's discretion.
Do you need a gi to get promoted?
Not always. Many academies promote no-gi students and use ranked rash guards in belt colours to show rank. Check how your academy and any competition you enter handle no-gi ranks.
Can our academy get rash guards or gis made in our club colours?
Yes. CYPHR makes custom rash guards, shorts and gis for academies, including ranked rash guards in belt colours. You can design your kit online or send us your logo and we'll design it with you.
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