What are the BJJ belt ranks in order?

For adults the order is white, blue, purple, brown and black, followed by the black-belt degrees and the master ranks: 7th and 8th degree coral belts (red-and-black, then red-and-white) and the 9th/10th degree red belt.

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

For most dedicated practitioners, around 10 years of consistent training. The IBJJF sets minimum times — for example at least two years at blue, 18 months at purple and a year at brown — but promotion is ultimately at your professor's discretion.

What is the highest belt in BJJ?

The red belt (9th and 10th degree) is the highest rank, awarded for a lifetime of contribution to the art. The 10th degree was only ever held by the founding Gracie brothers.

Do kids have the same BJJ belts?

No. Children aged roughly 4–15 use a separate system — white, grey, yellow, orange and green, each with white/solid/black variations — before transitioning to the adult ranks at blue belt.

MMW.

White → Red · Interactive Belt Chart

BJJ Belt Ranks

The complete Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt system, in order. Tap any belt to see the stripes, how long people typically spend there, the IBJJF minimum age and what it takes to earn the next one.

BJJ Belt Ranks

White → Red · the adult order

Where everyone starts. The survival belt — you're learning to defend, escape bad positions and not gas out in the first round.

IBJJF minimum age: Any age (16+ for adult belt)
Typical time at belt: 1–2 years

How it's earned

Consistent training, a base understanding of core positions and escapes, and demonstrating the fundamentals. Most schools award 4 stripes before promoting to blue.

Kids (4–15) use a separate belt system — white, grey, yellow, orange and green — before joining the adult ranks at blue.

Times are typical, not guaranteed — promotion is at your professor's discretion

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt order

Unlike many martial arts, BJJ belt ranks are famously slow and hard-earned. The adult journey runs white → blue → purple → brown → black, with up to four stripes marking progress within each colour. The black belt then opens a second journey of its own: degrees are added over decades, leading to the coral (red-and-black, red-and-white) belts and finally the red belt at the very top.

How long each belt takes

There's no fixed timetable — promotion depends on skill, consistency and your professor — but the IBJJF sets minimum times at the upper belts, and most people reach black belt after roughly a decade of steady training. Blue belt is typically the longest stretch, where the bulk of the technical curriculum is built.

Curious where you'd compete? Check the divisions on the weight class calculator, which includes the IBJJF gi limits.

More MMW Tools

All tools →

Boxing · BJJ · interval timerMMA Round TimerA full-screen round timer for rounds, rest and prep — with a bell. Boxing, BJJ, Tabata and HIIT presets, custom rounds, runs offline in your browser.MMA trivia challengeUFC QuizTwelve questions, one shot. Test your UFC and MMA knowledge across champions, records, finishes and history — then share your score.Daily Wordle-style gameGuess the UFC FighterA new mystery UFC fighter every day. Guess in six tries — each wrong guess reveals how close you are on division, height, reach, record and country.Fighter comparison toolTale of the TapePut any two UFC fighters side by side — height, reach, age, stance and record — and see who has the edge before they ever touch gloves.Head-to-head matchup modelUFC Fight PredictorPick two fighters and our model weighs reach, age, finishing rate and record to call a winner with a confidence score. Settle the debate.The meme, made realMMA MathIf A beat B and B beat C, then A beats C… right? Build a chain between any two fighters and watch MMA math fall apart, gloriously.Find your divisionWeight Class CalculatorEnter your weight and find your UFC, boxing and grappling weight class instantly — plus how far you are from the limit above and below.