BJJ belts are earned slowly. Adults have only five colors: white, blue, purple, brown and black. Each one is worn for several years. The IBJJF sets minimum ages and minimum times between ranks, but your coach decides when you are ready. Here is the full belt order for adults and kids, with the official rules and the timelines you actually see in academies.
The adult BJJ belt order
The table below follows the IBJJF graduation system. The ages and times are regulatory minimums, not targets.
| Belt | IBJJF minimum age | Minimum time before the next belt |
|---|---|---|
| White | none | no minimum |
| Blue | 16 | 2 years |
| Purple | 16 | 18 months |
| Brown | 18 | 1 year |
| Black | 19 | degrees (see below) |
The rules include one exception. An adult world champion at blue, purple or brown can be exempted from the minimum time. That concerns only a handful of athletes each year.
Kids' BJJ belts, ages 4 to 15
Before 16, young players follow a parallel system of thirteen belts. After white, each color comes in three versions: with a white stripe, solid, then with a black stripe.
- Gray: from age 4
- Yellow: from age 7
- Orange: from age 10
- Green: from age 13
At 16, the teenager moves to the adult system. The coach decides between white and blue. A green belt can even go to purple if the level justifies it. It is a delicate moment. A 16-year-old who has rolled for ten years and finds himself back at white among adults tends to take it badly, even if it makes sense on paper.
How long each BJJ belt really takes
Add up the IBJJF minimums and you get about four and a half years from blue to black. Almost nobody moves at that pace, apart from a few full-time competitors. Typical ranges for an adult training two or three times a week:
- White to blue: eighteen months to three years.
- Blue to purple: two to three years.
- Purple to brown: about two years.
- Brown to black: one to two years.
Around ten years for a black belt is common. A faster path is nothing suspicious if the person comes from judo or wrestling, or trains every day. A slower one is normal for anyone with children, a demanding job and a couple of injuries along the way.
Ranks above black belt
The black belt has six degrees. The IBJJF requires at least three years between each of the first three degrees, then five years between the following ones. After that come:
- the red and black belt (7th degree), often called the coral belt;
- the red and white belt (8th degree), sometimes also called coral;
- the red belt (9th degree), plus the 10th degree reserved for the pioneers of the art, including the Gracie brothers.
Someone who earns a black belt at 19 cannot expect a red belt before well into their sixties. The details are in our article on the BJJ black belt.
How a promotion is decided
There is no national exam and no technical syllabus imposed by the IBJJF. The ranked instructor watches students in class and in sparring, then decides. Some academies hold public promotion ceremonies. Others hand over the belt at the end of a class without warning. Many schools have their own written curriculum, but nothing requires one.
Between two colors, BJJ stripes mark progress. Four stripes usually mean you are getting close to the next belt, with no guaranteed timeline.
What really counts for a coach, in this order:
- what you do in sparring against partners at your level and above;
- your defense, which weighs more than your competition record;
- consistency, because a student who has come three times a week for two years is easy to read.
The belts that raise the most questions
The BJJ blue belt is the first real milestone and the point where many people quit. The BJJ purple belt marks the start of the advanced ranks, and it is often when people start helping out in class. Brown is a finishing belt: short in duration but demanding.
Comparing with judo
Adult judo has more colors before black and moves faster. Judo belt colors follow a syllabus set by each national federation, usually with a formal grading for black belt. BJJ has no such federal grading. Legitimacy comes from the instructor's lineage. It is a deep cultural difference, covered in BJJ vs judo.
For the bigger picture of the sport, our introduction to Brazilian jiu-jitsu covers the essentials.
One last piece of advice: never ask for your next belt. Ask your coach what you are missing to get it. The first question annoys people. The second gives you a six-month training plan.