Rock Climbing Grade Converter

Use the converter below to find an approximate equivalent within the same discipline. It is useful for planning and talking about climbs, but a grade cannot tell you how a route will feel, how it is protected, or whether its conditions suit you.

Grade converter

These are approximate equivalents within the same climbing discipline. Local grades vary, so use the result as a starting point and don't convert between bouldering and roped climbing.

What a climbing grade tells you

A climbing grade is a shared estimate of a route’s physical and technical difficulty. It gives you a starting point for choosing a climb, then you add the information the grade leaves out: style, steepness, hold type, landing or fall consequence, protection, weather, and local conditions.

Grades work best when you compare routes in the same area and system. A sandbagged crag, polished holds, a reachy sequence, or a route that does not suit your strengths can make a familiar number feel unfamiliar. Treat the number as one part of the route description, not a prediction of your experience.

Roped climbing grades: YDS, French, and UIAA

YDS, French sport grades, and UIAA grades describe technical climbing difficulty on roped routes, but their notation and local use differ. The table helps you recognize the system in a guidebook; use the converter above for a broader equivalent range.

Yosemite Decimal System (YDS)

YDS uses the 5. prefix for technical rock climbing. The decimal and letter matter: 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, and 5.10d are separate steps, and the same pattern continues through higher grades. Some U.S. guidebooks also add PG-13, R, or X protection suffixes. Those are separate risk ratings, so read them with the technical grade and the route description.

If you are new to roped climbing, pair a YDS grade with the route description, current guidebook information, and a clear understanding of the belay and descent. Our guides to lead climbing and lead climbing versus top rope cover those separate decisions.

French sport grades

French grades usually progress through a number, letter, and optional plus sign: 5c, 6a, 6a+, 6b. The system is widely used for sport climbing, but a French grade is still a local consensus rather than a fixed measurement. FFME’s site classification standard distinguishes sport sites, bouldering sites, and adventure terrain because route context is separate from the difficulty index.

UIAA scale

The UIAA scale uses Roman numerals with - and + subdivisions. The UIAA’s overview of rock-climbing grades describes the scale as open-ended and notes that systems developed locally in different climbing regions. That history explains why a conversion table can be helpful without ever becoming exact.

Bouldering grades: V-scale and Font

The V-scale and Font scale rate boulder problems, so do not convert them directly into roped grades. They estimate movement difficulty across short sequences: power, balance, finger strength, coordination, and technique. Assess the landing, pad setup, spotters, and objective hazards separately.

V-scale

The V-scale is common in North America and includes VB below V0 for introductory boulder problems. Higher numbers indicate harder problems. Two V5s can ask for very different skills: one may be steep and powerful while another depends on friction and precise footwork.

Font scale

The Font scale is common in Europe. It uses numbers and uppercase letters, such as 6A, 6A+, and 6B. That capitalization distinguishes Font bouldering notation from French roped grades such as 6a, 6a+, and 6b. The V-to-Font conversion in the tool is deliberately a range. ClimbGrades’ bouldering comparison chart is a useful reference for notation, but the problem itself remains the better guide to what you will need to do.

Why grade conversions are approximate

Grade conversions are approximate because the systems were developed in different places for different kinds of climbing. They translate notation into a likely range, not a precise match.

The same written grade can feel harder or easier based on reach, body position, rock texture, temperature, route length, style, and how familiar you are with the movement. A boulder problem with one awkward move and a long sport route with sustained climbing are not comparable even if a chart places their numbers near one another.

Use the converter to translate the notation, then read the route description and watch a climber if you can. For a technique refresher before a new style of climbing, see rock climbing technique.

A grade does not describe every hazard

A technical route grade or boulder grade does not rate the full seriousness of a climb. It does not guarantee bolt spacing, fixed-hardware condition, rock quality, a safe landing, retreat options, or the skill required to manage a fall. Some systems, including British trad and several alpine systems, add commitment information separately.

Natural climbing sites change. FFME notes that outdoor sites are not homogeneous and can be affected by rockfall, weather, equipment changes, and other conditions. Check current local information, inspect what you can see, and choose a climb that matches your experience and the day’s conditions.

British trad and alpine grades measure more than moves

British trad and alpine ratings often include information that a single technical grade cannot carry. Read every part of the grade and the guidebook description before treating it as an equivalent of a sport grade.

British trad grades

British trad routes commonly pair an adjectival grade, such as Severe or E1, with a technical grade. The adjectival grade is intended to reflect the overall challenge, including commitment and protection, while the technical grade describes the hardest move or sequence. The British Mountaineering Council’s explanation of UK traditional grades is the appropriate reference when you are planning a route in that system.

Alpine grades

Some alpine guides use overall grades such as F (Facile), PD (Peu Difficile), AD (Assez Difficile), D (Difficile), TD (Très Difficile), and ED (Extrêmement Difficile). Their meaning and application vary by guidebook and region, so treat them as a summary of overall commitment rather than a universal conversion to a gym or crag grade. Read the route’s approach, weather exposure, protection expectations, and escape options as carefully as its technical rating.

How a climb gets its grade

Grades emerge through a community process, not a laboratory test. The first ascent establishes a proposed number, then repeat ascents can support, challenge, or refine it over time.

The first ascent proposes a grade

The first climber or team usually assigns the initial grade from the moves, style, and local conventions they know. That proposal is useful, but it begins a conversation rather than ending one.

Repeat ascents add evidence

When more climbers repeat a route, their reports can reveal whether a grade fits the local consensus. They may also identify a hidden hold, a height-dependent sequence, or a different beta that changes how the route is understood.

The climb can change

Rock can break, holds can polish, vegetation can grow, and fixed hardware can be replaced or deteriorate. A guidebook grade may remain the same while the route’s condition changes. Current local information belongs in your plan alongside the number.

How to use grades without letting them run the session

Use grades to select a sensible range, then choose climbs by the skills you want to practice. A session can include an easier warm-up, a route that develops a specific technique, and a project that asks more of you without making a number the only measure of progress.

If you are building a first kit around the climbing you do now, start with gear that fits the terrain and your instruction plan. Our spray wall guide can help you plan a focused practice session.

Climbing grades FAQ

Sources

• UIAA: Rock climbing grades
• FFME: classification standard for natural climbing sites
• BMC: UK traditional climbing grades
• ClimbGrades: bouldering comparison chart
• ClimbGrades: French and YDS comparison chart