Climbing grade converter

Climbing grade systems at a glance

Every climbing region invented its own way of saying "this is hard". The converter covers the systems you are most likely to meet, at the gym and at the crag.

• French (routes). A number, a letter and sometimes a "+": 5c, 6a+, 7b. It is the standard across Europe and in every Belgian gym. The scale currently runs from 3 to 9c.
• YDS (United States). The Yosemite Decimal System starts with "5." followed by a number: 5.9, 5.10a, 5.12d. From 5.10 upwards, each level is split into four letters, a to d.
• UIAA. Roman numerals with "+" and "-": VI+, VIII-, IX. You will find it in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, so in the Eifel or the Frankenjura, a few hours' drive from Belgium.
• British technical. A grade from 4a to 7b that only describes the hardest move. In the UK it always comes with an adjectival grade (E1, E5…) tied to protection, which the converter does not translate.
• Australian (Ewbank). A single number that rises with difficulty: 18, 24, 32. Simple, and used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Font (bouldering). Born in Fontainebleau and written with a capital letter: 6A, 7B+. It is the reference system for bouldering in Belgium.
• V-scale (bouldering). The American system, from VB to V17. It is coarser than Font: a V4 covers both 6B and 6B+.

Why grade equivalents are only approximate

These systems were built independently, with no common yardstick. Any equivalence is an average, drawn up by climbers who have climbed in several regions. Three things explain the differences you will notice:

1. The style of the climb. A technical slab and a steep, powerful overhang both graded 6c do not ask for the same strengths. Depending on the country, one style or the other tends to be graded harder.
2. How it was climbed. Below 6b, a grade almost always assumes an onsight. Above 7b, it assumes a worked redpoint. In between, practice varies from one area to the next.
3. The sources themselves. The major published charts do not always agree, especially at the easier grades. When a grade falls between two grades of another system, the converter shows a range with "≈" instead of picking one arbitrarily.

Route and boulder grades do not convert into each other. A 7A boulder and a 7a route have little in common: the first is a few moves at your limit, the second is about stamina and sustained climbing. Some charts suggest an equivalence, but it shifts by several grades from one author to the next. The tool therefore only converts within the same discipline.

Grades in Belgium

In Belgium, routes are graded in the French system, indoors and out. Bouldering is more varied:

• Bouldering gyms often use colours rather than grades. Each gym has its own code, and a yellow circuit in one gym is not necessarily the yellow of the gym next door. When a grade is shown, it is almost always Font.
• Belgian crags (Freyr, Marche-les-Dames, Hotton, Han-sur-Lesse) have a reputation for stiff grades, especially on older routes. A 6a at Freyr may well feel harder than a 6a in the gym or in the south of France. It is not you, it is the grade.
• Flemish and Dutch climbers often meet UIAA grades in the Eifel and the Frankenjura, and Font grades in Fontainebleau. That is why the chart keeps UIAA right next to French.

New to the sport? The guide getting into climbing in Belgium helps you pick a gym and understand how its routes are graded. Torn between the gym and the crag? Read indoor or outdoor: finding the right partner for each outing.

Making good use of a conversion

A conversion gives you a ballpark, not a promise. A few useful habits:

• When travelling, aim one or two grades below your usual level for your first routes. You calibrate the local grading without getting into trouble.
• To compare levels with someone who climbs in another system, look at the range rather than the exact value. A "7a" climber and a "5.11d" climber climb in the same band of difficulty.
• To find a partner, a similar level matters more than an identical grade. On Altivio, every profile shows its level in French grades for routes and Font for bouldering, which avoids conversions altogether.