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Climbing grade converter
French sport grades, Fontainebleau boulder grades and V grades side by side, each with its number on the IRCRA scale that climbing researchers use.
- French
- –
- Font
- –
- V scale
- –
- IRCRA
- –
Where a scale has no grade at that exact number, the nearest one is shown with “≈”.
Grade conversion table
| IRCRA | French (routes) | Font (boulders) | V scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | – | – |
| 6 | 3+ | – | – |
| 7 | 4a / 4b | – | – |
| 8 | 4c | 3 | VB |
| 9 | 5a | – | – |
| 10 | 5b | 4 | V0 |
| 11 | 5c | 4+ | – |
| 12 | 6a | 5 | V1 |
| 13 | 6a+ | – | – |
| 14 | 6b | 5+ | V2 |
| 15 | 6b+ | – | – |
| 16 | 6c | 6A | V3 |
| 17 | 6c+ | 6A+ | – |
| 18 | 7a | 6B | V4 |
| 19 | 7a+ | 6B+ | – |
| 20 | 7b | 6C | V5 |
| 21 | 7b+ | 6C+ | – |
| 22 | 7c | 7A | V6 |
| 23 | 7c+ | 7A+ | V7 |
| 24 | 8a | 7B | V8 |
| 25 | 8a+ | 7B+ | – |
| 26 | 8b | 7C | V9 |
| 27 | 8b+ | 7C+ | V10 |
| 28 | 8c | 8A | V11 |
| 29 | 8c+ | 8A+ | V12 |
| 30 | 9a | 8B | V13 |
| 31 | 9a+ | 8B+ | V14 |
| 32 | 9b | 8C | V15 |
| 33 | 9b+ | 8C+ | V16 |
| 34 | 9c | 9A | V17 |
How the scales compare
French grades (3 to 9c) are the sport-climbing scale used across Europe for routes. Fontainebleau grades (3 to 9A, written with a capital letter) are the European scale for boulders, and V grades (VB to V17) are the North American boulder scale.
A route grade and a boulder grade with the same number are not the same difficulty. Routes are graded for the whole climb, often long and sustained; boulders for a handful of hard moves. That is why a 7A boulder sits next to a 7c route, not a 7a.
What the IRCRA number is
The International Rock Climbing Research Association proposed one number for every grade (Draper et al., 2015, “Comparative grading scales, statistical analyses, climber descriptors and ability grouping”), so studies can compare climbers who use different systems. Train Climb uses the same numbers to show progress in the climbing journal: routes and boulders on one line.
Questions
What is 6a in Font and V grades?
A 6a sport route is 12 on the IRCRA scale: about 5 in Font and V1 on the V scale.
What is 7a in Font and V grades?
A 7a sport route is 18 on the IRCRA scale: about 6B in Font and V4 on the V scale.
What is 8a in Font and V grades?
An 8a sport route is 24 on the IRCRA scale: about 7B in Font and V8 on the V scale.
Is a 7a route the same as a 7A boulder?
No. French route grades and Fontainebleau boulder grades look alike but measure different things: a route grade describes the whole route, often sustained, and a boulder grade a few hard moves. On the IRCRA scale a 7A boulder is 22, the same as a 7c route, while a 7a route is 18.
What is the IRCRA scale?
A single number for every climbing grade, proposed by the International Rock Climbing Research Association (Draper et al., 2015) so that studies can report and compare grades from different systems. Higher is harder, one step at a time.
How accurate are grade conversions?
Approximately. Grades are opinions, they vary between areas, gyms and rock types, and a route and a boulder of the same number feel different. Use a conversion to compare and to track progress, not to settle an argument.