Climbing grades vary from country to country. Boulderers in North America use the V-scale while most of Europe uses the Font (Fontainebleau) scale; roped climbers switch between the American YDS (the "5.10" numbers), the French sport scale, the UIAA scale used across Germany and Austria, and Australia's Ewbank system. Use the converter below to translate a grade between systems, or scroll down for the full comparison tables.
| Font | V-scale |
|---|---|
| 3 | VB |
| 4 | V0 |
| 4+ | V0 / V1 |
| 5 | V1 |
| 5+ | V2 |
| 6A | V3 |
| 6A+ | V3 / V4 |
| 6B | V4 |
| 6B+ | V4 / V5 |
| 6C | V5 |
| 6C+ | V5 / V6 |
| 7A | V6 |
| 7A+ | V7 |
| 7B | V8 |
| 7B+ | V8 / V9 |
| 7C | V9 |
| 7C+ | V10 |
| 8A | V11 |
| 8A+ | V12 |
| 8B | V13 |
| 8B+ | V14 |
| 8C | V15 |
| 8C+ | V16 |
| 9A | V17 |
| YDS | French | UIAA | Ewbank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.2 | 1 | II | 9 |
| 5.3 | 2 | III | 11 |
| 5.4 | 3 | IV | 12 |
| 5.5 | 4a | IV+ | 12 |
| 5.6 | 4c | V- | 13 |
| 5.7 | 5a | V | 14 |
| 5.8 | 5b | V+ | 15 |
| 5.9 | 5c | VI- | 17 |
| 5.10a | 6a | VI | 18 |
| 5.10b | 6a+ | VI+ | 19 |
| 5.10c | 6b | VII- | 20 |
| 5.10d | 6b+ | VII | 20 |
| 5.11a | 6c | VII+ | 21 |
| 5.11b | 6c+ | VII+ | 22 |
| 5.11c | 6c+ / 7a | VIII- | 23 |
| 5.11d | 7a | VIII- | 24 |
| 5.12a | 7a+ | VIII | 25 |
| 5.12b | 7b | VIII+ | 26 |
| 5.12c | 7b+ | IX- | 27 |
| 5.12d | 7c | IX | 28 |
| 5.13a | 7c+ | IX+ | 29 |
| 5.13b | 8a | IX+ / X- | 30 |
| 5.13c | 8a+ | X- | 31 |
| 5.13d | 8b | X | 32 |
| 5.14a | 8b+ | X+ | 33 |
| 5.14b | 8c | XI- | 34 |
| 5.14c | 8c+ | XI | 35 |
| 5.14d | 9a | XI+ | 36 |
| 5.15a | 9a+ | XII- | 37 |
| 5.15b | 9b | XII | 38 |
| 5.15c | 9b+ | XII+ | 39 |
| 5.15d | 9c | — | 40 |
Every conversion here is approximate. Grading is subjective and the scales were developed independently, so guidebooks and gyms often disagree by a grade — especially in the Font 6-range and near the top of each scale. Use this as a rough guide, not a rulebook.
A V5 boulder problem is roughly Font 6C to 6C+. Font grades and the V-scale don't line up exactly, so many problems in this range get given either grade depending on the guidebook or gym.
5.10a on the American YDS scale is about 6a on the French sport scale. 5.10b is around 6a+ and 5.10d is around 6b+.
Both grade the difficulty of boulder problems. Font (Fontainebleau) grades use numbers with letters and +/- (6A, 7B+, 8C) and are standard in Europe. The V-scale (or Hueco scale) runs V0, V1, V2… and is standard in North America. They measure the same thing on different scales.
No. Every conversion is approximate. Grading is subjective, scales were developed independently in different countries, and the systems don't increase in steps of the same size. Treat any conversion table, including this one, as a rough guide.
The UIAA scale (I, II, III… with +/-) is used mainly in Germany, Austria and eastern Europe. Roughly, UIAA VI is French 5c to 6a, UIAA VIII- is French 7a, and UIAA X is French 8b.
French 6a is about 5.10a on the American Yosemite Decimal System. French 6b is around 5.10c and French 7a is around 5.11c.