Learn / Start here Belts Promotion Basics
The BJJ Belt System: White to Black, and What Promotion Actually Depends On
How long until blue belt? What do stripes mean? Is there a test? A white belt's plain-English guide to the belt system, with the age and minimum-time rules IBJJF publishes.
Key takeaways
- Adult belts, lowest to highest: white, blue, purple, brown, black. Under 16 there's a separate set: grey, yellow, orange and green.
- Belts can carry stripes (usually up to four) that show progress within the belt. How stripes are given is mostly each gym's own habit.
- There is no standard promotion exam. Your instructor decides. IBJJF publishes minimum ages and minimum times, but gyms and federations don't all follow them the same way — your gym and the event's official rules are what count.
I'm a white belt. This isn't a coach's word on the subject — it's my attempt to organize the belt system into something I can remember, for people just starting out or trying to work out how promotion really happens. Anywhere I'm not sure of a number, I say so instead of making one up.
The five adult belts
Lowest to highest:
| Belt | Roughly where you are |
|---|---|
| White | Beginner: basic positions, basic escapes, how to train safely |
| Blue | You have a workable foundation and start building your own routes |
| Purple | More complete technique; often start helping newer students |
| Brown | The final stretch before black |
| Black | Expert level; black belts have degrees on top of that |
"Roughly where you are" is my own summary, not an official definition. What each gym expects at each belt differs.
Juvenile belts
In the IBJJF system, people under 16 use a different set of belts — grey, yellow, orange and green — between white and adult blue. IBJJF lists the ages for each group: grey 4–15, yellow 7–15, orange 10–15 and green 13–15 (with white-and-colour and colour-and-black versions of each).
The commonly cited milestone: you can move to adult blue belt at 16.
What stripes mean
Near the end of the belt, on the black bar, you'll see white tape or stitching. Those are stripes.
- Under IBJJF's framework, white, blue, purple and brown belts can carry up to four stripes; after four, the next step is usually the next belt.
- Stripes are mostly the instructor's call, commonly based on time trained, attendance and progress. Some gyms hand them out often, some barely do, and some don't use them at all.
- So "three-stripe white belt" and "one-stripe white belt" can't be compared across gyms.
What promotion depends on
First, a common misunderstanding: BJJ has no standard promotion test. Traditionally the instructor decides based on your overall development. The factors people most often mention:
- Time on the mat: how long, and how consistently, you've trained at this belt.
- Technique: a solid foundation, and the ability to use it live.
- Rolling: can you keep your game against people at your level and above?
- Attitude: are you safe, respectful to teammates, and good with newer students?
- Competition: some gyms value it, some don't — it depends on the gym.
These five are things I've heard coaches and teammates mention. They are not IBJJF rules.
IBJJF's published ages and minimum times
IBJJF sets a minimum age and a minimum time at each belt for adults. Here is what the current document says:
This is my summary of IBJJF's General Graduation System (version 3.1, 2025; checked on 2026-10-10 against the PDF on ibjjf.com). IBJJF can change it. Before you rely on any number here, check the current General Graduation System on ibjjf.com — it is the primary source, and this page is not.
- Minimum ages: blue 16, purple 16, brown 18. Black is 18 only for athletes who have won the Adult World Championship at brown belt.
- Minimum time before the next belt, for athletes 18 and over: at least 2 years as a blue belt, 1.5 years as a purple belt, 1 year as a brown belt.
- Shorter times apply to people who held juvenile belts first (for example, 1 year at blue if you were a grey, yellow or orange belt). Adult world champions at blue, purple or brown have no minimum time at that belt.
- For 16- and 17-year-olds there is no minimum time at white or blue.
- My own arithmetic, not a rule IBJJF states: since brown needs age 18 and 1 year, most people can't reach black before about 19.
Those are minimums, not averages. Real promotions are usually slower, and your gym may not follow IBJJF's timeline at all.
After black
Black belts earn degrees. Beyond that there are the red-and-black belt (7th degree), the red-and-white belt (8th) and the red belt (9th), reserved for very senior practitioners. Under IBJJF's system:
- The 1st degree can be requested after 3 years as a black belt, the 2nd and 3rd after another 3 years each, and the 4th to 6th after another 5 years each.
- Red-and-black is for age 49 and over, red-and-white for 56 and over, and red for 66 and over.
Gyms and other federations may do this differently.
How I try to think about promotion as a white belt
My own view, for what it's worth:
- Don't count down to the next belt. It makes you anxious and doesn't make you better.
- Focus on being able to keep showing up safely. Attendance and staying uninjured are the two biggest things at white belt.
- Instead of asking when you'll be promoted, ask your coach "what's the most important thing for me to fix right now?" That's far more useful.
- Keep your own record: what you learned this week, where you got to, where you keep getting beaten. After a few months you'll see which positions keep costing you. It's the reason I built BJJ Sequence.
FAQ
How long from white to blue?
There's no single answer. A common claim is somewhere between one and three years, but that's folklore, not a rule. Training frequency, how seriously you train and how your gym promotes all change it a lot.
Can I be promoted without competing?
Yes. Many gyms don't require competition. It depends on your coach.
Will a new gym recognize my belt?
Usually, though the new gym may reassess your level. It varies by gym and federation, so ask the new coach directly.
Is it true you should never wash your belt?
It's a widely repeated story and I don't treat it as a rule. For hygiene and skin health, wash your gi and belt, and don't share them.
Sources and notes
- IBJJF General Graduation System (Articles 2–4), linked from ibjjf.com/graduation-system. Go by the version they publish for the current year.
- Some of the stripe and promotion practices come from my own gym and teammates, and don't represent every gym.
- Written by chokebit3xp. For reference only; your coach and IBJJF's official rules take precedence.