BJJ belt order
The BJJ belt order for adults is white, blue, purple, brown and black; kids under 16 go white, grey, yellow, orange and green. In jiu-jitsu nothing is given: at Seeds 13, every belt on this wall is earned on the mat.
The order at a glance
Adults: white → blue → purple → brown → black. Kids under 16: white → grey → yellow → orange → green, then into the adult ranks. Four stripes on each belt below black.
| Step | Adults | Classes at Seeds 13 | Kids (under 16) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White | 150 to blue | White |
| 2 | Blue | 325 to purple | Grey group (4–15) |
| 3 | Purple | 375 to brown | Yellow group (7–15) |
| 4 | Brown | 425 to black | Orange group (10–15) |
| 5 | Black | IBJJF time-in-grade | Green group (13–15) |
Adults
Five belts, four stripes each — and at Seeds 13 every stripe has a published class requirement, so you always know where you stand. Technique and character still decide the day a promotion happens. See the adult jiu-jitsu classes for every class on the schedule.
Kids
Students under 16 progress through the kids belt ladder — grey, yellow, orange and green groups — before entering the adult ranks. Stripes mark progress between belts, and every promotion happens at a graduation in front of the whole academy family. See the kids jiu-jitsu program for ages and groups.
Graduation day
Promotions at Seeds 13 are earned on the mat and celebrated as a family — kids and adults, parents and professors, together. Follow the academy on social media for the next graduation date.
Belt questions, answered
What is the BJJ belt order?
For adults, the BJJ belt order is white, blue, purple, brown and black. Kids under 16 follow their own ladder: white, then the grey, yellow, orange and green belt groups, before moving into the adult ranks. Each belt below black carries four stripes, and at Seeds 13 every stripe has a published class requirement.
How many stripes are on each BJJ belt?
Four. At Seeds 13 each adult belt below black has four stripes, and the move to the next belt is a fifth step of the same size: 30 classes per stripe on the white belt, 65 on blue, 75 on purple and 85 on brown. Stripes mark progress between belts, and every promotion happens at a graduation.
How many classes does it take to get a black belt?
Counting the published requirements at Seeds 13, 1,275 classes: 150 from white to blue, 325 to purple, 375 to brown and 425 to black. How many years that takes depends on how often you train, and technique and character still decide the day each promotion happens.
What comes after the black belt?
Black belt degrees follow the IBJJF time-in-grade rules. In the IBJJF system the ladder continues past the black-belt degrees to the coral belts, red-and-black and red-and-white, and finally to the red belt, which marks decades in the art. The federation's graduation system runs from white to red.
How many classes does it take to get a blue belt?
At Seeds 13, 150 classes. The white belt has four stripes at 30 classes each, and the move to blue belt is a fifth step of the same size. Every stripe has a published class requirement, so students always know where they stand; technique and character still decide the day a promotion happens.
What are the class requirements for each adult belt?
White belt: 30 classes per stripe, 150 to blue. Blue belt: 65 classes per stripe, 325 to purple. Purple belt: 75 classes per stripe, 375 to brown. Brown belt: 85 classes per stripe, 425 to black. Black belt degrees follow IBJJF time-in-grade rules instead of a class count.
How do kids belts work?
Students under 16 follow the kids belt ladder: white, then the grey group (ages 4–15), yellow (7–15), orange (10–15) and green (13–15), before entering the adult ranks. Under IBJJF rules each kids color is a group of three belts, such as grey-white, grey and grey-black, and the blue belt starts at 16.
New to the mat? BJJ for beginners shows how the white belt starts, and what age kids can start covers the kids ladder.
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