Climbing Grades Explained: V Scale, Font, Dankyu & Rope Grades
There is no universal climbing grade. Bouldering uses the American V Scale, the European Font (Fontainebleau) scale, and the Japanese Dankyu system. Rope climbing adds YDS, French, UIAA, and Ewbank — and many gyms skip all of them for their own color codes. This guide maps the systems against each other and explains how to keep them straight in your log.
Bouldering grades: V Scale vs Font vs Dankyu
Rough correspondences between the three main bouldering scales (conversions are approximate — the same problem can sit half a grade apart in either system):
| Stage | V Scale (US) | Font (EU) | Dankyu (JP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | V0–V2 | 3–5 | 10 kyu–7 kyu |
| Intermediate | V3–V4 | 6A–6B | 6 kyu–5 kyu |
| Advanced | V5–V6 | 6C–7A | 4 kyu–2 kyu |
| Hard | V7–V8 | 7A+–7B | 1 kyu–1 dan |
| Elite | V9 and up | 7C and up | 2 dan and up |
- V Scale: starts at V0 and simply counts up (V0–V17); suffixes describe character (e.g. V5/-).
- Font: number plus capital letter (6A, 7B+); the later the letter, the harder, running parallel to the V Scale.
- Dankyu: climbs from 10 kyu toward 1 kyu — the smaller the number, the harder — then continues into dan grades (1 dan, 2 dan…). The reversed direction makes it the easiest system to misread.
Rope grades: YDS vs French vs UIAA vs Ewbank
| Stage | YDS (US) | French | UIAA | Ewbank (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 5.6–5.9 | 4–5 | IV–VI | 14–18 |
| Intermediate | 5.10a–5.10c | 6a–6b | VI+–VII | 19–22 |
| Advanced | 5.10d–5.11c | 6b+–7a | VII+–VIII- | 23–26 |
| Hard | 5.12a–5.13a | 7a+–7c | VIII–IX- | 27–31 |
- YDS: the 5.x decimal splits further into a–d, where 5.10a is easier than 5.10d.
- French: number plus letter (6a, 7b) for both bouldering and routes — but the same number means different things in each discipline, so don't mix a Font grade with a route grade.
- UIAA: Roman numerals refined with +/-.
- Ewbank: a single always-increasing number (17, 18, 19…), standard in Australia and New Zealand.
Traditional climbing in Britain adds a separate British Trad descriptive scale (E1, E2, plus an adjectival grade) that also factors in seriousness — it doesn't convert directly to anything else.
How gym color grades fit in
Most gyms skip the standard scales entirely and grade by hold color: yellow easiest, black hardest, rules varying per gym — sometimes per branch. A color grade is only meaningful inside the gym that defined it. If you climb at several gyms, the useful move is to keep a per-gym custom scale anchored to standard grades instead of translating colors in your head.
Logging multiple grade systems
ClimbingNote+ keeps multi-system logging manageable:
- V Scale, Font, Dankyu, YDS, French, UIAA, Ewbank, and British Trad are all built in, with conversions shown as approximations while the original grade is preserved;
- custom bouldering scales can be created per gym (with colors), and approximate standard-grade mappings stay visible while you edit them;
- grade preferences support a personal default plus per-location overrides — each gym logs in its own system;
- Insight groups send rates by grade, so progress stays comparable across systems.
FAQ
How do you convert V Scale to Dankyu?
Only approximately: V3–V4 is roughly 6 kyu–5 kyu, and V7–V8 roughly 1 kyu–1 dan. Setting style, wall angle, and body type all shift the feel, so trust your own experience over any fixed table.
Are bouldering and rope grades the same scale?
No. Bouldering grades measure single-move intensity; rope grades add endurance, protection, and route length. The same number family (6A/7A) means different things in each discipline.
Why does the same color feel different across gyms?
Because the gym, not a standard, defines the grade. Setters only guarantee consistency within one setting cycle at one location. Logging with per-gym custom scales is far more reliable than comparing colors across gyms.