BJJ belt ranks, explained in order
White to black looks simple until you notice the stripes, the kids' colours, and the coral belts beyond black. Here's the whole ladder, in order.
The adult belts
The adult order is white, blue, purple, brown, black. Each is usually marked with up to four stripes that track progress within the rank. White is where everyone starts; blue is the first major milestone and often the one with the highest drop-out rate; purple and brown are advanced; black is mastery of fundamentals, not the end of learning.
Beyond black
Black belt has degrees too, earned over decades. After many years come the coral belts (red-and-black at 7th degree, red-and-white at 8th) and finally the red belt at 9th degree — reserved for those who reach the very top of the lineage. You'll rarely meet one.
The kids' system
Children use a different, longer ladder — white, grey, yellow, orange and green belts (each with white and solid variations) — designed to mark progress at a younger age. Kids' ranks convert into the adult system as they get older; a green belt doesn't equal an adult blue.
How long between belts
The IBJJF sets minimum time-in-grade at the upper belts (about 2 years at blue, 1.5 at purple, 1 at brown) and minimum ages, but promotion is your instructor's decision based on skill and mat time. For a realistic estimate of your own pace, try the belt timeline estimator, and see how long a black belt really takes.
Estimate your progression
See a realistic range to your next belt based on training frequency.
Open the belt timeline estimator