Climbing Grade Converter
Convert rock-climbing route grades between the American YDS, French sport and UIAA systems with a full side-by-side scale.
How it works
Lookup table aligning YDS, French and UIAA route grades. Conversions are approximate — grading is subjective and varies by region and rock type.
Rock climbing has no single global grading system: the United States uses the Yosemite Decimal System (5.5, 5.10a…), most of Europe uses the French sport scale (5a, 6b+…), and German-speaking countries use UIAA Roman numerals. The systems don’t line up perfectly because each grew from different traditions, so any conversion is a best-fit alignment. Use it to read a foreign guidebook, but expect a grade of give-or-take on the ground.
Worked example
A route graded 5.10d in a US guidebook converts to roughly French 6b+ and UIAA VII+ — a solid intermediate sport lead in any of the three systems.
Sources: Grade (climbing) — Wikipedia
Frequently asked questions
Why don’t climbing grades convert exactly?
Each system evolved separately and weights factors like sustained difficulty and boldness differently. The bands also don’t divide the same way, so a single YDS grade can straddle two French grades. Treat conversions as approximate.
Is this for sport routes or bouldering?
This table is for roped route grades (YDS/French/UIAA). Bouldering uses separate scales — the American V-scale and the French Font scale — which don’t map onto these route grades.
Does “a/b/c/d” in YDS matter?
Yes, from 5.10 upward the letters split each number grade into four sub-grades, roughly matching the French plus/minus increments. Below 5.10 the YDS grades are whole numbers with no letters.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.