Sport Climbing Route Grade Conversion Table

By admin on January 1, 2003
0

The following chart compares most of the available grading scales. A mistake often made is to combine the Australian & South African grades as the same, in fact they are about a grade apart and even more at the upper grades. The Old SA grading was used in many of the older traditional climbing areas but is seldom used today.

The table below should be disregarded for the time being – Gustav doesn’t like it

South Africa	France	USA	Australia	UK	UIAA
13	4	5.7	12	S
14	5a	5.8	13	HS
15			14
16	5b	5.9	15
17	5c		16
18	6a	5.10	17	HVS
		5.10a		E1	VI+
19	6a+	5.10b	18	E2	VI+/VII-
20	6b	5.10c	19		VII
21	6b+	5.10d	20	E3	VII+
22	6c	5.11a	21	E4	VII+/VIII-
23	6c+	5.11b/c	21		VIII-
24	7a	5.11c/d	22	E5	VIII
25	7a+	5.12a	23		VIII/VIII+
26	7b	5.12b	24		VIII+
27	7b+	5.12c	25		IX-
28	7c	5.12d	26	E6	IX
29	7c+	5.13a	27		IX/IX+
30	8a	5.13b	28	E7	IX+
31	8a+	5.13c	29		X-
31/32	8b	5.13d	30		X
32	8b+	5.14a	31		X+
33	8c	5.14b	32		XI-
34	8c+	5.14c	33		XI
35	9a	5.14d		E10	XI+
36	9a+	5.15a			XII-