You weigh in wearing the gi, which is why the IBJJF limits look generous and then catch people out on the day. Put in your weight, your birth year and whether you are competing gi or no-gi, and this tells you exactly which division you make, how much room you have left, and what your gi is costing you.
BJJ weight class calculator
Official IBJJF divisions. Results update as you change any field, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
| Division | Maximum weight | Where you sit |
|---|
Weight charts vary between IBJJF events and some are measured in kilos. Always check the weight chart linked on your specific event page before you register.
Last updated: October 2026
Short answer: you weigh in wearing your full uniform, and you get one attempt. For an adult or masters male in the gi the limits run 127.0 lb at Rooster up to 222.0 lb at Super Heavy, with Ultra Heavy having no maximum. No-gi limits are lower across the board because the uniform weighs less.
- Masters divisions use exactly the same weight table as Adult. Only the age bracket changes.
- Gi limits sit roughly 4 to 7 lb above the no-gi limits for the same division name, which is the allowance for the uniform.
- Your gi is on the scale, so a heavy double weave can cost you two or three pounds of margin against a lightweight competition gi.
- Miss weight and you are disqualified on the spot. You cannot switch divisions on the day and there is no refund.
- A masters athlete can enter down in age, never up. A Master 3 can compete in Master 2, Master 1 or Adult.
- Cutting more than about 1 percent of bodyweight a week is where this stops being a weight-management question, and over 40 the sensible rate is lower still.
How do IBJJF weight classes work?
There are nine divisions from Rooster to Ultra Heavy for men and eight for women, and the number attached to each is a maximum. You are in the division you registered for, and on the day you either make that number or you are out. There is no weigh-in margin, no second attempt, and no moving down a bracket when the scale disagrees with you.
The part that trips people up is that the limits already include your uniform. The IBJJF weighs you in the gi for a gi tournament and in the no-gi uniform for a no-gi tournament. That is why a male Light division is 168.0 lb in the gi but 162.6 lb in no-gi: it is not a different standard of athlete, it is the same athlete wearing less.
Do masters have different weight classes?
No. Every masters division from Master 1 to Master 7 uses the identical weight table to Adult. The IBJJF publishes it as a single column labelled “Adult, Masters.” What changes with the masters brackets is who you face, not what you have to weigh.
Age divisions are set by year of birth rather than your actual birthday, and they roll over on 1 January. For the 2026 season that works out as:
| Year of birth | Age division | Age reached during 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 and before | Adult | 18 and over |
| 1996 and before | Master 1 | 30 and over |
| 1990 and before | Master 2 | 36 and over |
| 1985 and before | Master 3 | 41 and over |
| 1980 and before | Master 4 | 46 and over |
| 1975 and before | Master 5 | 51 and over |
| 1970 and before | Master 6 | 56 and over |
| 1965 and before | Master 7 | 61 and over |
You can always enter a younger bracket than the one you qualify for. A Master 4 can compete in Master 3, Master 2, Master 1 or Adult. You cannot go the other way, and plenty of masters competitors deliberately drop into a younger division when their own bracket is thin.
IBJJF weight classes with the gi
These are the maximums with the gi on, taken from the IBJJF weight list. Adult and all masters divisions share the same figures.
| Division | Adult / Masters male | Adult / Masters female |
|---|---|---|
| Rooster | 127.0 lb | 107.0 lb |
| Light Feather | 141.6 lb | 118.0 lb |
| Feather | 154.6 lb | 129.0 lb |
| Light | 168.0 lb | 141.6 lb |
| Middle | 181.6 lb | 152.6 lb |
| Medium Heavy | 195.0 lb | 163.6 lb |
| Heavy | 208.0 lb | 175.0 lb |
| Super Heavy | 222.0 lb | no maximum |
| Ultra Heavy | no maximum | not contested |
IBJJF weight classes for no-gi
Same division names, lower numbers, because the no-gi uniform weighs a fraction of a gi.
| Division | Adult / Masters male | Adult / Masters female |
|---|---|---|
| Rooster | 122.6 lb | 103.0 lb |
| Light Feather | 136.0 lb | 114.0 lb |
| Feather | 149.0 lb | 125.0 lb |
| Light | 162.6 lb | 136.0 lb |
| Middle | 175.6 lb | 147.0 lb |
| Medium Heavy | 188.6 lb | 158.0 lb |
| Heavy | 202.0 lb | 169.0 lb |
| Super Heavy | 215.0 lb | no maximum |
| Ultra Heavy | no maximum | not contested |
Your gi is on the scale, and it matters more than you think
A lightweight competition gi can come in under 4 lb. A heavy double weave with reinforced everything can be over 6. That three-pound spread is the difference between making Light at 168.0 and being sent home, and it costs you nothing physically to pick the lighter one.
This is the first thing to check when you are close to a limit, because it is free. Before you consider changing what you eat, weigh the gi you were planning to compete in and then weigh your lightest one. If the gap closes most of the distance, the problem is solved and you never had a weight problem at all. We go through what actually drives gi weight in lightweight versus heavyweight gis.
One caution: the gi still has to be legal. A gi light enough to fail the IBJJF fabric and measurement checks is worse than being a pound over, because you will be turned away at the uniform inspection instead. Our gi size calculator covers the sleeve and pant tolerances that get people pulled.
Is my target division realistic?
That depends almost entirely on how much time you have, and the honest answer is often “not for this competition, but comfortably for the next one.”
A rate of roughly half a percent to one percent of bodyweight per week is the range where you lose weight without losing the training quality you are supposedly doing this for. For a 180 lb grappler that is somewhere between 0.9 and 1.8 lb a week. Eight weeks out, that is a realistic 7 to 14 lb. Two weeks out it is 2 to 4 lb, and no amount of determination changes the arithmetic.
The calculator above will tell you plainly when a target does not fit in the time available, and it will name the division you should enter instead. That is not it being cautious for the sake of it. Entering a division you cannot make is the one mistake on competition day that has no recovery: you are disqualified before you have had a single match, you cannot be moved, and you do not get your entry fee back.
What this calculator will not tell you
It will not give you a method for taking weight off in the last 24 hours, because the methods people reach for in that window are dehydration based, and dehydrating yourself before grappling is how you end up injured, concussed or worse. Competitive grappling with an impaired thermoregulatory system is a genuinely bad idea and nobody in this sport needs another cautionary story about it.
If you are inside the final week and still above your division, the correct answer is to move up, not to sweat it off. You will compete heavier and you will compete well. The alternative is arriving depleted, which costs you more in the first match than the extra weight class ever would have.
Cutting weight after 40
Two things change, and neither is in your favour.
The first is recovery. A calorie deficit and hard training compete for the same resources, and past 40 the margin you had for doing both at once is thinner. A cut that felt routine at 25 shows up at 45 as sessions where you are flat, slower to warm up and more likely to tweak something. If you are going to run a deficit, run it in the block before the sharpening phase, not during it.
The second is that the division below is rarely worth what it costs. Masters brackets are often small, and the practical difference between competing at Light and at Middle in Master 4 is usually one or two opponents, not a meaningfully different standard. Weigh that against eight weeks of under-eating. We wrote about this properly in weight cutting for masters competitors, and the training-load side is in how often to train after 40.
Frequently asked questions
Do you weigh in with the gi on for IBJJF?
Yes. The IBJJF weighs athletes in full uniform, with the gi for gi tournaments and with the no-gi uniform for no-gi events. The published limits already account for it, which is why the same division has a higher maximum in the gi. Weigh-in happens immediately before your first match and you get one attempt.
What happens if I miss weight at an IBJJF tournament?
You are immediately disqualified from your division. You cannot change to a heavier division on the day, there is no second weigh-in, and the entry fee is not refunded. This is why the sensible play when you are borderline is to register for the division above.
Do masters have different weight classes than adults in BJJ?
No. The IBJJF publishes one weight table covering Adult and every masters division, so a Master 5 competing at Middle makes exactly the same weight as an Adult at Middle. Only the age bracket you compete in changes.
What age is Master 1 in BJJ?
Master 1 is for athletes turning 30 or older in the competition year. The IBJJF defines it by year of birth rather than birthday, so for the 2026 season that is anyone born in 1996 or earlier. The brackets then step up roughly every five years: Master 2 at 36, Master 3 at 41, Master 4 at 46, Master 5 at 51, Master 6 at 56 and Master 7 at 61.
Can I compete in a younger age division?
Yes, you can always enter down. A Master 3 may register for Master 2, Master 1 or Adult. You can never enter an older division than your birth year allows. Masters competitors often drop an age bracket when their own division has very few entrants.
How much weight can I safely cut before a BJJ competition?
Roughly half a percent to one percent of bodyweight per week is the range that does not wreck your training, which is about 1 to 2 lb a week for a 180 lb athlete. Over 40 the lower end of that range is the sensible target. If the gap is larger than the time allows, enter the heavier division. This is general information rather than nutrition or medical advice, and anyone with a health condition should talk to a professional before running a deficit.
Why are the no-gi weight limits lower than the gi limits?
Because you weigh in wearing whichever uniform you compete in, and a gi weighs several pounds more than a rash guard and shorts. The IBJJF sets the gi limits higher by roughly 4 to 7 lb depending on the division to account for it. The athlete underneath is the same size.
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Related reading
A note on accuracy. Every weight figure here comes from the IBJJF’s own published weight lists, retrieved in October 2026, and the age divisions come from the IBJJF event pages. The IBJJF varies weight charts between events and some tournaments are measured in kilograms rather than pounds, so the chart linked on your specific event page is the authority, not this one. Check it before you register.
The weight-management guidance on this page is general information, not medical or nutrition advice. It is not a weight-cutting protocol and deliberately does not describe dehydration methods. If you have a health condition, are taking medication, or have any history of disordered eating, speak to a doctor or a registered dietitian before running a calorie deficit.
Sources: IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Weight List (gi) and Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Weight List, published per event at ibjjf.com; IBJJF weigh-in rules at ibjjf.com/weigh-ins; IBJJF belt and age division tables.