Find Your Division—and Avoid a Tournament-Day Disqualification

Start here: the event’s weight chart is the final authority

Important: Use the weight chart and Important Info published for the specific championship you entered. Available divisions, limits, and instructions can vary by event. Every table below is a planning reference—not a substitute for the championship page.

Every published figure is the maximum permitted weight for that division. It is not a target or minimum. An athlete may weigh less than the registered maximum, but weighing above it results in disqualification. The limit includes the required competition uniform, and IBJJF directs athletes to the specific event page when choosing a division. Review the official championship guidance.

That means:

• At a Gi tournament, the athlete weighs in wearing the Gi.
• At a No-Gi tournament, the athlete weighs in wearing the required No-Gi uniform.
• The useful planning figure is the athlete’s weight in the complete competition uniform—not an unclothed or estimated body weight.

IBJJF’s weigh-in procedure provides one official opportunity before the athlete’s first fight. Missing the registered weight causes immediate disqualification, with no tournament-day division change or refund. The event’s Important Info identifies the official measurement and applicable instructions. Read the official IBJJF weigh-in procedure.

The numerical tables in this article are commonly reproduced reference limits. The available evidence does not establish that they are a current universal official chart verified for every 2026 championship. Use them to identify a likely division, then confirm every value against the chart linked from the championship you are entering.

The pound figures are source-reproduced approximations and do not follow one perfectly consistent mathematical conversion rule. Do not try to take advantage of a difference between conversion tables: use the unit and official measurement specified by your event.

Age divisions also require event-level verification. They are determined by birth year, and the belt, age, and weight options available during registration may differ between championships. Corrections are governed by the dates published for the event.

Adult and Master men’s IBJJF reference weight classes

The commonly reproduced tables list the same maximums for Adult and Master men. Use the Gi column for a Gi registration and the No-Gi column for a No-Gi registration.

Commonly reproduced Adult and Master men’s reference limits

Division	Gi maximum	No-Gi maximum
Rooster	57.5 kg (127 lb)	55.5 kg (122.6 lb)
Light Feather or Super Feather	64 kg (141.6 lb)	61.5 kg (136 lb)
Feather	70 kg (154.6 lb)	67.5 kg (149 lb)
Light	76 kg (168 lb)	73.5 kg (162.6 lb)
Middle	82.3 kg (181.6 lb)	79.5 kg (175.6 lb)
Medium Heavy	88.3 kg (195 lb)	85.5 kg (188.6 lb)
Heavy	94.3 kg (208 lb)	91.5 kg (202 lb)
Super Heavy	100.5 kg (222 lb)	97.5 kg (215 lb)
Ultra Heavy	No maximum	No maximum

Event-chart override: These are secondary-source reference values. The official chart for the selected championship controls. The displayed kilogram and pound figures are reproduced in NAGA Fighter’s June 2024 comparison. Review the published Adult and Master men’s figures.

Two distinctions prevent common registration mistakes.

First, Ultra Heavy—not Super Heavy—is the unlimited men’s division in these reference tables. A Gi athlete above 100.5 kg does not fit the listed Super Heavy maximum; the listed unlimited option is Ultra Heavy. In No-Gi, the reference Super Heavy maximum is 97.5 kg, followed by unlimited Ultra Heavy.

Second, corresponding Gi and No-Gi limits are different. Men’s Feather, for example, is listed at 70 kg in Gi but 67.5 kg in No-Gi. Light is listed at 76 kg in Gi and 73.5 kg in No-Gi. An athlete should never carry a Gi division selection into a No-Gi registration without checking the No-Gi chart.

Those differences should not be treated as a guaranteed allowance for the weight of a particular Gi. Weigh the athlete in the actual complete uniform intended for competition.

Adult and Master women’s IBJJF reference weight classes

Adult and Master women also share the same listed limits in the commonly reproduced reference tables.

Commonly reproduced Adult and Master women’s reference limits

Division	Gi maximum	No-Gi maximum
Rooster	48.5 kg (107 lb)	46.5 kg (103 lb)
Light Feather or Super Feather	53.5 kg (118 lb)	51.5 kg (114 lb)
Feather	58.5 kg (129 lb)	56.5 kg (125 lb)
Light	64 kg (141.6 lb)	61.5 kg (136 lb)
Middle	69 kg (152.6 lb)	66.5 kg (147 lb)
Medium Heavy	74 kg (163.6 lb)	71.5 kg (158 lb)
Heavy	79.3 kg (175 lb)	76.5 kg (169 lb)
Super Heavy	No maximum	No maximum

Event-chart override: These are secondary-source reference values. Confirm the division and maximum on the official championship page. The reproduced women’s sequence ends with unlimited Super Heavy and does not include a separate Ultra Heavy division. Compare the secondary Gi and No-Gi tables.

Division names require care. Secondary tables use terms including Medium Heavy, Middle Heavy, and, in isolated cases, Medium for the class associated with the 74 kg Gi or 71.5 kg No-Gi maximum. Light Feather may also appear as Super Feather. Those variations do not establish that the names are universally interchangeable.

During registration, follow the label and maximum shown by the championship system. If the menu and event chart appear inconsistent, seek clarification before the applicable correction deadline rather than choosing by an assumed synonym.

As in the men’s table, the Gi and No-Gi columns are not interchangeable. Women’s Middle, for example, is listed at 69 kg in Gi and 66.5 kg in No-Gi. Compare the athlete’s uniform-inclusive weight with the column for the format actually entered.

Juvenile boys’ and girls’ Gi and No-Gi reference tables

Juvenile registration requires families to verify the athlete’s sex, uniform-inclusive weight, birth-year category, and the divisions offered by the selected championship. Juvenile age subdivisions and Open Class availability may depend on the tournament.

Juvenile male reference limits

Commonly reproduced juvenile male reference limits

Division	Gi maximum	No-Gi maximum
Rooster	53.5 kg (118 lb)	51.5 kg (114 lb)
Light Feather or Super Feather	58.5 kg (129 lb)	56.5 kg (125 lb)
Feather	64 kg (141.6 lb)	61.5 kg (136 lb)
Light	69 kg (152.6 lb)	66.5 kg (147 lb)
Middle	74 kg (163.6 lb)	71.5 kg (158 lb)
Medium Heavy	79.3 kg (175 lb)	76.5 kg (169 lb)
Heavy	84.3 kg (186 lb)	81.5 kg (180 lb)
Super Heavy	89.3 kg (197 lb)	86.5 kg (191 lb)
Ultra Heavy	No maximum	No maximum

Event-chart override: The official chart for the selected championship takes priority over these reproduced figures.

In this reference sequence, juvenile male Ultra Heavy is the unlimited listed division. Commercial comparison material reproduces these values but also makes juvenile Open Class eligibility dependent on tournament rules. See the shared juvenile reference tables.

Juvenile female reference limits

Commonly reproduced juvenile female reference limits

Division	Gi maximum	No-Gi maximum
Rooster	44.3 kg (98 lb)	42.5 kg (94 lb)
Light Feather or Super Feather	48.3 kg (106.6 lb)	46.5 kg (103 lb)
Feather	52.5 kg (116 lb)	50.5 kg (111.6 lb)
Light	56.5 kg (125 lb)	54.5 kg (120.6 lb)
Middle	60.5 kg (133.6 lb)	58.5 kg (129 lb)
Medium Heavy	65 kg (143.6 lb)	62.5 kg (138 lb)
Heavy	69 kg (152 lb)	66.5 kg (147 lb)
Super Heavy	No maximum	No maximum

Event-chart override: These are secondary reference limits, not a verified universal chart for every current championship.

The juvenile female reference sequence ends with unlimited Super Heavy rather than adding an Ultra Heavy division. The same secondary overview reproduces the kilogram structure shown here, but families must still verify the selected event’s chart. Review the reproduced juvenile divisions.

IBJJF age divisions are determined by birth year, not by whether the athlete has already had a birthday during the calendar year. Juveniles must use the category associated with their birth year and cannot register in Adult. Event-specific rules may provide limited options for a youth athlete left alone in a bracket, but those procedures should not be treated as general permission to choose another age category.

Parents should check all of the following on the championship page:

1. The athlete’s birth-year division.
2. Whether the championship subdivides that age group.
3. Which Gi or No-Gi weight classes are offered.
4. The exact maximum for the selected class.
5. Whether a juvenile Open Class is offered.
6. What options apply if the athlete remains alone in a bracket.
7. The deadlines for requesting any permitted correction.

This article intentionally does not publish a universal children’s chart. The supplied evidence is insufficient to establish one current set of official limits for every children’s birth year, sex, and event. Families registering younger children should use the Belt & Age Divisions table and weight chart on the specific event page.

How to identify the right division from a maximum-weight table

A maximum-weight table is read by comparing the athlete’s complete competition weight with the upper limit for each offered division.

The listed number is inclusive. If a division has a 76 kg maximum, an official result of exactly 76 kg is within the limit. A result of 76.1 kg is above it. There is no supported universal grace amount.

Use this process:

1. Select the exact championship.
2. Confirm whether the entry is Gi or No-Gi.
3. Find the correct sex and birth-year or age category.
4. Put on the complete required competition uniform.
5. Measure the athlete’s uniform-inclusive weight.
6. Identify the lightest offered reference division whose maximum is not below that result.
7. Review all eligible options in the event’s registration system.
8. Choose an appropriate offered division; the athlete does not have to select the lightest possible class.
9. Confirm the registration before the correction deadline.
10. Leave practical room for ordinary measurement variation rather than planning to exceed the limit.

Example: Adult man entering Gi

Suppose an Adult male competitor weighs 75.8 kg while wearing the Gi. Under the commonly reproduced men’s table, that is below the 76 kg Light maximum.

At 76.1 kg in the Gi, he is above the reference maximum for Light. An unclothed weight below 76 kg would not change the uniform-inclusive comparison. These examples apply the secondary men’s reference limits and must still be checked against the event chart. Compare the underlying men’s reference values.

Example: Adult woman entering No-Gi

An Adult female competitor who weighs 66.5 kg in the required No-Gi uniform is exactly at the commonly reproduced Middle maximum. Because the maximum is inclusive, she is within that reference limit.

She has no remaining margin. The appropriate response is to verify the event chart, registered division, attire requirements, and scale instructions—not to assume that an amount above 66.5 kg will be ignored.

Example: the same weight across formats

Consider an Adult man whose uniform-inclusive competition weight is 69.5 kg.

• The reproduced men’s Gi Feather maximum is 70 kg, so 69.5 kg is below it.
• The reproduced men’s No-Gi Feather maximum is 67.5 kg, so 69.5 kg is above it.

His likely reference class therefore changes with the format. A Gi maximum cannot be reused for a No-Gi entry.

The tables establish upper limits, but the available evidence does not state a separate universal lower boundary for every class. As a practical matter, the next lighter division’s maximum helps identify the lower edge, subject to the options actually offered during registration.

For example, if one offered division ends at 70 kg and the next ends at 76 kg, an athlete above 70 kg would ordinarily look to the next available class. The event chart and registration system remain decisive.

Athletes near a boundary should check their uniform-inclusive weight and registration early. Do not rely on an unclothed morning weight, an estimated Gi weight, a home scale treated as infallible, or an assumed tolerance. The goal is accurate classification and reliable preparation—not necessarily entering the lightest class an athlete could reach.

The IBJJF weigh-in rule that makes division choice consequential

IBJJF’s official procedure is direct:

• The athlete weighs in before the first fight.
• A Gi competitor weighs in wearing the Gi.
• A No-Gi competitor weighs in wearing the No-Gi uniform.
• The athlete receives one official opportunity to make the registered weight.
• An athlete above the maximum is immediately disqualified.
• The athlete cannot move to another division on tournament day after missing weight.
• No refund is provided for missing weight.

These requirements come from IBJJF’s published weigh-in guidance, which also directs competitors to the tournament’s Important Info for the official measurement used at that event. Verify the official procedure.

Missing the limit is not treated as a request to enter the next division. Advance correction and tournament-day reclassification are separate matters: a permitted registration edit before the deadline does not imply that an athlete can change classes after an over-limit result.

Do not substitute another tournament organizer’s procedure for the IBJJF rule. Multiple official attempts, automatic movement to a heavier class, day-before weigh-ins, morning weigh-ins, or a universal interval such as exactly 30 minutes before a match are not the supported IBJJF procedure presented here.

Likewise, do not plan around an undocumented tolerance. The supported requirement is that the athlete must not exceed the registered division’s listed maximum.

Read it again after the schedule and brackets become available.

A general chart cannot tell you:

• where the official scale will be;
• when the athlete must report;
• whether a test scale will be available;
• which garments the specific championship requires; or
• whether event instructions have been updated.

If a home scale and the official event scale produce different results, the official result determines whether the athlete made weight. That is why the maximum should be treated as a hard limit rather than a recommended target.

Changing divisions, age categories, and entering Open Class

An advance registration correction is different from a prohibited tournament-day change after missing weight.

Athletes may edit weight, age, or belt information through the IBJJF registration system until the event-specific Athlete Correction Deadline. That deadline ends at 11:59 PM in the event’s local time.

After the athlete deadline, a professor may have a separate event-specific correction window. The request must come from the professor email listed in the system. This should not be treated as a guaranteed extension for an athlete who missed the earlier deadline.

Registration Checkday generally does not create a new opportunity to request changes. Its limited correction function concerns mistakes attributed to IBJJF staff. The official championship guidance explains the athlete deadline, professor correction period, Checkday limits, birth-year rules, and available age-category movement. Review the registration and correction rules.

Age-category movement

Eligible Master athletes may register in a younger age category. For example, an eligible Master athlete may enter a younger Master category or Adult. The reverse does not apply: an Adult athlete cannot register in Master.

Children and juveniles generally must use the division associated with their birth year. Juveniles cannot move into Adult. Any limited option for a youth athlete left alone in a bracket depends on the event rules, athlete eligibility, guardian action, and applicable deadline.

These choices must be completed through the permitted registration process. They do not authorize a weigh-in official to move an athlete after an over-limit result.

Open or Absolute Class

Open Class—also called Absolute Class—is competition without a weight restriction. It is different from a regular weight division that happens to have no upper maximum.

The commonly reproduced Adult and Master tables describe Open Class as open across weight divisions. That does not mean it is automatically offered to every belt, age category, or entrant at every championship. Athletes must verify:

• whether the championship offers Open Class;
• which belts and age groups are eligible;
• whether regular-division participation is required;
• when and how registration occurs; and
• whether event-specific restrictions apply.

Open Class registration generally occurs after the athlete’s regular division finishes, although some championships require certain black-belt athletes to register in advance. Juvenile Open Class availability depends on tournament rules rather than being guaranteed. Compare the reproduced Open Class notes.

An unlimited regular division and Open Class are not identical. Men’s Ultra Heavy and women’s Super Heavy are regular divisions with no listed upper maximum in the reference tables. Open Class combines eligible competitors without applying the normal weight restrictions.

A parent-and-athlete checklist before registration and weigh-in

A short verification routine can prevent an administrative mistake from ending the athlete’s tournament.

Registration checklist

• [ ] Select the exact championship. Do not assume a generic table governs the event.
• [ ] Open the official event weight chart. Confirm that the division exists and record its maximum.
• [ ] Confirm Gi or No-Gi. The corresponding limits are different.
• [ ] Verify sex and age category. For youth athletes, use the championship’s birth-year division.
• [ ] Weigh the complete competition setup. Use the Gi for Gi and the required No-Gi uniform for No-Gi.
• [ ] Compare the result with the official maximum. The maximum is inclusive, but any amount above it is not.
• [ ] Check the registration label. Do not assume similar division names are universally interchangeable.
• [ ] Record the Athlete Correction Deadline. It ends at 11:59 PM in the event’s local time.
• [ ] Save the event chart and registration confirmation. A screenshot can help identify later mistakes.

A saved copy is a reference, not a permanent override. Reopen the championship page before travel in case the organizer has published an update.

Extra checks for juvenile families

• [ ] Confirm the athlete’s birth-year category.
• [ ] Check whether the event subdivides juvenile ages.
• [ ] Verify which weight classes are offered.
• [ ] Confirm that the registered maximum includes the competition uniform.
• [ ] Check whether a Juvenile Open Class is available.
• [ ] Read the instructions for an athlete who remains alone in a division.
• [ ] Do not assume that the athlete can move into Adult.
• [ ] Complete any permitted request before the applicable deadline.

Final-event checklist

• [ ] Recheck the athlete’s registered division.
• [ ] Reopen and read the championship’s Important Info.
• [ ] Confirm the required competition uniform.
• [ ] Find any published reporting, bullpen, or scale instructions.
• [ ] Verify the schedule and first-fight information when available.
• [ ] Measure the athlete in the complete uniform again.
• [ ] Plan to be at or below the official maximum.
• [ ] Bring any identification or registration materials specified by the event.
• [ ] Check for official updates before leaving for the venue.

General weight-class tables cannot establish an event’s weigh-in location, reporting time, test-scale availability, or exact No-Gi garment requirements when those details are absent from the championship page. Do not borrow those instructions from another tournament.

The central warning belongs at the bottom of every checklist: one official attempt, immediate disqualification if over, and no tournament-day division change or refund.

Frequently asked questions

Do Adult and Master competitors use the same IBJJF weight classes?

The commonly reproduced reference tables list the same maximums for Adult and Master competitors of the same sex and format.

Age eligibility is separate from weight. Eligible Master athletes may register in younger categories, including Adult, but Adult athletes cannot register in Master. Always verify the age and belt options offered by the specific championship.

Does the Gi or No-Gi uniform count toward the weight limit?

Yes. The maximum includes the required competition uniform. Gi athletes weigh in wearing the Gi, while No-Gi athletes weigh in wearing the No-Gi uniform.

Check the athlete’s weight in the actual complete competition setup. Do not estimate the uniform’s weight or assume every Gi weighs the same.

Do I get a second attempt or move up a division if I miss weight?

No. IBJJF provides one official opportunity before the athlete’s first fight. An athlete above the registered maximum is immediately disqualified and cannot move into a heavier division on tournament day. No refund is provided for missing weight.

Those consequences are stated in the official weigh-in instructions rather than left to automatic reclassification.

Can I change my weight class after registering?

Yes, if the edit is completed through the registration system by the championship’s Athlete Correction Deadline. Weight, age, and belt details may be edited during that period.

A professor may have a separate event-specific correction window afterward. Registration Checkday generally is not a new correction period except for mistakes attributed to IBJJF staff.

None of these advance options permits a division change after an athlete misses weight on tournament day.

Is IBJJF Open Class available to every competitor?

Not necessarily. Open or Absolute Class has no weight restriction, but availability may depend on the championship, belt, age category, and registration procedure.

Adult and Master reference tables describe Open Class as open across weight divisions, but athletes must still verify eligibility. Registration generally occurs after the regular division, although some events require certain black belts to register in advance. Juvenile availability depends on tournament rules. Review the secondary Open Class table.

Use the tables in this article as a planning tool, not the final rule. Weigh the athlete in the complete required uniform, compare that result with the specific championship chart, correct the registration before the posted deadline, and recheck Important Info before traveling.

That preparation matters because the official weigh-in offers one attempt. An over-limit result ends the athlete’s participation without a tournament-day class change or refund.