Climbing Grades Explained: V-Scale, French & YDS

Climbing grades are numbers and letters that rate how hard a route or boulder is. Bouldering uses the V-scale (V0 to V17). Roped sport climbing uses French grades (4 to 9c) or the American Yosemite Decimal System / YDS (5.0 to 5.15). Higher numbers mean harder climbs. Most beginners start around V0-V1 or 5.6-5.8.

If you have ever stood at the base of an indoor wall in Singapore squinting at a coloured tag that says “V3” or “6a+”, you are not alone. Grades look cryptic at first, but they follow a simple logic once you know which system you are reading. This guide breaks down the three you will actually encounter, gives you a conversion table, and tells you honestly where a first-timer lands.

What do climbing grades measure?

A grade is one climber’s opinion of how physically difficult a climb is, agreed on by the community over time. It bundles together how small the holds are, how steep the wall is, how far apart the moves are, and how much strength or technique a single move demands.

Two things are worth knowing up front:

• Grades are subjective. A V4 at one gym can feel like a V5 at another. Indoor setters in Singapore grade their own walls, so treat numbers as a guide, not gospel.
• Bouldering and roped climbing use different scales. This is the single biggest source of confusion. A “V” number is never the same thing as a “5.” number or a “6a.” Keep them in separate mental boxes.

The V-scale (bouldering)

Bouldering is short, hard climbing on low walls over thick mats, with no rope. It uses the V-scale, invented by American climber John “Vermin” Sherman.

• It runs from V0 (easiest) to V17 (among the hardest boulders climbed).
• There is sometimes a VB (“V-Beginner” or “V-Basic”) below V0 for absolute starters.
• The scale is open-ended at the top - as climbers get stronger, new top grades get added.

The V-scale is what you will see most often at indoor bouldering gyms, because bouldering is the most accessible way to start. No belay partner, no harness, just shoes and chalk.

Europe uses a parallel bouldering system called the Font scale (Fontainebleau), written like “6A+” or “7B.” It looks similar to French sport grades but is a separate bouldering scale - another reason to check which system a gym uses before comparing your numbers to a friend’s.

French sport grades (roped climbing)

French grades rate roped routes - taller climbs where you clip into protection and a partner belays you. This system is the global standard for sport climbing and is common on Singapore’s taller indoor lead and top-rope walls.

• Grades start around 3 or 4 and climb through 5, 6, 7, 8 to 9c.
• From grade 6 upward, letters and a plus sign add precision: 6a, 6a+, 6b, 6b+, 6c, 6c+, then 7a, and so on.
• So the difficulty ladder goes 5c → 6a → 6a+ → 6b → … Each step is a small jump.

French grades are not the same as Font bouldering grades even though both use numbers and letters. Context tells you which is which: a rope wall uses French sport grades; a boulder problem uses Font or V.

YDS - the Yosemite Decimal System

The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is the American way to grade roped climbs. You will meet it in guidebooks, on imported route tags, and on climbing apps.

• Technical rock climbing sits in the “Class 5” range, written as 5.0 up to 5.15.
• The number after the decimal is the difficulty, not a fraction - 5.10 is harder than 5.9, not “5 point 1.”
• From 5.10 up, letters split each grade into four: 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, then 5.11a, and so on.

YDS and French grades describe the same kind of roped climbing, so they convert cleanly between each other. The V-scale is the odd one out because it covers a different discipline.

Climbing grades conversion table

Use this to translate between systems. Conversions are approximate - grades are opinions, not measurements - but this is the widely accepted mapping.

Bouldering (V-scale)	Sport - French	Sport - YDS	Rough difficulty
VB / V0	4 - 5a	5.5 - 5.8	Beginner
V1	5b - 5c	5.9 - 5.10a	Beginner+
V2	6a	5.10b - 5.10c	Improver
V3	6a+ - 6b	5.10d - 5.11b	Intermediate
V4	6b+ - 6c	5.11c - 5.11d	Intermediate
V5	6c+ - 7a	5.12a - 5.12b	Advanced
V6	7a+	5.12c	Advanced
V7	7b	5.12d - 5.13a	Strong
V8	7b+	5.13b	Strong
V10	7c+ - 8a	5.13d - 5.14a	Elite

The V-to-rope conversions are looser than the French-to-YDS ones, because a single boulder move and a long roped route are genuinely different challenges.

What grade do beginners start at?

Honest answer: lower than you would expect, and that is completely normal.

1. First bouldering session: expect to top out VB to V1 problems. Many gyms colour-code starter routes; ask staff which colour is easiest.
2. First roped climb: you will likely top-rope something around French 4-5a or YDS 5.6-5.8.
3. After a few months of regular climbing: V2-V3 bouldering or 6a sport climbing is a realistic, satisfying target.
4. Plateaus are normal. Progress is not linear - you might sit at V3 for weeks, then jump two grades in one session as technique clicks.

Singapore’s indoor climate makes year-round training easy, so consistency, not raw strength, is what moves your grade. New climbers at venues like Super Arena in Clementi typically spend their first few visits on VB-V2 walls before pushing higher - exactly as they should.

Worried about safety, shoes, or what to wear on day one? That belongs in our beginner’s guide rather than here - start with the rock climbing for beginners article, then come back to chase grades.

Key takeaways

• V-scale = bouldering; French and YDS = roped climbing. Never compare a V number directly to a 6a or 5.10.
• Higher numbers mean harder; from grade 6 (French) or 5.10 (YDS) up, letters fine-tune the difficulty.
• Grades are subjective and vary between gyms - use them as a guide, not a verdict on your ability.
• Beginners start around V0-V1 or 5.6-5.8, and that is exactly where you should be.