BJJ gi size calculator: your size in every major brand

Why the same gi size fits differently in every brand

Here is the number that explains this entire page: Fuji's A2 tops out at 170 lb. Tatami's A2, Kingz's A2, and Sanabul's A2 all start at 170 lb. Four charts, one label, and a 165 lb grappler is a mid-range A2 in one brand and too light for the same size in the other three.

That is not a misprint, and nobody is breaking a rule. There is no rule. The IBJJF regulates how a gi must fit your body at inspection, and says nothing about what a manufacturer prints on the label. The A-scale is a convention each brand maps onto its own pattern, its own target customer, and its own shrink philosophy.

Read that table once and the standard advice ("you're 5'10", buy an A2") falls apart. The label is the start of the question, never the answer. Size against the specific brand's chart, or let the calculator above do it against all of them at once.

How BJJ gi sizes actually work

Adult unisex and men's gis run A0 to A6 (A for adult), with A00 below and A7 to A9 above at the tails; Fuji goes to A8 off the rack. Women's cuts use F sizes (F0 to F6) with narrower shoulders, a tapered waist, and more room through the hips. Kids sizes use M at most brands, though Sanabul uses K and Elite Sports uses C, because of course they do.

Two other systems are worth knowing. Venum sells half sizes (A1.5, A2.5) for people stuck between labels. Albino & Preto skips the A-scale entirely and sizes like streetwear: S, M, L, XL, with Tall and Loose cuts.

Inside every brand's chart, one label is really carrying two measurements at once. That is the next section, and it is the single most useful idea on this page.

The two-axis problem: girth and length wear the same label

A gi has to fit two independent things: your girth (chest, shoulders, lapel wrap, thighs, driven by your weight and build) and your length (sleeves, pants, jacket skirt, driven by your height and arm span). The A-number collapses both into one integer. When your two axes agree, any chart works. When they disagree, no standard size is correct, and that is exactly when people waste money.

Fuji's own garment measurements make the axes visible. Look at A2H and A3:

A2H and A3 have an identical 67-inch cuff-to-cuff span. The A2H jacket is an inch and a half shorter in the body. Same reach, different torso. That is the whole variant system in one row of a chart: variants exist to decouple the two axes so a short, thick grappler and a tall, average one do not get forced into the same bag of fabric.

L, H, S, XL and the rest: what the suffixes mean

The catch: suffixes are brand-specific. Gameness uses F for a fitted men's cut; most brands use F for women's sizes. S means short at Tatami and slim elsewhere. Store the meaning per brand, which is what this page's data does.

Universal BJJ gi size chart (starting point only)

Averaged across the 7 brands verified on this page. Treat it as the shape of the market, not a promise from any one brand; the brand tables below are the real answer.

Gi size charts by brand

Every chart below was read from the brand's own published size guide on the date shown, converted where the brand publishes only one unit system. Charts marked secondary come from a named third party and are queued for re-verification; nothing on this page is copied from another size-guide article, because two of the ranking ones currently contradict their own brands' charts.

Cross-brand conversion: your size in one brand vs the rest

"I wear an A2 in Tatami, what am I in Fuji?" is the question gym locker rooms actually ask, and the answer is computed below from each brand's own chart, not eyeballed. Bold means the body sits cleanly inside the brand's published range.

* closest size, but this body sits outside the brand's published range for it. Computed from each brand's own chart; the calculator above personalizes this to your exact measurements.

Two patterns worth noticing. Fuji sizes people up a label sooner than everyone else, because its bands are set low. And Sanabul sits a full label below the market: the 6'0", 200 lb grappler who wears A3 nearly everywhere is inside Sanabul's A2 band. That is what "runs large" means in numbers.

How to measure yourself for a gi

Five measurements, five minutes, and you will never need to guess at a boundary again. Height and weight get you 80% of the way; arm span, chest, and inseam settle the variant calls.

1. Measure your height without shoes. Stand flat against a wall, heels touching it, and measure floor to crown. Every chart on this page keys off barefoot height, so shoes add a false inch that can push you across a size boundary.
2. Weigh yourself in the morning. Use your stable walking weight, post-bathroom and pre-breakfast, not a post-training low or a weekend high. If you plan to cut for competition, size the gi for the weight you train at.
3. Measure your arm span, fingertip to fingertip. Arms straight out to the sides, palms forward. Have someone measure fingertip to fingertip. If your span beats your height by more than 5 cm (about 2 inches), lean toward Long cuts; if it trails your height, avoid them.
4. Measure your chest at the widest point. Tape around the fullest part of your chest, under the armpits, arms relaxed. This settles Husky-vs-standard calls that height and weight alone cannot, especially for lifters with a barrel chest at a normal weight.
5. Measure your inseam. Floor to crotch, standing straight. Gi pants should end within 2 cm of the ankle bone for IBJJF competition, so a long or short inseam relative to your height is exactly the thing that turns a standard size into an L or an S.

How much do BJJ gis shrink?

Between 1% and 8% of linear length, and the spread depends on three things: how the fabric was treated, how you wash it, and what color it is. "Preshrunk" on a product page is a spectrum, not a binary, and the same brand often ships both kinds.

Linear shrink on jacket and pant length, compiled from the Kingz, Fuji, Hyperfly, and Shoyoroll care pages. White gis shrink about one point more than these figures; black and blue about half a point less, because the dye process already exposed the fabric to heat.

The color detail surprises people: dyed fabric shrinks less than white because the dye process already ran the cotton through heat. Shoyoroll publishes exactly this, estimating 1 to 3 inches of shrink on white gis against 1 to 2 on black or blue.

Why this table sits on a sizing page: a 5% shrink on a 31-inch jacket is an inch and a half. A sleeve that passed inspection new can fail after twenty hot washes. The calculator above bakes your stated wash habits into the recommendation instead of pretending the gi you buy stays the gi you own.

To keep a gi its size: cold wash, hang dry, out of the sun, no bleach. To shrink one on purpose: warm wash, then short bursts in a medium dryer, checking sleeve length against your wrist every 10 minutes. Shrink is much easier to add than to undo.

IBJJF gi rules: the 2 cm standard most guides get wrong

The current IBJJF uniform standard allows the sleeve to end no more than 2 cm from the wrist and the pants no more than 2 cm above the ankle bone. The tolerance tightened from 5 cm effective after the 2024 Gi World Championships, and a surprising number of currently ranking size guides still publish the old 5 cm figure. If you compete, that stale number is exactly enough to buy a gi that fails inspection.

Verified against the IBJJF uniform page on 2026-08-28. Two practical notes from the competition floor. First, you weigh in wearing the gi, minutes before your first match at IBJJF events, so your cut and your kimono are one decision; our weight cut calculator handles that half. Second, fabric matters at the model level: Hyperfly's 270 GSM Starlyte is not IBJJF legal while the 350 GSM Hyperlyte is, and an inspector can also reject any gi for being wet, torn, or smelling bad, no measurements required.

Tall and lean, or short and stocky: buy the variant, not the compromise

Tall and lean (span at or above height, weight in a lower band): your size is the girth label with an L, and the brands that cut a real one are Fuji, Tatami, Hyperfly, Gold BJJ, Kingz, and 93brand. Tatami's A2XL and 93brand's A1XL go a step further, adding 8 cm of pant and wingspan for the very tall and light. Sizing up a standard cut instead buys you a tent with long sleeves.

Short and stocky (weight a band or two above height): the H cut is the same trade in reverse, base length with a wider chest, shoulder, and thigh. Gold BJJ's H column is the deepest in the verified set, with A2H covering 185 to 260 lb. Fuji's A2H fits 170 to 190 lb at 5'5" to 5'9", which would be an unbuyable body in most standard charts.

If your axes sit two or more sizes apart, stop forcing it: Origin sells jackets and pants in separate sizes, which solves the problem instead of splitting the difference. The calculator flags exactly this case when it sees it.

Women's gi sizes: the F scale, explained with real charts

Women's sizing is where most guides wave a hand. Here are actual verified numbers: Tatami publishes twelve women's sizes (F1 to F6 with Long and Curvy variants), Hyperfly publishes five, and 93brand publishes seven including a wider F2H. The F cut narrows the shoulders, shortens the torso, and tapers the waist against the equivalent A size.

Tatami's Curvy variants are the detail worth knowing: F2C and F3C add 5 cm of chest and 4 cm of hip on the base size without adding length. And Hyperfly says plainly that its F sizes are cut for slender builds, recommending unisex A sizes for athletes with a stronger lower body. Rough equivalence runs about two labels apart: an F4 body lands near a men's A1 to A2, but the cut, not the number, is the reason to choose the F chart.

The full women's charts are in the Tatami, Hyperfly, and 93brand sections above, and the calculator has a dedicated women's mode that scores against all three.

Kids gi sizes: buy by height, and do not oversize

Kids charts key off height, not weight, because two healthy nine-year-olds can be 30 lb apart. Most brands run an M scale (M000 to M4); Sanabul uses K0 to K3 starting at 3'1" and 30 lb; Elite Sports runs C000 to C3.

One rule matters more than the chart: size up one at most. An oversized kids gi is not a value buy, it is a safety issue, because loose sleeves and skirts catch small fingers and toes mid-round. Kids typically move into adult A0 or A1 between 14 and 16. For specific kid-tested picks, our kids gi guide covers the brands worth buying.

Weave, GSM, and what your money actually buys

Price does not change your size, and a budget filter that pretends otherwise is lying to you. What price buys is fabric treatment, and fabric treatment changes your shrink risk, which is why the calculator asks how you wash instead of what you spend.

GSM is fabric weight in grams per square meter. Roughly 80% of the market is pearl weave: 350 to 450 GSM is the competition-and-hot-gym zone, 450 is the all-purpose default, 550 is the durable winter tank. IBJJF has no GSM rule for adult gis (the requirement is about weave and thickness), but individual models can still miss the bar, like the 270 GSM Starlyte. Budget cotton skews less treated and shrinks more; premium gis skew preshrunk and true to size. Buy the cheap gi, just size it like a Sanabul, not like a Tatami.

The five gi sizing mistakes that cost people money

1. Ordering your usual A2 in a new brand. The single most common mistake, and the entire reason this page exists. At the same height and weight, verified charts put you anywhere from A1 to A3 depending on brand.
2. Sizing up a preshrunk gi "for shrinkage." Tatami, Venum, and Kingz Ultralight lose 1 to 2%. Your sized-up jacket stays a size up forever, and every opponent gets free lapel grips.
3. Ordering your Fuji size at Sanabul. Sanabul is cut a full label larger on purpose. Their own guidance is size down when in doubt and shrink to fit.
4. Buying a standard cut when your body needs a variant. If your span beats your height by 2 inches, or your weight sits two bands above your height, the L or H exists specifically for you and costs the same.
5. Sizing for the tournament, checking nothing after washing. The 2 cm sleeve rule is checked on the gi you show up in, not the one that left the warehouse. Re-check sleeve and pant length against your wrist and ankle after the first five washes.

Gi sizing FAQ

What size BJJ gi should I get for my height and weight?

Most men 5'8" to 6'0" and 155 to 195 lb land in an A2 family, but the honest answer is brand-specific: at 5'9" and 175 lb you are an A3 at Fuji, an A2 at Tatami and Kingz, and an A1 at Sanabul. Use the calculator above for your exact body.

Are BJJ gi sizes the same across brands?

No. The A-scale is a labeling convention, not a standard, and no governing body regulates what a manufacturer prints on the tag. Fuji's A2 ends at 170 lb; Tatami's, Kingz's, and Sanabul's A2 all start at 170 lb. Always size from the specific brand's chart.

What is the difference between A2, A2L, and A2H?

Same torso, different geometry. A2L keeps the A2 body and adds sleeve and pant length (roughly 3 to 4 cm at Tatami) for tall, lean builds. A2H keeps the A2 length and widens the chest, shoulders, and thighs for short, thick builds.

Should I pick my gi size by height or by weight?

The brands themselves disagree, which is why one universal rule fails. Kingz says weight first, because weight drives how the jacket wraps. Hyperfly and Venum say height first. Fuji says take the larger size when the two disagree. This calculator applies each brand's own rule.

How should a new BJJ gi fit?

Sleeves within about 2 cm of the wrist with arms extended, pants at the ankle bone, jacket covering the buttocks, and enough shoulder room to reach across your body without the lapel strangling you. Snug beats baggy: excess fabric is free grips for your opponent.

How much will a preshrunk gi shrink?

Preshrunk is a spectrum, not a guarantee. Fully preshrunk gis still lose about 1 to 2% of length; partially treated pearl weave loses 3 to 5% with heat. On a 78 cm jacket, 5% is 4 cm, enough to turn a legal sleeve into a failed inspection.

Does Sanabul run big or small?

Big, on purpose. Sanabul says its gis run larger than most brands so buyers can shrink them to preference with a hot wash. Their own fit test: if the cuff sits more than 3 inches past your wrist bone, return it unwashed and size down.

Does Shoyoroll run big or small?

Big. Shoyoroll cuts larger than average to absorb shrink over the gi's life and recommends sizing down for a fitted feel. Sizing also varies batch to batch, which is why no calculator, including this one, should claim high confidence on a Shoyoroll.

What are the IBJJF gi rules for sleeves and pants?

Sleeves must end no more than 2 cm from the wrist with arms extended parallel to the floor, and pants no more than 2 cm above the ankle bone. The tolerance tightened from 5 cm after the 2024 Gi Worlds, and many size guides still publish the old number.

What does A1.5 mean in gi sizing?

A half size between A1 and A2, currently offered only by Venum among mainstream brands. Half sizes exist because Venum cuts slim and sizes by height; A1.5 covers roughly 5'4" to 5'6". If you are stuck between labels elsewhere, a half size is one clean escape.

What size gi should I buy for a kid?

Size kids gis by height, not age or weight; builds vary too much at any age. Size up one at most: an oversized kids gi is a safety issue, because loose fabric catches small fingers and toes during rounds. Kids typically move to adult A0 or A1 around 14 to 16.

Can women wear men's gi sizes?

Yes, and many do, but the cut is the tradeoff: men's jackets run wider in the shoulder and boxier in the torso. F sizes narrow the shoulders and taper the waist. Tatami's curvy (C) cuts add 5 cm of chest and 4 cm of hip on the base F size.

Should I size up so my gi lasts through shrinking?

Only if the gi actually shrinks. Sizing up a fully preshrunk gi (Tatami, Venum, Kingz Ultralight) leaves you swimming in fabric forever. Sizing up works for minimally treated gis like Sanabul, which are built for it. Match the strategy to the fabric, not folklore.

Why does my A2 from one brand fit differently than my A2 from another?

Because the label is marketing shorthand for a pattern only that brand uses. Between two A2s you can see a 20 lb difference in target weight, 3 cm of sleeve, and a completely different chest cut. The cross-brand table above translates your size between brands.

Methodology and sources

Every number on this page comes from the source listed below, read on the date shown. Charts sourced secondhand are labeled that way and queued for re-verification. Charts are re-checked quarterly.