Sizing
A1L Gi Size: Who It Fits and How It Differs from A1
Updated
Short answer: A1L fits 168–180 cm (5'6"–5'11") and 61–75 kg (134–165 lb). The L is for Long: it's an A1 through the body with longer sleeves and longer trousers. If an A1 fits your chest but stops halfway up your forearm, A1L is the size you were looking for.
A1L against its neighbours
Three sizes cover overlapping bodies. The difference is shape, not just scale.
| Size | Cut | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Standard | 163–173 cm | 64–75 kg |
| A1L | Long | 168–180 cm | 61–75 kg |
| A1W | Wide | 163–173 cm | 73–88 kg |
| A2 | Standard | 173–183 cm | 75–88 kg |
Read the weight column and the whole thing clicks. A1L carries the same weight range as A1 across seven more centimetres of height. It is the size for someone who is tall for what they weigh. At 176 cm and 70 kg you are off the end of the A1 height band and under the A2 weight band, and that gap is exactly where people end up buying a gi that is wrong in one direction or the other.
How to know it's you
The tell is what your last gi did wrong. Three failures, three different answers.
The jacket fit across the chest and shoulders, but the sleeves sat high on your forearm and the trousers cleared your ankle bone. You sized right for your weight and wrong for your frame. You want A1L.
The jacket pulled when you posted up or framed. The problem is width, not length, and adding length won't fix it. You want A1W.
Nothing gripped and you swam in it. That isn't the wrong cut, it's the wrong size. You were in an A2 that should have been an A1.
Is A1L you?
Two numbers and we’ll tell you straight, including when the answer is a different size.
What “Long” actually adds, in centimetres
Brands say “longer sleeves” and leave you to guess. Here is the finished gi, measured flat. Wingspan is cuff to cuff, jacket length is collar to hem, chest is laid flat and doubled in wear.
| Measurement | A1 | A1L | A1W | A2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacket wingspan | 162 cm | 170 cm | 162 cm | 170 cm |
| Jacket length | 76 cm | 80 cm | 76 cm | 80 cm |
| Jacket chest | 54 cm | 54 cm | 58 cm | 58 cm |
| Trouser length | 94 cm | 99 cm | 94 cm | 99 cm |
| Trouser waist | 54 cm | 54 cm | 56 cm | 56 cm |
Read across the chest row. A1L is an A1 with 8 cm more wingspan and 4 cm more jacket length, and exactly the same chest and waist. That is the entire difference. Nothing gets wider.
The other two columns fall out of the same logic. A1W leaves every length alone and adds 4 cm of chest. A2 adds both, which is why sizing up to an A2 to fix short sleeves works and also leaves you with a jacket that's 4 cm loose across the chest you didn't ask for.
Most people are not a plain A-size
Worth knowing before you order anything.
of the gis we shipped in the two months to 11 September 2026 went out in something other than a plain A-size — Long, Wide, Fitted, the women’s F-series, kids, or a jacket and trousers in two different sizes. Plain A0 through A5 was the other 38 %.
That is our own order data, not an industry figure, and it is the argument for the four cuts existing at all. The standard A-series was never designed around real bodies; it was designed around a chart. If you have been assuming you're an A1 because that's what the chart said, there is a decent chance you are an A1L and nobody ever told you.
If A1L is still not quite it
Two things you can do that most gis don't allow.
Mix the sizes. You can order the jacket in one size and the trousers in another — an A1 jacket with A2W trousers, say, or an A1L jacket with A1 trousers. It's the single most-used option we have after A0 — about one gi in six leaves us with the jacket and trousers in different sizes. Pick "Mixed / Women sizes" on the gi page and write the two sizes in.
Have it made. If no combination on the chart works, custom sizing is $189 and is cut to your measurements.
Between A1 and A1L
The two bands overlap between 168 and 173 cm, and if you land in there the chart can’t decide for you. Your arms have to.
Take the A1L if you have ever pushed a sleeve up mid-roll to free your wrist, or if you’re at the top of that range. Length is the thing you can’t fix later — a gi that runs slightly long settles with washing, a gi that runs short stays short and can fail you at weigh-in. Take the A1 if you’re at the bottom of the range and length has never been your problem; the A1L will swim on you and you’ll spend every round dragging your own sleeve back down.
If neither is right, don’t settle for the nearer wrong one. An A1L jacket with A1 trousers is a normal order here, not a special request.
Is A1L IBJJF legal?
Size has nothing to do with legality, but fit does. The IBJJF measures sleeve and trouser length against your wrist and ankle with your arm extended, and a gi that's too short fails at weigh-in. That's the failure mode A1L exists to prevent. The full requirements cover colour, fabric and the measurement rules.
Frequently asked questions
- What does A1L mean in gi sizes?
- A1L is the Long cut of an A1. Same body dimensions as an A1, with longer sleeves and longer trousers. On our chart it fits 168–180 cm and 61–75 kg, against 163–173 cm and 64–75 kg for a standard A1.
- What height and weight is an A1L gi?
- 168–180 cm (5'6" to 5'11") and 61–75 kg (134–165 lb). Note that the weight range is the same as A1 while the height range is higher, because A1L is built for people who are tall for their weight.
- A1 or A1L, which should I get?
- Go by what your last gi got wrong. Sleeves ending high on the forearm and trousers well clear of the ankle mean you want A1L. A jacket that pulled tight across the back means you want A1W instead. A jacket you swam in means you were in too big a size, not the wrong cut.
- How much longer is an A1L than an A1?
- 8 cm more jacket wingspan (170 cm against 162 cm), 4 cm more jacket length (80 cm against 76 cm) and 5 cm more trouser length (99 cm against 94 cm). Chest and waist are identical at 54 cm, so an A1L is an A1 with length added and nothing widened. Measurements are the finished All Around gi, laid flat.
- Is A1L the same as A2?
- No. They share a wingspan and length (170 cm and 80 cm) but A2 is 4 cm wider in the chest and 2 cm wider in the waist. A2 is for 173–183 cm and 75–88 kg; A1L is for 168–180 cm and 61–75 kg. Someone at 176 cm and 70 kg is above the A1 height range and below the A2 weight range, which is the gap A1L covers.
- Can I order an A1L jacket with different trousers?
- Yes. All Around gis can be ordered with the jacket and trousers in different sizes — pick "Mixed / Women sizes" on the gi page and write both sizes in. About one gi in six that we ship is ordered this way.