IBJJF Gi Requirements: Is Your Gi Competition-Legal?

Short answer: an IBJJF-legal gi must be a single solid color — white, royal blue, or black — in cotton or a cotton-like weave that isn't too thick to grip, with the jacket, pants, and collar all the same color, and sleeves and pants that pass the measurement check.

Get any one of those wrong and a referee can bench you at weigh-in, no matter how good your jiu-jitsu is. Rules get tweaked, so always confirm against the current rulebook at ibjjf.com before a tournament. Below: each rule, the part that catches people out, and a checklist you can run at home.

Legal colors (this is what most people get wrong)

• Is a white gi legal? Yes.
• Is a royal blue gi legal? Yes — but it has to be royal blue, not navy or light blue.
• Is a black gi legal? Yes.

That's the whole list: white, royal blue, black. No grey, no navy, no camo, no two-tone. The rulebook also checks that the jacket and pants are the same color and that the collar matches the jacket, so a contrast collar is exactly what the inspector is looking for.

Every gi of ours that passes the check sits in the Comp-Ready section: the plain ones, and a few of the loud ones in black.

Fabric and weight

The gi has to be cotton or a cotton-like weave, in good condition, and not so thick or hard that it stops your opponent gripping — that last part is the real rule. There's no official GSM number in the rulebook; the requirement is about weave and thickness. In practice, standard weights (roughly 350–550 GSM) pass fine, and a pearl weave is the safe default. Our gis are 450 GSM pearl weave, pre-shrunk — comfortably inside that range, light enough to make weight, durable enough to survive the bracket. Every IBJJF weight limit includes the gi, so weigh yourself in it: the divisions are in our IBJJF weight classes guide.

The fit rules that fail people at weigh-in

Referees physically measure your gi with a marked tool. The exact checks:

• Jacket reaches your thigh.
• Sleeves come within 2 cm of your wrist with your arm extended straight out — and the sleeve opening is at least 7 cm wide.
• Pants reach within 2 cm of your ankle bone.
• Collar no wider than 5 cm and no thicker than 1.3 cm.

This is the most common reason a gi that's "legal on paper" gets rejected: it's been shrunk past the 2 cm line, or it never fit right to begin with. If you're between sizes or long-limbed, a too-short sleeve is an instant fail — which is why getting the size right (or ordering custom) matters before comp day, not the night before.

Patch rules: where patches can go

Patches are allowed, but only in the authorized regions drawn in the IBJJF rulebook, and they have to be cotton and properly sewn on. No stick-ons. At the check, inspectors remove any patch that isn't sewn down or sits outside those regions.

Paint is stricter. The rulebook bans painted gis unless the paint is an academy or sponsor logo. Sewing on your academy's patches yourself? Lay the gi next to the diagram in the current rulebook before the first stitch, not after.

The belt and the state of the gi

Your belt has to match your actual rank and be tied properly. The gi gets a once-over too: no tears, no mending, not wet or dirty, no smell. A knee you've stitched back together counts as mending.

How to check any gi before a tournament

A tape measure and a teammate. Do it a week out, after the gi has been washed and dried the way it will be on the day. Shrinking is how a gi that passed in the shop fails at weigh-in, so the check you did on the new gi doesn't count. Ours are pre-shrunk. Check anyway.

1. Check the color in daylight. White, royal blue or black. Blue has to be royal blue: navy and light blue don't meet the rule. Look at it outside, not under gym lights.
2. Look for a second color. Jacket and pants have to be the same color, and the collar has to match the jacket. A contrast collar, panel or pair of pants is exactly what the check looks for. If yours has contrast stitching or trim, read the current rulebook before you rely on it.
3. Measure the sleeves with your arm out. Jacket on, one arm held straight out and parallel to the floor. Have a teammate measure from the end of the sleeve to your wrist: 2 cm or less. The sleeve opening has to be at least 7 cm wide.
4. Measure the pants standing up. Barefoot, standing straight. The hem has to reach within 2 cm of your ankle bone.
5. Check the jacket and collar. The jacket reaches your thigh. The collar is no wider than 5 cm and the lapel no thicker than 1.3 cm. A ruler settles it.
6. Check every patch. Cotton, properly sewn on, and inside the regions drawn in the IBJJF rulebook. No stick-ons. Inspectors remove any patch that isn't sewn down or sits outside those regions.
7. Check the fabric and its condition. Cotton or a cotton-like weave, not so thick or stiff that nobody can grip it. No tears, no mending. Bring it clean and dry.

IBJJF also sells a Gi Checker gauge through its shop, if you'd rather check the collar, lapel and sleeve opening with a gauge than a ruler.

The bottom line

For competition, keep it simple: a solid white, royal blue, or black gi, sized so the sleeves and pants pass the 2 cm check, patches sewn only where the rulebook allows, in good condition. Run the checklist a week out, after a wash. The night before is too late to fix a short sleeve.