US Hwa Rang Kwan
Belt order is not the same in every martial art. It depends on the organization. The 2026–2027 ATA Tournament Rules list these belt colors: white, orange, yellow, camo, green, purple, blue, brown, red, red/black and black. Kukkiwon's taekwondo ranking system consists of poom (1st to 4th) and dan (1st to 9th). In Kumdo, the Korea Kumdo Association's rules rank students by geup and dan, not by belt color: from 9th geup to 1st geup, then from 1st dan to 9th dan.
Is there one belt order for all martial arts?
The official lists do not match. ATA Martial Arts' 2026–2027 Tournament Rules permit eleven belt colors, including camo and purple. At its 2023 national championships, USA Taekwondo used four color belt names for its divisions (yellow, green, blue and red) plus black belt.
Kukkiwon, based in Seoul, describes three kinds of promotion tests. Geup promotion tests are run by taekwondo instructors for taekwondo students at the dojang. Poom tests are for people under 15, and dan tests are for people 15 and older.
What is the taekwondo belt order?
The 2026–2027 ATA Tournament Rules permit these belt colors, listed here as the rules list them:
- White
- Orange
- Yellow
- Camo
- Green
- Purple
- Blue
- Brown
- Red
- Red/black
- Black
The same rules note that some ATA licensees use plain black belts instead of red/black belts for recommended black belt ranks. An ATA program manual explains that its Classic Rank system comprises ten belt colors and that each color has two levels, called recommended and decided. ATA grades count down from 9th Grade to 1st Grade, and 1st Degree Black Belt comes next.
USA Taekwondo's 2023 National Championship information packet lists divisions for yellow, green, blue, red and black belts. The packet also pairs the colors with geup ranks: yellow for 7th and 8th geup, green for 5th and 6th geup, blue for 3rd and 4th geup, and red for 1st and 2nd geup. Its athlete registration page says an athlete's belt color must be a yellow belt or higher to participate.
How many black belt degrees are there in taekwondo?
Kukkiwon says its ranking system consists of poom, from 1st poom to 4th poom, and dan, from 1st dan to 9th dan. Poom tests are for people under 15, and the 4th poom test is for people under 18. A holder of 1st to 3rd poom who has turned 15 can apply to have the rank converted to dan.
Kukkiwon's promotion test rules, last revised on June 1, 2026, set a minimum time between dan ranks:
- 1st dan to 2nd dan: 1 year
- 2nd dan to 3rd dan: 2 years
- 3rd dan to 4th dan: 3 years
- 4th dan to 5th dan: 4 years
- 5th dan to 6th dan: 5 years
- 6th dan to 7th dan: 6 years
- 7th dan to 8th dan: 8 years
- 8th dan to 9th dan: 9 years
Those waiting periods add up to 38 years. For applicants who started at dan, the same table sets minimum ages of 15 for 1st dan, 16 for 2nd dan, 18 for 3rd dan, 21 for 4th dan, 25 for 5th dan, 30 for 6th dan, 36 for 7th dan, 44 for 8th dan and 53 for 9th dan.
Kukkiwon says it set up this system after the taekwondo academies were unified on August 5, 1978, and that it has issued more than 12 million poom and dan certificates. Only holders of Kukkiwon-certified poom and dan ranks are eligible to compete in international competitions organized by World Taekwondo.
Does Kumdo use belts?
Kumdo is the Korean sword martial art. The Korea Kumdo Association's grading rules name two kinds of rank: geup, from 9th geup up to 1st geup, and dan, from 1st dan to 9th dan. The association names the uniform, the armor, the bamboo sword and the wooden sword among Kumdo's equipment, and that list does not include a belt.
The rules set the starting geup by age. A student under 12 starts at 9th geup, a student aged 12 to under 15 starts at 7th geup, and a student 15 or older starts at 5th geup. Geup is recognized by the city or provincial Kumdo association, and dan is awarded by the Korea Kumdo Association itself.
The 1st dan test can be taken at least 3 months after 1st geup, and the minimum age is 13. Students aged 9 to under 13 can earn a junior 1st dan, which becomes a regular 1st dan at age 13 with no extra procedure. The association says that a student who practices steadily for about a year, averaging an hour a day, can earn 1st dan.
In a Kumdo match, the two players are told apart by a red or a white ribbon tied to the armor strings.
For the full ladder, see how Kumdo dan and geup grades work and what equipment is used in Kumdo.
Is a black belt the end of training?
ATA Martial Arts writes that the black belt is traditionally seen as the end goal, but that it views the black belt as a significant milestone, not an ending point. In Kukkiwon taekwondo and in Kumdo, 1st dan is the first of nine dan ranks.
FAQ
What are the taekwondo belts in order?
It depends on the organization. The 2026–2027 ATA Tournament Rules list white, orange, yellow, camo, green, purple, blue, brown, red, red/black and black. USA Taekwondo's 2023 national championship divisions used yellow, green, blue, red and black.
How many black belt degrees are there?
Kukkiwon taekwondo has nine dan ranks, from 1st dan to 9th dan, plus four poom ranks for younger students. Kumdo, which is ranked by geup and dan, also has nine dan ranks under the Korea Kumdo Association.
Can a child get a black belt?
In Kukkiwon taekwondo, people under 15 test for poom ranks, not dan ranks. In Kumdo, students aged 9 to under 13 can earn a junior 1st dan, and the minimum age for a regular 1st dan is 13.
Does Kumdo have a black belt?
The Korea Kumdo Association's rules rank Kumdo students by geup and dan, not by belt color. The rank that follows 1st geup is 1st dan, and dan ranks continue up to 9th dan.
How long does it take to reach 1st dan in Kumdo?
The Korea Kumdo Association says about one year of steady practice, averaging one hour a day. The 1st dan test can be taken at least 3 months after 1st geup, at age 13 or older.
Learn Kumdo at US Hwa Rang Kwan
US Hwa Rang Kwan Kumdo is certified by the Korea Kumdo Association and has been teaching Kumdo in Virginia for more than 30 years. Classes are for students 7 years and older in Chantilly, Virginia and Ellicott City, Maryland. New students at the Chantilly, VA dojang can start with 3 semi-private lessons for $19.99. For Ellicott City, please contact us before you visit. New to the art? Start with what Kumdo is.
Sources
- Kukkiwon: Taekwondo Poom and Dan Promotion Test
- Kukkiwon: Poom and Dan Promotion Tests (in Korean)
- Kukkiwon: Taekwondo Promotion Test Rules, revised June 1, 2026 (in Korean)
- ATA Martial Arts: ATA Tournament Rules for 2026–2027
- ATA Martial Arts: Martial Arts Kids (MAK) program manual
- USA Taekwondo: 2023 United States National Championship Info Packet
- USA Taekwondo: Athlete Registration
- Korea Kumdo Association: Grading Rules (in Korean)
- Korea Kumdo Association: Junior Dan Rules (in Korean)
- Korea Kumdo Association: Match and Referee Rules (in Korean)
- Korea Kumdo Association: About Kumdo (in Korean)
