Your first judogi: sizing, weight and approval

Start with your club

Ask your club what to wear before you buy. British Judo's contest rules apply at its licensed events, not to club training. If you plan to compete, an event's entry form may set some kit requirements, such as whether you need a blue judogi as well as a white one.

A judogi is a jacket and a pair of trousers, worn with a belt. The IJF's Sport and Organisation Rules (version 14 August 2026) and British Judo's Contest Rules (version 23 March 2026) both define it that way.

Fabric weight and weave

Makers describe a judogi's fabric by its weight and weave, but not every maker states both. Fighting Films gives a weight of 450gsm for its 100% cotton Red Label club suit. Fighting Films describes its Black Label 600 as a semi-double weave designed for everyday use.

Don't read a weight from a model name. The 600 and 750 in Fighting Films' Black Label 600 and Superstar 750 are model numbers. Fighting Films states no fabric weight for either, so we show both weights as not confirmed.

The IJF's Judogi Manufacturing Regulation (version March 2026) sets the fabric rules a judogi must meet to be certified for the IJF label. It says:

• the fabric "should not be too thick, too stiff or too slippery", so that the opponent can grip it;
• the fabric must be cotton or a cotton blend with more than 70% cotton, with other fibres making up less than 30%;
• a new jacket's fabric must weigh between 650 and 750 g/m² after washing and drying, with a 5% tolerance;
• the upper part of the jacket must be a sashiko ("rice grain") weave.

The regulation also notes that synthetic fibres make the fabric stronger and lighter, but that using a lot of them makes it less sweat-absorbent.

A maker's published blend may not match these figures exactly. Fighting Films gives 70% cotton and 30% polyester for its Superstar 750, while the regulation's figure is more than 70% cotton. Approval is shown by the IJF label, not by the stated blend, so look for the label.

Sizing and shrinkage

Judogi are sized by height in centimetres. Some makers add a fit:

• Fighting Films sells its Black Label 600 in a standard fit (S/F) or a wide fit (W/F);
• Fighting Films lists its Superstar 750 in standard (S/F), large (L/F) and wide (W/F) fits;
• Essimo sells its IJF Gold as a Regular or a Slim Fit model.

Check the maker's own size chart before you order.

Cotton shrinks, and makers' figures differ. Fighting Films states approximate shrinkage for each model:

• about 6% for the 100% cotton Red Label;
• about 3% for the 100% cotton Black Label 600;
• about 2% for the cotton-polyester Superstar 750.

Essimo advises ordering its cotton suits 5cm above your height, or 10cm for children who are growing fast. It says its preshrunk IJF Gold should be ordered at your actual height.

How the fit is checked in competition

At IJF events, the judogi control (the official kit check) checks, under the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules (Appendix C1.10), that:

• the sleeves cover the whole arm, including the wrist bone;
• the jacket's skirt covers the buttocks completely: at least 20cm below the belt in the lighter categories (women up to -70kg, men up to -73kg) and 25cm in the heavier ones;
• the trousers end no more than 5cm above the ankle bone.

British Judo's Amendments (effective 6 July 2026) set the sleeve length at its events. Sleeves must reach the wrist joint at most, and stop no more than 5cm above it. A judogi that doesn't comply must be changed within 6 minutes, or the contest is lost (Amendments 5.2 and 5.4).

White and blue

British Judo permits white and blue judogi only in competition, and the athlete called first never wears blue. Competition organisers may state on the entry form whether blue is mandatory or optional. If blue is mandatory, you need both a white and a blue judogi. At Level 1 competitions you may wear a judogi of any colour, as long as the jacket and trousers are the same solid colour (Amendments 5.1).

So a coloured club suit has a narrower use. Fighting Films sells its Red Label in black and pink as well as white and blue. Under British Judo's rules, the black and pink suits can be worn in competition only at Level 1 events.

At IJF events, judogi are white or blue within set colour references, and a reversible white-and-blue judogi is not allowed (IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, Appendix C1.1 and C1.9).

What "IJF approved" means

The IJF approves judogi through a labelling scheme. Its Judogi Manufacturing Regulation says only manufacturers with a current IJF contract and a certificate of conformity from an IJF-approved laboratory can obtain the official tamper-proof label.

At IJF events, each jacket and pair of trousers must carry a red or green IJF optical label, which officials check with a UV lamp. The jacket and trousers must also be the same brand (Appendix C1.1, C1.1.5 and C1.2).

The IJF publishes a list of its official judogi suppliers, not of approved models. Fighting Films Store Ltd and Essimo BV are both on it as IJF Official Judogi Suppliers. That does not make every judogi they sell approved.

Fighting Films says its Black Label 600 is not IJF approved, while it states its Superstar 750 is. Essimo groups the models it says are approved, such as its IJF Gold, in its own IJF Approved range.

So for each judogi we record two things separately: whether its maker is on the IJF supplier list, and what the maker says about the model. We never call a judogi IJF approved ourselves. If you need one, look for the red or green IJF label on the jacket and trousers you receive.

Do you need an IJF-approved judogi?

At IJF events, national federations are responsible for their athletes wearing approved IJF judogi (Appendix C1.1). We found no requirement for IJF-labelled judogi in British Judo's Contest Rules (version 23 March 2026) or its Amendments (effective 6 July 2026). Together, these are the rules at British Judo licensed events. Entry forms can set some kit requirements, so check the entry form before you buy a judogi for a particular event.

Belts

At British Judo events, when one athlete wears a blue judogi, both wear their grade belts. When both wear white, the athlete called first wears a white belt and the second a blue belt. The referee in charge may allow other belt colours, generally only at Level 1 or 2 events or Dan gradings (Amendments 5.1).

This guide does not cover grading. Ask your club about grades and belts.

British Judo's Contest Rules and the IJF's rules set the same belt dimensions for competition: 4 to 5mm thick, with 20 to 30cm from the knot to each tip. Both also check that the belt is tied tightly above the hip bone. A red-and-white belt may not be worn in a contest.

At IJF events, the belt is checked for the IJF label with the jacket and trousers. A belt of any colour other than black is exempt from the label, but must be made of a flexible material (Appendix C1.1 and C1.1.5).

Check whether your judogi comes with a belt. Fighting Films' Red Label no longer includes one.

Under the jacket

At British Judo events, athletes in female categories must wear a T-shirt or rash guard under the jacket, and anyone else may. It must:

• be plain white with a round neck;
• have sleeves ending at least 5cm above the wrist joint;
• carry no advertising beyond a maker's label of up to 3cm by 15cm that can't be seen when the jacket is tied.

It should be worn tucked into the trousers (Amendments 5.6).

At IJF events, female athletes must wear a short-sleeved, round-necked white T-shirt (IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, Appendix C1.11 and C1.13).

Shin pads, mouthguards and other kit

British Judo allows shin pads made of soft padding without hard stiffeners. They may have a band under the foot, but not an instep pad covering the top of the foot (Amendments 5.5).

At IJF events, any protection (knee, elbow or shin pads) is checked at judogi control. It may not contain the slightest metallic or rigid element, and pads must be soft and not visible (Appendix C1.1.5).

Neither the IJF's Sport and Organisation Rules (14 August 2026) nor British Judo's Contest Rules and Amendments mention mouthguards. So whether you wear one is down to you and your club. If you wear braces, ask your dentist or orthodontist before choosing one.

We list judogi only. Belts, shin pads and T-shirts are covered here rather than compared as products.

The judogi we compare

A club suit: the Fighting Films Red Label (450gsm, 100% cotton, four colours, no belt).

A training suit: the Fighting Films Black Label 600 (semi-double weave, 100% cotton, standard or wide fit), which Fighting Films says is not IJF approved.

Two competition suits from IJF Official Judogi Suppliers whose makers state they are IJF approved:

• the Fighting Films Superstar 750 (70% cotton, 30% polyester, at rather than above the regulation's cotton figure);
• the Essimo IJF Gold (80% cotton, 20% polyester, 750 grams by Essimo's figure).

The Essimo IJF Gold is sold in the UK by essimo.co.uk, a shop that Essimo's website does not name as a distributor. Each judogi has a full research-based assessment in our Judogi category.