What are fencing ratings (A, B, C…)?

USA Fencing rates competitive fencers from A (highest) down to E, plus U for unrated, and you'll see them written like 'A24', meaning an A earned in 2024. There's no test and no belt ceremony: you earn a rating by placing high enough at a tournament whose field is strong enough.

That last part is the machinery most people miss, a tournament's rating 'level' depends on how many rated fencers show up, so winning a small unrated event earns an E, while winning a big event full of A's earns an A. Ratings also age: they expire back toward U after four years without renewing results.

For beginners the practical meaning is simple: ratings decide seeding at tournaments, and 'E-and-under' events exist so new competitors fence each other rather than the sharks.