Via Ferrata
Scales of Difficulties
Mountaineering associations have defined and adopted different scales and grading systems. Among the most known, we can list:
- Italian Scale
- Austrian Scale (Kurt Scnall)
- German Scale (Eugen Hülser)
- German Scale (Paul Werner)
- France Scale
Because of its completeness, in 2016 the UIAA Mountaineering Commission has decided to adopt the Italian scale for grading the difficulties of Via Ferrata as its international standard.
Scale of difficulties for Via Ferrata
Italian Scale
In Italy, the Italian Alpine Club – CAI, has adopted a scale based on several parameters. The main criterion refers to the overall engagement, and is given in the scale F, PD, D, TD and ED. Then, there are other parameters (in grades from 1 to 3) related to the technical engagement, the physical engagement, the exposure, and the environment.

Austrian Scale (Kurt Scnall)
The scale adopted in Austria refers to the overall engagement and is summarized in the following table.

French/German Scales
The French and the German Scales refer to the overall engagement and are shown in the following table, also with the Italian and Austrian scales for comparison.
International Scale
There is also another scale, the “international scale”, shown in the table below. This scale is not adopted by many federations.
