1x to 8+: How to Read Rowing Boat Classes

Team sheets, rowing results, and race schedules can look confusing to newcomers, peppered with confusing boat class shorthand, such as W4x or M2-, which compresses the basic design of a boat into a few characters.

Single sculler pauses on a boat in a calm outdoor setting, oars held across the frame.

Once those elements are separated, regatta start lists and results become much easier to read. The same system covers the six core boat types in Olympic classic rowing: 1x, 2x, 2-, 4x, 4- and 8+. The number gives the rowers, x identifies sculling, and a plus or minus sign tells you whether a coxswain is aboard.

Here’s the Row360 guide to reading rowing boat classes.

Sculling and sweep rowing

The first distinction is how many oars, often called blades, each athlete holds.

In sculling, each rower has two oars, one in each hand. The standard sculling classes are the single, double and quadruple scull. Their codes contain an x: 1x, 2x and 4x.

In sweep rowing, each rower uses one oar with both hands. The rowers are almost always arranged on alternating sides of the shell, producing the pair, four and eight classes. Sweep codes do not contain an x: 2-, 4- and 8+.

The x does not mean “times”; it means sculling.

Elite flat-water racing usually takes place over 2,000 metres on a buoyed, multi-lane course. This is now described as Classic Rowing within the Olympic programme, distinguishing it from Coastal Beach Sprints.

How the shorthand works

Each part of a class code supplies a different piece of information:

‘1’, ‘2’, ‘4’ or ‘8’ gives the number of rowers.
‘x’ means ever rower has two sculling oars.
No ‘x’ means each rower has one sweep oar.
‘+’ means the boat carries a coxswain.
‘-‘ means the boat is coxless.
‘M’ and ‘W’ identify men’s and women’s events.
‘Mix’ for crews with male and female rowers.

Prefixes can add another category. LW1x, for example, means lightweight women’s single scull: one lightweight woman racing with two oars. JW2x is an under-19 women’s double scull: the ‘J’ stands for ‘junior’, from when under-19s were referred to as juniors. Under-23 boat classes use the letter ‘B’, for example BM1x is an under-23 men’s single scull. Para-rowing codes may begin with classifications such as PR1, PR2 or PR3.

Single scull: 1x

The single scull contains one athlete with two oars and no cox. The sculler controls the balance, steering, rhythm and power without assistance from another crew member.

The men’s and women’s singles, written M1x and W1x, are Olympic and Paralympic classes and are a mainstay of almost all international regattas. There are also lightweight and coastal singles.

A single is different from rowing solo in a sweep boat. There is no standard one-person sweep class because a single sweep oar would apply force on only one side of the shell.

Double scull: 2x

A double scull has two athletes, each holding two oars, and no cox. That means the crew has four oars in total. The crew must match its catches, finishes and recovery while sharing responsibility for balance and steering.

M2x and W2x are men’s and women’s doubles. Doubles are raced at the Olympics and Paralympics. The lightweight double uses the same boat configuration but adds athlete weight restrictions, producing codes such as LM2x and LW2x.

Lightweight doubles were Olympic events from Atlanta 1996 through to Paris 2024. They are absent from the 12-event Classic Rowing programme confirmed for Los Angeles 2028, although lightweight classes can still appear elsewhere in international rowing.

Coxless pair: 2-

The coxless pair has two sweep rowers, each holding one oar. One athlete rows on each side, and the crew must synchronise enough to keep the narrow shell balanced and moving straight.

The minus sign confirms that no cox is present. Steering is managed by the athletes, commonly through a foot-controlled rudder as well as minor adjustments to pressure on each side.

The pair is not the same as the double. A 2- has two sweep oars in total; a 2x has four sculling oars. Men’s and women’s coxless pairs are Olympic classes.

A coxed pair, written 2+, contains two sweep rowers and a coxswain. It can appear in club or other competition, but it is not part of the current Olympic or World Cup programme.

Quadruple scull: 4x

The quadruple scull, usually shortened to quad, carries four scullers with two oars each. The crew has eight oars in total.

The men’s M4x and women’s W4x are Olympic classes commonly seen throughout the international season. They combine the speed of a large crew boat with the symmetrical forces of sculling.

Olympic quads are coxless, so the class is normally written simply as 4x. A coxed quad can be written 4x+ and is more likely to appear in junior, development or club rowing.

Coxless four: 4-

A coxless four has four sweep rowers, one oar per athlete and no cox. One crew member usually controls the rudder with a steering mechanism attached to a shoe.

The men’s and women’s 4- are Olympic classes and common at World Rowing events. When reports refer simply to the “men’s four” or “women’s four”, they mean this coxless Olympic class, although the code removes any ambiguity.

A coxed four, written 4+, adds a coxswain and is a separate class. The PR3 Mix4+ is a Paralympic boat class. Coxed fours remain at many domestic, junior and university regattas despite not being in the current Olympic programme.

Eight: 8+

The eight contains eight sweep rowers and a coxswain. Each rower holds one oar, while the cox steers, communicates through the boat’s speaker system and helps deliver the race plan.

The plus sign refers to the cox, not a ninth rower. An M8+ therefore has eight male rowers plus a coxswain; W8+ is the equivalent women’s class. Mix8+ is when there are both male and female rowers.

The eight is the largest standard Olympic classic boat and the only coxed class in the current Olympic flat-water programme. Men’s and women’s eights also appear at World Cups, although entry numbers can be smaller than in the singles or other boat classes.

Olympic, Paralympic and World Cup classes

For Los Angeles 2028, Classic Rowing contains 12 Olympic medal events: men’s and women’s versions of the single, double, pair, quad, four and eight. Coastal Beach Sprints adds separate Olympic events using different boats and a beach-based racing format. The Los Angeles Paralympic Games includes five events: PR1 men’s and women’s singles, PR2 mixed doubles, PR3 mix doubles, and PR3 mixed coxed fours.

World Cups can extend beyond that Olympic set. Depending on entries and the event schedule, a regatta may include lightweight, para-rowing or other international classes. Domestic programmes go wider again, with coxed pairs, coxed fours, coxed quads and octuple sculls among the possible additions.

Remember, to decode a boat class, read the prefix for the athlete category, the number for the rowers, x for sculling, then + or - for the coxswain.