Reference · USSG Chapter 5, Part A

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines Table

The complete guideline sentencing grid: recommended prison ranges (in months) for every offense level and criminal history category, color-coded by sentencing zone. The framework federal judges start from before departures and variances.

43
Offense levels
6
History categories (I–VI)
4
Sentencing zones (A–D)

According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), every federal guideline sentence begins with this table: the offense level (1–43) and the defendant's criminal history category (I–VI) intersect at a recommended range in months. This reproduces the official USSG Sentencing Table; see how real sentences land against it across 90 federal districts and our methodology for sources.

Zones: A Probation only B Probation or prison C Prison (split allowed) D Prison required
Federal sentencing guideline ranges in months by offense level and criminal history category
Offense
Level		 CHC ICHC IICHC IIICHC IVCHC VCHC VI
1 0–60–60–60–60–60–6
2 0–60–60–60–60–61–7
3 0–60–60–60–62–83–9
4 0–60–60–62–84–106–12
5 0–60–61–74–106–129–15
6 0–61–72–86–129–1512–18
7 0–62–84–108–1412–1815–21
8 0–64–106–1210–1615–2118–24
9 4–106–128–1412–1818–2421–27
10 6–128–1410–1615–2121–2724–30
11 8–1410–1612–1818–2424–3027–33
12 10–1612–1815–2121–2727–3330–37
13 12–1815–2118–2424–3030–3733–41
14 15–2118–2421–2727–3333–4137–46
15 18–2421–2724–3030–3737–4641–51
16 21–2724–3027–3333–4141–5146–57
17 24–3027–3330–3737–4646–5751–63
18 27–3330–3733–4141–5151–6357–71
19 30–3733–4137–4646–5757–7163–78
20 33–4137–4641–5151–6363–7870–87
21 37–4641–5146–5757–7170–8777–96
22 41–5146–5751–6363–7877–9684–105
23 46–5751–6357–7170–8784–10592–115
24 51–6357–7163–7877–9692–115100–125
25 57–7163–7870–8784–105100–125110–137
26 63–7870–8778–9792–115110–137120–150
27 70–8778–9787–108100–125120–150130–162
28 78–9787–10897–121110–137130–162140–175
29 87–10897–121108–135121–151140–175151–188
30 97–121108–135121–151135–168151–188168–210
31 108–135121–151135–168151–188168–210188–235
32 121–151135–168151–188168–210188–235210–262
33 135–168151–188168–210188–235210–262235–293
34 151–188168–210188–235210–262235–293262–327
35 168–210188–235210–262235–293262–327292–365
36 188–235210–262235–293262–327292–365324–405
37 210–262235–293262–327292–365324–405360–life
38 235–293262–327292–365324–405360–life360–life
39 262–327292–365324–405360–life360–life360–life
40 292–365324–405360–life360–life360–life360–life
41 324–405360–life360–life360–life360–life360–life
42 360–life360–life360–life360–life360–life360–life
43 lifelifelifelifelifelife

Ranges in months of imprisonment. "life" = life imprisonment. Source: U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines Manual (Chapter 5, Part A), Sentencing Table (public domain). Zones follow USSG §5C1.1.

How to read the sentencing table

A federal guideline sentence is the intersection of two axes. The offense level (vertical, 1–43) is computed from the base offense plus specific-offense adjustments; the criminal history category (horizontal, I–VI) reflects the defendant's prior record. Where they meet is the recommended range in months.

The color-coded zones (USSG §5C1.1) govern whether prison is required: Zone A allows probation, Zone B permits probation or prison with substitution, Zone C requires prison but allows a split sentence, and Zone D requires imprisonment. After this starting point, judges may depart or vary under United States v. Booker (2005) and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), which is why real imposed sentences diverge from the table.

To see how actual federal sentences compare to these ranges, browse the district rankings or any district profile, where within-, above-, and below-guideline shares are computed from the real USSC case record.

Use the table

The table is the starting point; pair it with the estimator and the real case record to see how sentences actually land.

A reference reproduction of the official USSG Sentencing Table, not legal advice and not a prediction for any individual case; actual sentences depend on departures, variances, mandatory minimums, and case-specific facts. Consult a licensed criminal defense attorney for guidance on a specific matter.

Cite this page

Free to cite and reference with attribution. Figures update automatically as new data is published, compiled from the public-domain USSC datafiles.

PlainSentencing. (FY2024). Federal Sentencing Guidelines Table. PlainSentencing. Retrieved from https://plainsentencing.com/sentencing-table. USSG Sentencing Table reproduced from the U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines Manual (public domain).