| Beaufort no. | Description | Sailing notes | |
| 0 | Calm | Calm | |
| 1 | Light airs | Just sufficient to give steerage way | |
| 2 | Light breeze | With which a well-conditioned man of war, under all sail, and 'clean full', would go in smooth water from... | 1 to 2 knots |
| 3 | Gentle breeze | 3 to 4 knots | |
| 4 | Moderate breeze | 5 to 6 knots | |
| 5 | Fresh breeze | In which a well-conditioned man of war, under all sail, and 'clean full', could just carry close hauled... | royals |
| 6 | Strong breeze | single-reefs and top-gallants | |
| 7 | Moderate (half) gale | double-reefs, jib, etc. | |
| 8 | Fresh gale | triple-reefs, courses | |
| 9 | Strong gale | close-reefs, courses | |
| 10 | Heavy (whole) gale | With which she could only bear close-reefed maintop-sail and reefed fore-sail | |
| 11 | Storm | With which she would be reduced to storm staysails or trysail only | |
| 12 | Hurricane | To which she could show no canvas | |
Source: Beaufort's criterion 1832.