Sergeant first class (E-7)
Three chevrons above two arcs are the insignia of a sergeant first class (SFC), pay grade E-7 in the US Army.
Easily confused with
- Staff sergeant (E-6)Three chevrons above one arc are the insignia of a staff sergeant (SSG), pay grade E-6 in the US Army.
- Master sergeant (E-8)Three chevrons over two arcs and over three arcs.
- Gunnery sergeant (E-7)Gunnery sergeant (GySgt) is the seventh enlisted rank in the US Marine Corps, pay grade E-7. Its insignia is three chevrons over crossed rifles over two rockers.
How to read it
DA Pamphlet 670-1 describes the sergeant first class insignia as three chevrons above two arcs, one arc more than a Staff sergeant (E-6) and one fewer than a Master sergeant (E-8). The Department of Defense lists the grade as E-7. The Army’s ranks page describes the sergeant first class as the key assistant and adviser to the platoon leader, generally with 10 to 15 years of Army experience; a platoon is led by a lieutenant, assisted by a platoon sergeant who is a sergeant first class. The Army Recruiting Command’s customs training counts sergeant first class as the first of the senior NCO ranks.
Also searched as: E-7 army, SFC.
Ranks and insignia as the US Army’s own regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
How a sergeant first class is addressed
As “Sergeant”. Army Regulation 600-20 gives that title of address, and the Recruiting Command’s training says sergeants first class and master sergeants are addressed as “Sergeant” followed by their last name.
E-7 in the Air Force
The Department of Defense’s chart lists the Air Force’s E-7 as master sergeant, a title that is E-8 in the Army.
More army ranks
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Sources
- DA Pamphlet 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, DA PAM 670-1, 26 January 2021, Headquarters, Department of the Army (Army Publishing Directorate), para 21–7a(8), 21–7a(7), 21–7a(6)
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Insignia chart: staff-sergeant, sergeant-first-class, master-sergeant; Enlisted insignia, E-7 (Air Force)
- U.S. Army Ranks, army.mil ranks page (enlisted, warrant officer and officer ranks), U.S. Army, Enlisted ranks: Sergeant First Class; Platoon
- Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy, AR 600-20, 6 February 2025 (administrative revision 20 February 2025), Headquarters, Department of the Army (copy hosted by the Army Transportation Corps, transportation.army.mil), para 1–7b; table 1–1
- Military Customs and Courtesies (Initial Soldier Training), U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Future Soldier training slides, 14 April 2020, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Enlisted ranks, slide 14
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research