PSA Grading Standards Explained: What PSA Looks For

By William Rowe, ShouldISlabIt · Updated Oct 15, 2026

Before you pay to grade a card, it helps to know how PSA thinks. PSA publishes written standards for every grade from 1 to 10. This guide puts them in plain English so you can guess a realistic grade and then check the numbers in our Pokémon grading calculator or sports card calculator. It is a summary, not PSA's official wording. Always read the official PSA standards yourself.

Not affiliated with PSA. Grading is partly subjective, and PSA has the final say on every card.

The four things PSA grades

1. Centering

Centering compares the borders on opposite sides of the card, left to right and top to bottom. It is written as a ratio like 60/40. That means the wider border makes up 60% of the combined width and the narrower one 40%. PSA scores the card on its most off-center direction. Front and back are judged separately, and the back gets much more slack. A PSA 10 allows about 55/45 on the front but 75/25 on the back. You can see every grade's limits in the table below.

PSA says graders may allow a small centering variance based on eye appeal. Contrast plays a big part. Off-center borders are easy to spot on a dark image with white borders, so a card that technically measures for a grade can still miss it. When the border blends into the artwork, graders may be more forgiving.

2. Corners

A 10 needs four perfectly sharp corners. At 8, PSA allows only the "slightest fraying" at one or two corners. Light fraying is acceptable at 7 and 6. Rounding starts to show at 5 and gets worse at each grade below that.

3. Edges

PSA's descriptions mention very slight notching at 6 and minor chipping at 5. Edges show more obvious wear in the low grades. White chipping along dark or colored borders often keeps a modern card out of a 10.

4. Surface

Surface covers gloss, scratches, stains, print defects, focus, creases and marks. A 10 needs full original gloss, sharp focus and no staining of any kind. PSA may allow a slight printing imperfection on a 10 if it doesn't hurt the card's overall appeal. Creases first appear in the standards at PSA 4 ("a light crease may be visible").

PSA grade scale: 10 to 1 with centering tolerances

Grade	What it means in plain language	Front centering	Back centering
PSA 10 Gem Mint	Practically perfect. Sharp corners, full gloss, sharp focus, no stains. A slight print imperfection may be allowed if it doesn't hurt eye appeal.	≈55/45	≈75/25
PSA 9 Mint	Superb, with just one minor flaw, such as a tiny wax stain on the back, a minor print imperfection, or slightly off-white borders.	≈60/40	≈90/10
PSA 8 NM-MT	Looks like a 9 at first glance. A closer look can show the slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor print flaw, a slight wax stain on the back, and/or slightly off-white borders.	≈65/35	≈90/10
PSA 7 NM	Slight surface wear you can see up close, possible slight corner fraying, slightly out-of-register focus. Most of the gloss is intact.	≈70/30	≈90/10
PSA 6 EX-MT	Visible surface wear or a print defect, a very light scratch, slightly graduated corner fraying, some gloss loss, very slight edge notching.	80/20	90/10
PSA 5 EX	Very minor corner rounding starts to show, minor edge chipping, more obvious gloss loss, several light scratches visible up close.	85/15	90/10
PSA 4 VG-EX	Slightly rounded corners, noticeable but modest surface wear, light scuffs or scratches. A light crease may be visible.	85/15	90/10
PSA 3 VG	Some corner rounding, noticeable edge wear, much of the gloss gone, possible yellowing or discoloration. A crease may be visible.	90/10	90/10
PSA 2 Good	Faster corner rounding, obvious surface wear, possibly several creases, gloss may be completely gone, considerable discoloration.	90/10	90/10
PSA 1.5 Fair	Extreme wear, possibly heavy creases and dirty or brown borders. The card must still be fully intact, with no missing pieces.	≈90/10	≈90/10
PSA 1 Poor	Defects so severe that eye appeal has almost disappeared. The card may be missing one or two small pieces or have major creasing, heavy dirt or warping.	Not specified	Not specified

"≈" marks grades where PSA says "approximately." PSA also says graders may allow a small centering variance based on eye appeal, so treat these as guidelines, not guarantees.

Qualifiers: OC, ST, PD, OF, MK, MC

A qualifier lets PSA give a card a grade based on its overall condition while flagging one specific problem. The qualifier is printed on the label, and qualified cards usually sell for less than unqualified cards of the same grade.

OC (Off-Center): the card is off center for the grade it otherwise earns. Instead of OC, PSA may give a lower number grade that matches the card's centering.
ST (Staining): the card has staining. PSA either adds ST or gives a lower number grade that allows that much staining.
PD (Print Defect): the card has a printing defect. PSA either adds PD or gives a lower number grade that allows that defect.
OF (Out of Focus): the image is out of focus or out of register. PSA either adds OF or gives a lower number grade that matches the focus.
MK (Marks): writing, ink or pencil marks, or even the dent left by writing on top of the card. PSA says any card like this gets MK.
MC (Miscut): an unusual cut for the issue. Part of the card may be cut off, or more than one card may show.

PSA lists OC, ST, PD and OF as "optional." In other words, the card can get either the qualifier or a lower number grade with no qualifier. MK and MC have no such option.

Centering leeway: in its OC definition, PSA says it gives a 5% leeway on front centering for cards that grade PSA 7 or better. PSA's example: a card that meets every other PSA 9 requirement and measures 65/35 on the front may still count as a PSA 9 for front centering if its eye appeal is good.

Authentic, Authentic Altered and "No Grade"

PSA won't give a number grade to a card that shows trimming, recoloring, restoration or other tampering, or whose authenticity is in doubt. Those cards come back in a card saver with a "No Grade" code. Here are the ones collectors run into most often:

Trimming (N1), restoration (N2), recoloring (N3), altered stock (N5) and cleaning (N7). Altered stock includes pressed creases, scratch removal and added gloss. Cleaning includes whitening borders or removing stains. If you entered "AA" as your minimum grade on the submission form, PSA may choose to slab these as Authentic Altered. You pay the grading fee either way.
Questionable authenticity (N4): the card looks counterfeit or the autograph isn't genuine. These are never encapsulated, and you still pay the fee.
Minimum size (N6) and miscut (N8): you aren't charged the grading fee. If you listed "Auth" as your minimum grade, PSA may slab the card as Authentic instead, and the fee applies.
Don't grade (N9): PSA doesn't grade or can't slab that issue, for example oversized or obscure cards. You aren't charged the grading fee.

PSA notes the minimum-grade option is only available on some service levels.

Half-point grades

PSA gives half-point grades (for example 8.5) to cards that are high-end for their grade, between PSA 2 and PSA 9 (PSA 1.5 is the Fair grade itself). There's no 9.5, since 9 and 10 already cover "Mint." Centering matters most. In its announcement, PSA said that in most cases a card needs centering at least five to ten percentage points better than the grade's tolerance to get the bump. Very strong corners and print can sometimes make up for centering that only just makes the grade, especially in the lower grades. A card has to qualify for an unqualified grade before it can be considered for a half-grade, so an 8 OC card is not eligible.

Pre-submission self-check checklist

Lighting: look at the card under a bright, direct light, then tilt it. Raking light (light coming from a low angle) shows scratches, print lines, dents and indentations that you'd miss straight on.
Loupe or magnifier: check all four corners and all four edges, front and back. Look for white specks, fraying and soft corners.
Measure centering: compare opposite borders on the front and back. If the front is worse than 55/45, a 10 is unlikely.
Check both sides: look for wax or other stains, ink marks and the dent left by writing (MK).
Sleeves: handle cards by the edges with clean, dry hands. Put each one in a clean penny sleeve, then a semi-rigid holder or card saver.
Cleaning, do: gently remove loose dust or fingerprints with a soft, dry microfiber cloth if you're comfortable doing it.
Cleaning, don't: use whiteners, solvents, cleaning sprays, wax, or try to press out creases. PSA lists all of these as cleaning or altered stock, which can mean no grade at all.
Be honest: if you can see a flaw without magnification, assume PSA will see it too.

Common reasons cards grade lower than expected

Front centering just outside 55/45. This is a common reason a "perfect-looking" card gets a 9.
Back centering that's worse than you noticed. Only a 10 has a stricter back limit (75/25).
Tiny white spots on corners or edge chipping that only show up under magnification.
Surface scratches, print lines or dents you can only see by tilting the card in the light.
A PSA 9 allows just one minor flaw, so two small issues can push a card to an 8.
Poor eye appeal on high-contrast designs, even when the measured centering is in range.
Stains, marks or signs of cleaning or pressing, which lead to qualifiers or a No Grade.

Using this guide with the calculator

After you've self-graded, open the Pokémon calculator or the sports calculator and pick the grade you honestly expect. Then run it again at PSA 8 and PSA 9, not just 10. Plenty of cards that look gem mint come back a 9 or an 8. If grading only pays off at a 10, it's a riskier bet than the verdict for 10 makes it look.

Sources

PSA, Grading Standards (definitions and centering for every grade, half-point, Authentic and Authentic Altered, qualifiers including the 5% centering leeway, No Grade codes N1 to N9, eye appeal). Accessed Oct 15, 2026.
PSA, Introducing PSA Half Grades (half-point rules, five to ten points of extra centering, no 9.5, qualified cards are not eligible). Accessed Oct 15, 2026.