The PSA grading scale runs from 1 (Poor) to 10 (Gem Mint). A PSA 10 is a virtually perfect card: four sharp corners, full gloss, no staining, and centering within about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back. A PSA 9 is the same except for one minor flaw. Below is every grade, what PSA looks for at each one, and the half grades, qualifiers and centering rules that decide the close calls.
Last updated September 2026, based on PSA’s official grading standards. PSA tightened the centering wording for its top grades in January 2025, so older guides (including an earlier version of this one) show looser ranges.
PSA grading scale chart
| Grade | Name | Front centering | Back centering | In short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | Gem Mint (GEM-MT) | 55/45 | 75/25 | Virtually perfect |
| PSA 9 | Mint (MINT) | 60/40 | 90/10 | One minor flaw |
| PSA 8 | Near Mint-Mint (NM-MT) | 65/35 | 90/10 | Looks like a 9 until you look closely |
| PSA 7 | Near Mint (NM) | 70/30 | 90/10 | Slight wear up close |
| PSA 6 | Excellent-Mint (EX-MT) | 80/20 | 90/10 | Visible wear, still appealing |
| PSA 5 | Excellent (EX) | 85/15 | 90/10 | Corners starting to round |
| PSA 4 | Very Good-Excellent (VG-EX) | 85/15 | 90/10 | Rounded corners, maybe a light crease |
| PSA 3 | Very Good (VG) | 90/10 | 90/10 | Worn, may have a crease |
| PSA 2 | Good (GOOD) | 90/10 | 90/10 | Obvious wear, several creases |
| PSA 1.5 | Fair (FR) | 90/10 | 90/10 | Heavily worn but complete |
| PSA 1 | Poor (PR) | No limit | No limit | May be missing small pieces |
What PSA looks at
Graders check four things on every card:
- Centering: how evenly the borders frame the picture, front and back.
- Corners: how sharp they are, from perfectly sharp to frayed or rounded.
- Edges: chipping, notching and wear along the sides.
- Surface: scratches, scuffs, print defects, stains, creases and loss of gloss.
They also judge focus (whether the picture is printed sharply, “in register”) and overall eye appeal. PSA says a card can be held back a grade if it doesn’t look right even when the numbers pass, or bumped up if it looks better than a borderline measurement suggests.
Every PSA grade explained
PSA 10 Gem Mint
A virtually perfect card: four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus, full original gloss and no staining of any kind. It doesn’t have to be literally flawless: PSA allows a slight printing imperfection if it doesn’t hurt the card’s appeal. Centering must be within about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back.
PSA 9 Mint
A superb card with only one of these minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on the back, a minor printing imperfection, or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be about 60/40 or better on the front and 90/10 on the back. That “only one” is what separates a 9 from an 8.
PSA 8 Near Mint-Mint
A high-end card that looks like a 9 at first glance. Up close it can show a combination of small flaws: a slight wax stain on the back, the slightest fraying at one or two corners, a minor print imperfection and slightly off-white borders. Centering about 65/35 or better on the front, 90/10 on the back.
PSA 7 Near Mint
Slight surface wear that you only see on close inspection, and slight fraying on some corners. The picture may be slightly out of focus, a minor printing blemish is fine, and a slight wax stain is allowed on the back only. Most of the original gloss is still there. Centering about 70/30 or better on the front, 90/10 on the back.
PSA 6 Excellent-Mint
Visible surface wear or a printing defect that doesn’t spoil the card’s appeal. There may be a very light scratch you only see up close, slightly graduated fraying on the corners, some loss of gloss, very slight notching on the edges and some off-white on the borders. Centering 80/20 or better on the front, 90/10 on the back.
PSA 5 Excellent
The corners start to round, very slightly. Surface wear and print defects are more visible, the edges may have minor chipping, and the gloss loss is more obvious. There may be several light scratches that don’t detract from the card. Centering 85/15 or better on the front, 90/10 on the back.
PSA 4 Very Good-Excellent
Slightly rounded corners and modest surface wear, possibly with light scuffs or scratches. Some gloss remains, and the borders may be slightly off-white. This is the highest grade where a light crease is allowed. Centering 85/15 on the front, 90/10 on the back.
PSA 3 Very Good
Some rounding of the corners, noticeable edge wear, and most of the gloss gone. The borders may be yellowed, a crease may be visible, and there may be a slight stain on the front. Centering 90/10 front and back.
PSA 2 Good
Accelerated corner rounding and obvious surface wear. Expect scratches, scuffs, light staining or chipping, possibly several creases, and little or no gloss. Centering 90/10 front and back.
PSA 1.5 Fair
Extreme wear everywhere, heavy creases possible, and corners worn enough to affect the picture. The deciding rule: the card must be fully intact. If a piece is missing, such as a corner or part of the back layer, it can’t be a 1.5. Centering about 90/10 front and back.
PSA 1 Poor
The eye appeal is almost gone. A PSA 1 can be missing one or two small pieces, have creases that nearly break through the card, or be so dirty or discolored it’s hard to identify. There’s no centering requirement.
PSA half grades
A card that’s at the top end of its grade can get a half point: 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5 or 8.5. PSA says it looks at the whole card but focuses on centering when it decides. There is no PSA 9.5; nothing sits between a 9 and a 10. And PSA 1.5 is a grade of its own (Fair), not a half-point bump from a 1.
PSA qualifiers (OC, ST, PD, OF, MK, MC)
A qualifier means the card meets a grade in every way except one. A “PSA 8 OC,” for example, is an 8 that’s off center. Qualified cards sell for much less, often about what a card two grades lower would bring.
| Qualifier | Means | When it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| OC | Off center | Optional: PSA may lower the grade instead |
| ST | Staining | Optional |
| PD | Print defect | Optional |
| OF | Out of focus | Optional |
| MK | Marks (writing, pen or pencil, or the dent left by writing) | Always |
| MC | Miscut (part of another card showing, or part of this one cut off) | Always |
These days PSA graders usually lower the number rather than add one of the optional qualifiers, so you’ll see OC, ST, PD and OF less often than MK and MC.
Authentic and Authentic Altered
- Authentic: PSA confirms the card is genuine but gives it no number, because of an alteration, a major defect, or because the owner asked for no grade.
- Authentic Altered (AA): genuine, but trimmed, recolored, restored or cleaned. PSA only gives this grade if you write AA as your minimum grade on the submission form.
How PSA measures centering
Compare the left border with the right, and the top with the bottom. If the left border is 3 mm and the right is 2 mm, that’s 60/40. PSA uses whichever direction is worse. The front and back have separate limits, and the back is much more forgiving.
For PSA 7 and above there’s a 5% leeway on the front. PSA’s own example: a card that meets everything else for a 9 automatically passes at 60/40, and may still pass at 65/35 if the card has good eye appeal. PSA’s standards now also note that graders may allow a small variance based on eye appeal.
Until January 2025, PSA’s standards gave ranges, such as “55/45 to 60/40” for a PSA 10. They now give a single figure (55/45). PSA didn’t announce the change; its CEO reportedly called it a clean-up of the wording rather than a change in how cards are graded.
PSA 9 vs PSA 10
A 10 needs everything: sharp corners, full gloss, no stain, sharp focus and centering within 55/45. A 9 is allowed exactly one small flaw, and looser centering (60/40). Most cards that get a 9 instead of a 10 missed on centering or on one tiny flaw.
That one grade is often worth a lot. In one study of 59 football rookies, the typical PSA 10 sold for about three times the PSA 9. For cards where 10s are rare, the gap is far bigger. That’s why the population report, PSA’s count of how many copies have each grade, matters so much to price.
How many cards get a PSA 10?
More than you’d think, but that’s misleading. According to GemRate data reported by cllct, PSA gave a 10 to 43% of the cards it graded in the first half of 2025, down from 45% in 2024. Modern Pokémon and other trading card games run higher than sports cards. But people mostly send in new cards they’ve already checked, so these numbers aren’t the odds for a random card from your collection. For vintage cards, 10s are far rarer.
PSA 10 vs BGS 9.5 vs SGC 10
They describe similar cards, but they aren’t interchangeable. On centering, a Beckett 9.5 is at least as strict as a PSA 10 on the front and stricter on the back. SGC’s 10 Gem Mint is close to PSA’s standard. In the market, though, a PSA 10 usually sells for the most. A BGS 9.5 often sells for well under half, while Beckett’s Pristine 10 can sell for more than a PSA 10. Always check sales for the specific card. Our guide to the grading companies compares them in more detail.
PSA autograph grades
For signed cards, PSA can grade the signature separately on its own 1 to 10 scale. It’s based on how bold and clean the autograph is: a 10 is bold with no skips or retracing, and lower grades allow fading, skips and some retracing. There are no half grades for autographs. The label shows both grades, such as “PSA 9 | Auto 10”.
FAQ
What is the highest PSA grade?
PSA 10 Gem Mint. PSA has no grade above 10, and no 9.5.
What makes a card a PSA 9 instead of a 10?
One minor flaw, such as a slight wax stain on the back, a small print imperfection or slightly off-white borders, or centering between about 55/45 and 60/40 on the front.
What centering does a PSA 10 need?
About 55/45 or better on the front and 75/25 or better on the back.
Can a card with a crease get a PSA 5?
Usually not. PSA 4 is the highest grade whose standard allows a light crease, so a creased card generally grades 4 or lower.
New to grading? Start with what PSA is, then our step-by-step guide to grading your cards.
Buying graded cards? Here’s how to spot a fake PSA slab, even one with a real cert number.
