Card grading scales: PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC compared
PSA, SGC and CGC all top out at a 10 with a front centering tolerance of about 55/45 for their standard Gem Mint 10, while Beckett (BGS) asks for 50/50 one way and 55/45 the other for a 9.5 Gem Mint and 50/50 all around for a 10 Pristine. The tables below list every grade each company publishes, with its own label and the centering it states, checked against the company's scale on 2026-09-29.
Data only, no opinions or prices. Also available as Markdown and JSON. Free to reuse with attribution: cite CardGhost and link to https://cardghost.com/grading-scales. Each row links to the grading company's own scale, which is the authority.
Top grades and centering at a glance
| Grader | Top grade(s) | Front / back centering | 9 (front / back) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 10 GEM-MT | 55/45 / 75/25 | MINT: 60/40 / 90/10 |
| BGS | 10 Pristine | 50/50 all around / 60/40 | Mint: 55/45 both ways / 70/30 |
| SGC | 10 PRI (Pristine) 10 GM (Gem) | 50/50 / not stated 55/45 / not stated | MINT: 60/40 / not stated |
| CGC | 10 Pristine 10 Gem Mint | 50/50 / not stated 55/45 / 75/25 | Mint: 60/40 / 90/10 |
BGS's top standard grade is 10 Pristine; its 9.5 is labelled Gem Mint and is in the full BGS table below.
PSA grading scale (Professional Sports Authenticator)
Source: https://www.psacard.com/gradingstandards (checked 2026-09-29). Read from psacard.com/gradingstandards (card grading tab).
| Grade | Label | Front centering | Back centering |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | GEM-MT | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| 9 | MINT | 60/40 | 90/10 |
| 8 | NM-MT | 65/35 | 90/10 |
| 7 | NM | 70/30 | 90/10 |
| 6 | EX-MT | 80/20 | 90/10 |
| 5 | EX | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| 4 | VG-EX | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| 3 | VG | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| 2 | GOOD | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| 1.5 | FR | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| 1 | PR | not stated | not stated |
- Half-point grades are available between PSA 2 and PSA 9 for cards with high-end qualities within the grade, with a clear focus on centering.
- Authentic (N0): PSA certifies the item is genuine without a numeric grade.
- Authentic Altered (AA): genuine, with evidence of trimming, recoloring, restoration, or cleaning.
- Qualifiers such as MK (marks) can be added to a numeric grade.
- PSA states that a small centering variance may be permitted at the grader's discretion based on eye appeal.
BGS grading scale (Beckett Grading Services)
Source: https://www.beckett.com/grading/scale (checked 2026-05-03). Beckett's websites were offline on 2026-09-29, so the rows come from Beckett's own grading scale page as archived by the Internet Archive on 2026-05-03.
| Grade | Label | Front centering | Back centering |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Pristine | 50/50 all around | 60/40 |
| 9.5 | Gem Mint | 50/50 one way, 55/45 the other | 60/40 |
| 9 | Mint | 55/45 both ways | 70/30 |
| 8 | Near Mint/Mint | 60/40 both ways | 80/20 |
| 7 | Near Mint | 65/35 both ways | 90/10 |
| 6 | Excellent Mint | 70/30 both ways | 95/5 |
| 5 | Excellent | 75/25 both ways | 95/5 |
| 4 | Very Good/Excellent | 80/20 both ways | 100/0 |
| 3 | Very Good | 85/15 both ways | 100/0 |
| 2 | Good | 90/10 both ways | 100/0 or offcut |
| 1 | Poor | 100/0 or offcut | 100/0 or offcut |
- Beckett issues final grades in half-point increments (10, 9.5, 9, 8.5 and so on).
- BGS grades four subcategories (centering, corners, edges, surface) in addition to the final grade.
SGC grading scale (SGC)
Source: https://gosgc.com/card-grading/scale (checked 2026-09-29). Read from gosgc.com/card-grading/scale, one grade at a time.
| Grade | Label | Front centering | Back centering |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | PRI (Pristine) | 50/50 | not stated |
| 10 | GM (Gem) | 55/45 | not stated |
| 9.5 | MINT+ | not stated | not stated |
| 9 | MINT | 60/40 | not stated |
| 8.5 | NM/MT+ | 65/35 | not stated |
| 8 | NM/MT | 65/35 | not stated |
| 7.5 | NM+ | 70/30 | not stated |
| 7 | NRMT | 70/30 | not stated |
| 6.5 | EX/NM+ | not stated | not stated |
| 6 | EX/NM | 75/25 | not stated |
| 5.5 | EX+ | not stated | not stated |
| 5 | EX | 80/20 | not stated |
| 4.5 | VG/EX+ | not stated | not stated |
| 4 | VG/EX | 85/15 | not stated |
| 3.5 | VG+ | not stated | not stated |
| 3 | VG | 90/10 | not stated |
| 2.5 | GOOD+ | not stated | not stated |
| 2 | GOOD | 90/10 | not stated |
| 1.5 | FAIR | 90/10 | not stated |
| 1 | POOR | not stated | not stated |
- SGC publishes half-point grades from 9.5 down to 1.5.
- SGC separates two 10s: 10 PRI (Pristine, described as virtually flawless) and 10 GM (Gem).
- SGC's centering figures are stated without a front/back split; they are listed here in the front column.
CGC grading scale (CGC Cards)
Source: https://www.cgccards.com/card-grading/grading-scale/ (checked 2026-09-29). Read from cgccards.com/card-grading/grading-scale (standard card scale).
| Grade | Label | Front centering | Back centering |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Pristine | 50/50 | not stated |
| 10 | Gem Mint | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| 9.5 | Mint+ | not stated | not stated |
| 9 | Mint | 60/40 | 90/10 |
| 8.5 | NM/Mint+ | not stated | not stated |
| 8 | NM/Mint | 65/35 | not stated |
| 7.5 | Near Mint+ | 65/35 | not stated |
| 7 | Near Mint | 70/30 | not stated |
| 6.5 | Ex/NM+ | not stated | not stated |
| 6 | Ex/NM | 75/25 | not stated |
| 5.5 | Excellent+ | not stated | not stated |
| 5 | Excellent | not stated | not stated |
| 4.5 | VG/Ex+ | 85/15 | not stated |
| 4 | VG/Ex | not stated | not stated |
| 3.5 | Very Good+ | 90/10 | not stated |
| 3 | Very Good | not stated | not stated |
| 2.5 | Good+ | not stated | not stated |
| 2 | Good | not stated | not stated |
| 1.5 | Fair | not stated | not stated |
| 1 | Poor | not stated | not stated |
- CGC publishes half-point grades from 9.5 down to 1.5.
- CGC separates Pristine 10 (flawless under 10x magnification, special label) from Gem Mint 10.
- CGC's centering figures apply to sports and non-sports cards; TCG cards are described by handling and manufacturing defects instead.
- Designations include Authentic (AU) and Authentic Altered (AA).
How this was checked
Each label and centering figure was read from the grading company's own published scale; nothing is averaged or taken from third-party sites. "Not stated" means the company does not give a centering figure for that grade. Grading companies change their standards, so their pages are the authority. Cite as: CardGhost, "Card grading scales: PSA, BGS, SGC and CGC compared", checked 2026-09-29, https://cardghost.com/grading-scales.
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