PSA grading scale: what each grade from 1 to 10 means

Reference and math only. This site does not appraise cards, does not price them for you and does not authenticate them — every number here is one you enter or one you verify at the source we cite.

Updated Sep 15, 2026

The PSA grading scale runs from Poor 1 to Gem Mint 10 and describes a card’s condition once PSA has confirmed it is genuine. Every grade has a written definition and a centering limit — 55/45 on the front for a PSA 10, widening to 90/10 by PSA 3 — and half points are possible between PSA 2 and PSA 9.

Everything below comes from PSA’s own grading standards, read on 15 September 2026: the definition of each grade, the centering tolerance behind it, the qualifiers that can follow a number, and the codes on a card that comes back without one. What each service level costs is on the PSA grading cost page.

PSA grading scale chart#

Grade	Name	What PSA allows	Front centering	Back centering
PSA 10	Gem Mint	Virtually perfect: sharp corners, sharp focus, full gloss, no staining; a slight print imperfection allowed	55/45	75/25
PSA 9	Mint	Only one minor flaw: a very slight 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; slightest fraying at one or two corners	65/35	90/10
PSA 7	NM	Slight surface wear on close inspection, slight corner fraying, most gloss retained	70/30	90/10
PSA 6	EX-MT	Visible surface wear or a print defect, a very light scratch, graduated corner fraying	80/20	90/10
PSA 5	EX	Very minor corner rounding, more visible wear, minor edge chipping	85/15	90/10
PSA 4	VG-EX	Slightly rounded corners, modest wear, light scuffing; a light crease is possible	85/15	90/10
PSA 3	VG	Some corner rounding, noticeable edge wear, much of the gloss lost; a crease is possible	90/10	90/10
PSA 2	Good	Accelerated corner rounding, obvious surface wear; several creases are possible	90/10	90/10
PSA 1.5	Fair	Extreme wear and heavy creases, but the card must be fully intact	about 90/10	about 90/10
PSA 1	Poor	Defects so advanced that eye appeal has nearly vanished; small pieces may be missing	not stated	not stated

PSA writes “approximately” beside the centering figures for the top four grades and for PSA 1.5, and states that a small variance may be allowed at the grader’s discretion based on eye appeal.

55/45 front · 75/25 back

Centering PSA allows for a Gem Mint 10, from its published grading standards, read 15 September 2026

What separates a PSA 10 from a PSA 9#

A PSA 9 is allowed exactly one minor flaw — a very slight wax stain on the reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders — where a 10 is allowed only a slight print imperfection that does not hurt the card’s appeal. Staining of any kind rules out a 10.

Centering tightens at the same step. The front tolerance moves from 60/40 to 55/45, and the back tolerance from 90/10 to 75/25, which is the largest single change in reverse centering anywhere on the scale. Measuring both sides before you submit takes a ruler and the centering calculator, and it tells you whether a 10 is even possible.

Between a 9 and a 10 the back of the card matters more than anywhere else on the scale: 90/10 is fine for a 9, but a 10 needs 75/25.

The top grade has its own page, with the full Gem Mint definition, the published distribution of grades and the four things that stop a 10: what does PSA 10 mean.

Half-point grades at PSA#

PSA states that cards showing high-end qualities within a grade, between PSA 2 and PSA 9, may receive a half-point increase, and that graders focus clearly on centering when deciding. That makes an 8.5 or a 6.5 possible, while a 9.5 is not: above Mint 9 the only grade left is Gem Mint 10. Fair 1.5 is a named grade in its own right rather than a half point.

That is a narrower use of half grades than the other majors. Beckett grades in half steps across the whole scale, and CGC and SGC split the top into two tens — the full comparison is in PSA vs BGS vs CGC.

The centering leeway PSA publishes#

Two written allowances sit on top of the centering column, and both matter to a card that measures close to a limit.

Automatic, up to the limit

PSA's example: a card that meets every other requirement for PSA 9 and measures 60/40 on the front meets the front centering standard for a 9.

Discretionary, five per cent beyond

For cards grading PSA 7 or better, PSA gives a 5% leeway on front centering: the same card at 65/35 may still count as a 9 if its eye appeal is good.

Eye appeal cuts both ways

PSA also says a card that technically measures for a grade can be held below it when poor contrast makes the centering an eyesore.

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

A qualifier is a short code printed after the grade. Four of them are optional: PSA either gives the card the lower number its flaw allows, or keeps the higher number and adds the qualifier. The other two are always applied.

Code	Meaning	How PSA applies it
OC	Off center	Optional: the grade reflects the centering allowed, or carries OC
ST	Staining	Optional: the grade reflects the staining allowed, or carries ST
PD	Print defect	Optional: the grade reflects the print defects allowed, or carries PD
OF	Out of focus	Optional: the grade reflects the focus allowed, or carries OF
MK	Marks	Always: any writing, ink or pencil marks, or impressions left by writing
MC	Miscut	Always: an atypical cut that cuts off part of the card or shows another card

Authentic, Authentic Altered and the N codes#

Not every card comes back with a number. Authentic means PSA believes the card is genuine but gives no grade, whether because of an alteration, a major defect or a request to encapsulate it ungraded. Authentic Altered means the card is genuine with evidence of trimming, recoloring, restoration or cleaning, and is used only when AA was requested as the minimum grade.

A card returned in a sleeve rather than a holder carries one of these codes:

Code	What PSA found	Grading fee charged
N1	Evidence of trimming	Yes
N2	Evidence of restoration	Yes
N3	Evidence of recoloration	Yes
N4	Questionable authenticity — never encapsulated	Yes
N5	Altered stock, such as crease pressing, scratch removal or enhanced gloss	Yes
N6	Significantly undersized	No, unless encapsulated as Authentic
N7	Evidence of cleaning, such as whitened borders	Yes
N8	Miscut beyond what is normal for the issue	No, unless encapsulated as Authentic
N9	An issue PSA does not grade	No

N4 is the code to fear on a card bought for a lot of money, and the comparison checklist for fake cards is the place to start before paying to find out. N8 is where most error and misprint cards with a dramatic cut end up.

Before you pay for a grade#

The scale tells you what a grader is looking for; it does not tell you whether a grade is worth buying. Judge the card against the marketplace condition standard first, run the numbers in is it worth grading, and follow the submission steps only when the arithmetic survives a realistic grade. What the card is worth raw is the starting point for all of it, and Pokémon card value explains how to find that number.

Sources

Every figure above was read on the page below on the date shown. Grading fees and marketplace rules change without notice — check the source before you send anything.

PSA — Grading Standards: grade definitions, qualifiers and no-grade codes — checked Sep 15, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the PSA grading scale?

The PSA grading scale is the ten-point scale PSA uses for a card that has passed authentication: Gem Mint 10, Mint 9, NM-MT 8, NM 7, EX-MT 6, EX 5, VG-EX 4, VG 3, Good 2, Fair 1.5 and Poor 1. Half-point grades are also possible between PSA 2 and PSA 9.

What does PSA 10 mean?

PSA 10 means Gem Mint, which PSA defines as a virtually perfect card: four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus, full original gloss and no staining, with a slight printing imperfection allowed if it does not hurt the appeal. Centering must be within about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the reverse.

Does PSA give half grades?

Yes, between PSA 2 and PSA 9. PSA states that cards showing high-end qualities within a grade may receive a half-point increase, with a clear focus on centering, so grades such as 8.5 exist. There is no 9.5 at PSA: above Mint 9 the next grade is Gem Mint 10.

What does OC mean on a PSA card?

OC means off center. PSA can either give the card the numeric grade its centering allows, or give the grade the rest of the card earns with the OC qualifier attached. ST, PD and OF work the same way for staining, print defects and focus, while MK and MC always flag marks and miscuts.

What is the difference between PSA Authentic and Authentic Altered?

Both mean PSA believes the card is genuine but gives it no numeric grade. Authentic can reflect an alteration, a major defect or a request to encapsulate without a grade. Authentic Altered is used when trimming, recoloring, restoration or cleaning is present and AA was requested as the minimum grade.

What do N1 and N4 mean on a PSA return?

They are no-grade codes for a card returned in a sleeve instead of a holder. N1 is evidence of trimming and N4 is questionable authenticity, and the list runs to N9, covering altered stock, size, cleaning and miscuts. PSA charges the grading fee for most codes, but not for N6, N8 or N9.

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