Card centering standards: PSA, BGS and CGC by grade
Short answer: a PSA 10 (Gem Mint) needs front centering of about 55/45 or better and back centering of 75/25 or better. PSA 9 allows about 60/40 on the front and 90/10 on the back. CGC Gem Mint 10 uses the same 55/45 and 75/25, and CGC Pristine 10 needs 50/50. BGS is stricter: Gem Mint 9.5 needs 50/50 one way and 55/45 the other on the front, and Pristine 10 needs 50/50 all round.
Top grades side by side
| Company and grade | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 Gem Mint | ≈ 55/45 | 75/25 |
| PSA 9 Mint | ≈ 60/40 | 90/10 |
| BGS 10 Pristine | 50/50 | 60/40 |
| BGS 9.5 Gem Mint | 50/50 one way, 55/45 the other | 60/40 |
| BGS 9 Mint | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| CGC 10 Pristine | 50/50 | not stated |
| CGC 10 Gem Mint | ≈ 55/45 | 75/25 |
Centering is one of several criteria. Meeting a figure does not guarantee a grade, and the final grade is the grader’s call. Check the current official page before you submit.
What a ratio like 55/45 means
A centering ratio compares two opposite borders. Measure the left and right borders (or top and bottom), then divide the wider one by their sum: wider border ÷ (left + right) × 100. The larger share is written first, so 55/45 means the wider border takes 55% of the combined width. 50/50 is perfectly centered. Left/right and top/bottom are judged separately, and the front and back each have their own limit.
In millimetres the differences are tiny. On a card whose left and right borders add up to 4 mm (about 2 mm a side):
| Ratio | Wider border | Narrower border | Artwork off centre by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50/50 | 2.00 mm | 2.00 mm | 0.00 mm |
| 55/45 | 2.20 mm | 1.80 mm | 0.20 mm |
| 60/40 | 2.40 mm | 1.60 mm | 0.40 mm |
| 65/35 | 2.60 mm | 1.40 mm | 0.60 mm |
| 70/30 | 2.80 mm | 1.20 mm | 0.80 mm |
| 75/25 | 3.00 mm | 1.00 mm | 1.00 mm |
| 80/20 | 3.20 mm | 0.80 mm | 1.20 mm |
| 90/10 | 3.60 mm | 0.40 mm | 1.60 mm |
So on this card the PSA 10 front limit (55/45) and the PSA 9 limit (60/40) are only 0.2 mm apart on each border. That is hard to judge with a ruler, which is why a magnified photo or a scan helps.
Centering by grade
PSA
| Grade | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| GEM-MT 10 | ≈ 55/45 | 75/25 |
| MINT 9 | ≈ 60/40 | 90/10 |
| NM-MT 8 | ≈ 65/35 | 90/10 |
| NM 7 | ≈ 70/30 | 90/10 |
| EX-MT 6 | 80/20 | 90/10 |
| EX 5 | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| VG-EX 4 | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| VG 3 | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| GOOD 2 | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| FR 1.5 | ≈ 90/10 | ≈ 90/10 |
PSA writes “approximately” for grades 10 to 7 and 1.5. It also says eye appeal can move a borderline card either way: a card that technically measures within a grade can be held back, and in rare cases a slightly off-centre card with very strong other qualities can reach the unqualified grade. A card that misses the centering for its grade can receive an OC (off-center) qualifier. Older copies of PSA’s page gave the Gem Mint 10 front as “55/45 to 60/40”; the current page says approximately 55/45.
BGS (Beckett)
| Grade | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| Pristine 10 | 50/50 | 60/40 |
| Gem Mint 9.5 | 50/50 one way, 55/45 the other | 60/40 |
| Mint 9 | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| Near Mint/Mint 8 | 60/40 | 80/20 |
| Near Mint 7 | 65/35 | 90/10 |
| Excellent Mint 6 | 70/30 | 95/5 |
| Excellent 5 | 75/25 | 95/5 |
| Very Good/Excellent 4 | 80/20 | 100/0 |
| Very Good 3 | 85/15 | 100/0 |
| Good 2 | 90/10 | 100/0 or off-cut |
Beckett applies the front figures in both directions (left/right and top/bottom) and grades centering as one of four subgrades, with corners, edges and surface.
CGC Cards
| Grade | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| Pristine 10 | 50/50 | not stated |
| Gem Mint 10 | ≈ 55/45 | 75/25 |
| Mint 9 | 60/40 * | 90/10 * |
| NM/Mint 8 | 65/35 * | not stated |
| Near Mint+ 7.5 | 65/35 * | not stated |
| Near Mint 7 | 70/30 * | not stated |
| Ex/NM 6 | 75/25 * | not stated |
| VG/Ex+ 4.5 | 85/15 * | not stated |
| Very Good+ 3.5 | 90/10 | not stated |
* CGC states these figures for sports and non-sports cards. For trading card games such as Pokémon, its descriptions below 10 talk about handling and manufacturing defects instead of a centering number, so treat the sports figures as a rough guide there.
How to measure centering at home
- Ruler or calliper. Measure each border in the middle of the side, away from the rounded corners. With 2 mm borders you need 0.1 mm precision to tell 55/45 from 60/40.
- Centering overlay. A transparent sheet with printed scales is quick. Read it from straight above so parallax does not shift the lines.
- Photo or scan. Shoot straight down on a plain, contrasting background (or scan the card), then measure in pixels. The free card centering calculator turns four border widths into ratios, and the CenterMint iPhone app finds the borders in a photo and lets you check each line with a loupe. Step by step: how to measure card centering on iPhone.
- Check the worst point too. If a card is cut slightly crooked (a diamond cut), the border changes along the edge. Beckett and CGC mention diamond cuts in their scales, so also measure where the difference is largest.
Questions
What centering does a PSA 10 need?
About 55/45 or better on the front and 75/25 or better on the back, according to PSA’s grading standards. A PSA 9 allows about 60/40 on the front and 90/10 on the back.
Is PSA’s centering standard different for Japanese cards?
No. PSA publishes one grading scale, with no separate centering figures for Japanese or other language cards.
Is BGS stricter than PSA on centering?
Yes, for the same headline number. A BGS 9.5 needs 50/50 one way and 55/45 the other on the front, and a BGS 9 needs 55/45 both ways, the same as a PSA 10. BGS is stricter on the back too: 60/40 for a 9.5, against 75/25 for a PSA 10.
Does back centering matter?
Yes, but the limits are looser: 75/25 for a PSA 10 or CGC Gem Mint 10, 90/10 for a PSA 9 and 60/40 for a BGS 9.5. Measure the back separately.
Can a perfectly centered card still miss a 10?
Yes. Corners, edges and surface are graded too, and the grader looks at the card’s overall eye appeal.
Sources: the official grading scales
- PSA grading standards
- Beckett grading scale
- CGC Cards grading scale
- PSA’s page as archived in May 2024 (Internet Archive)
Checked on October 22, 2026. Grading companies update their pages; when in doubt, the official page wins.