Pokémon Card Grading Scale Explained: PSA 1 to 10
What every grade from PSA 1 to PSA 10 means, what graders look at, and how much grading changes the value of a Pokémon card.
Updated September 30, 2026
Grading companies look at a card and give it a number from 1 to 10. The higher the grade, the better the condition, and the more collectors are willing to pay. The most famous scale is the one from PSA. BGS and CGC use very similar numbers.
What graders look at
- Centering: how even the borders are. PSA 10 allows roughly 55/45 to 60/40 on the front.
- Corners: sharp, square corners with no white showing.
- Edges: no chipping or whitening, which shows up most on the blue back of the card.
- Surface: no scratches, dents, print lines, stains or scuffs on the holo.
The PSA grading scale
| Grade | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gem Mint | Practically perfect. Four sharp corners, clean edges, great centering and no visible flaws. |
| 9 | Mint | Superb condition with one very small flaw, like a tiny bit of wear on one corner or slightly off centering. |
| 8 | Near Mint to Mint | Looks great at first sight, but has slight wear on a few corners or edges, or minor surface marks. |
| 7 | Near Mint | Light wear visible on corners and edges, maybe a light scratch. |
| 6 | Excellent to Mint | Visible wear on corners and edges, some surface wear. |
| 5 | Excellent | Rounded corners, clear edge wear and some scratches. |
| 4 | Very Good to Excellent | Obvious wear, maybe a light crease. |
| 3 | Very Good | Heavy wear, rounded corners and possibly a crease. |
| 2 | Good | Major wear, creases, scuffing or stains. |
| 1 | Poor | Heavily damaged, but still complete and identifiable. |
How much does the grade change the value?
For popular cards the jump between grades can be huge. A PSA 10 often sells for several times the price of a PSA 9, and a PSA 9 for clearly more than an ungraded copy. For cheap cards the grading fee is often higher than the value you add, so grading mostly makes sense for valuable or sentimental cards in top condition.
Charizard ex
199/165 · 151
$354.07
Umbreon VMAX
215/203 · Evolving Skies
$2,214.79
Charizard
4/102 · Base Set
$944.53
Mew ex
205/165 · 151
$26.88
Live market prices, updated daily. Tap a card for all versions and its price history.
Estimate your grade before you send it in
Our free AI grading tool checks centering, all four corners, the edges and the surface from your photos and gives an estimated grade on this scale. It is not an official grade, but it helps you decide which cards are worth sending in. Want to compare the companies? Read PSA vs BGS vs CGC.
