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Card Centering Calculator

Centering is the wider border’s share of each pair: borders of 3.1 mm and 2.2 mm give 3.1 ÷ 5.3 = 58.5%, written 58.5/41.5. For a 10, PSA allows about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back, CGC’s Gem Mint 10 is also 55/45 and 75/25, and TAG’s Gem Mint 10 for trading cards is about 55/45 and 65/35.

Centering only caps the grade. Corners, edges and surface decide the rest.

Free · no sign-up · works on your phoneUpdated 9 sources

Card Centering Calculator

Your card's borders

How are you measuring?
Front
Back (optional)

Leave all four blank to check the front only. Every company here has a separate, looser back limit.

Any unit works (millimeters, inches, photo pixels) as long as all four on a side use the same one: only the ratio matters. Measure the border from the card’s edge to the printed frame, at the middle of each side.

Centering

Showing the example card from this page. Type your own borders, or line up a photo.

Front

58.5/41.5

Worse axis: left/right

Back

57.7/42.3

Worse axis: top/bottom

  • PSA

    Capped

    PSA 9 (Mint)

    Centering allows up to PSA 9 (Mint). PSA 10 (Gem Mint) needs 55/45 or better on the front (this card: 58.5/41.5).

    PSA 1 (Poor): no centering figure in the sources we could read.

  • CGC Cards

    Below published limits

    No published grade

    Centering rules out CGC Gem Mint 10, which needs 55/45 or better on the front (this card: 58.5/41.5). CGC publishes no centering figure for TCG cards below 10, so its scale doesn't say how far centering alone drops it.

    Mint+ 9.5 and below: CGC publishes centering figures for sports and non-sports cards only, not for TCG cards such as Pokémon.

  • Beckett (BGS)

    Not listed

    Not shown: beckett.com was offline for maintenance when we checked on September 22, 2026, and other sites disagree on its centering numbers. Check Beckett's own grading scale before you submit.

  • TAG

    Capped

    TAG 9 Mint

    Centering allows up to TAG 9 Mint. TAG 10 Gem Mint needs 55/45 or better on the front (this card: 58.5/41.5).

    TAG 1 (Poor): no ratio, only that some border shows and the card isn't miscut.

Centering only caps the grade

Corners, edges and surface decide the rest, and a card can hit every centering limit and still grade low. Check them with the card condition grader and see how grading works.
How this was calculated
Front left/right3.1 ÷ (3.1 + 2.2) = 58.5%58.5/41.5
Front top/bottom2.6 ÷ (2.6 + 2.6) = 50%50/50
Front worse axisleft/right58.5/41.5
Back left/right2.6 ÷ (2.4 + 2.6) = 52%52/48
Back top/bottom3 ÷ (2.2 + 3) = 57.7%57.7/42.3
Back worse axistop/bottom57.7/42.3
PSAPSA 10 (Gem Mint): front 58.5 vs 55/45 (over), back 57.7 vs 75/25 · PSA 9 (Mint): front 58.5 vs 60/40, back 57.7 vs 90/10 (within)PSA 9 (Mint)
CGC CardsCGC Gem Mint 10: front 58.5 vs 55/45 (over), back 57.7 vs 75/25no TCG figure below 10
TAGTAG 10 Gem Mint: front 58.5 vs 55/45 (over), back 57.7 vs 65/35 · TAG 9 Mint: front 58.5 vs 60/40, back 57.7 vs 75/25 (within)TAG 9 Mint

The larger border goes on top: a pair of 3.1 and 2.2 is 3.1 ÷ 5.3 = 58.5%, written 58.5/41.5. Each side of the card is judged on its worse axis, and a grade needs the front and back both inside its limits.

Limits
published, mostly "approximately"
Borderline
within 1 point
CGC Pristine "50/50"
under 50.5/49.5
Beckett
not shown (see note)

Worked example

A card that's 58.5/41.5 across the front

Front: left border 3.1 mm, right 2.2 mm, top and bottom 2.6 mm each. Left/right: 3.1 ÷ (3.1 + 2.2) = 58.5% → 58.5/41.5. Top/bottom: 2.6 ÷ 5.2 = 50% → 50/50. The worse axis is left/right, so the front is 58.5/41.5.

Back: left 2.4, right 2.6, top 2.2, bottom 3.0. Left/right: 2.6 ÷ 5.0 = 52/48. Top/bottom: 3.0 ÷ 5.2 = 57.7/42.3, the worse axis.

PSA: a 10 needs about 55/45 on the front, and 58.5 is over. A 9 allows 60/40 front and 90/10 back, and both sides fit, so centering caps it at PSA 9. TAG: the same front misses its Gem Mint 10 (about 55/45); its 9 allows about 60/40 front and 75/25 back for trading cards, so TAG 9. CGC: it misses Gem Mint 10’s 55/45, and CGC publishes no TCG centering figure below 10, so its scale doesn’t say how far it drops.

Measuring error matters on borders this thin. Read two true 3 mm borders as 3.5 and 3.0 and you get 3.5 ÷ 6.5 = 53.8/46.2, most of the way to the 55/45 line, so measure twice or use a zoomed-in photo.

Reference

Published centering limits by grade

“55/45” means the wider border may be at most 55% of the pair. Each company writes these as approximate limits, and a card needs its front and back both inside a grade’s numbers. Figures as of September 2026.

PSA

PSA centering limits by grade, front and back (approximate), as of September 2026
GradeFront limitBack limit
PSA 10 (Gem Mint)55/4575/25
PSA 9 (Mint)60/4090/10
PSA 8 (NM-MT)65/3590/10
PSA 7 (NM)70/3090/10
PSA 6 (EX-MT)80/2090/10
PSA 5 (EX)85/1590/10
PSA 4 (VG-EX)85/1590/10
PSA 3 (VG)90/1090/10
PSA 2 (Good)90/1090/10
PSA 1.5 (Fair)90/1090/10
PSA 1 (Poor)No figure in the sources we could readNo figure in the sources we could read

PSA gives half grades from 1.5 to 8.5 (there is no PSA 9.5). Its 2008 announcement said a half-point needs centering at least five to ten points better than the grade’s tolerance. PSA’s standards also leave room for eye appeal: “a small variance may be permitted on occasion.”

CGC Cards

CGC Cards centering limits for TCG cards such as Pokémon, as of September 2026
GradeFront limitBack limit
Pristine 1050/5050/50 (CGC doesn't split front and back)
Gem Mint 1055/4575/25
Mint+ 9.5 and belowNot published for TCG cardsNot published for TCG cards

Below 10, CGC’s scale gives centering figures only “for sports and non-sports cards”: 60/40 front and 90/10 back at Mint 9, 65/35 at 8 and 7.5, 70/30 at 7, 75/25 at 6 and 85/15 at 4.5. For TCG cards it describes handling and manufacturing defects instead. Those sports-card numbers are why some sites quote a 60/40 “CGC 9”.

TAG (trading card figures)

TAG centering limits for TCG cards by grade, front and back (approximate), as of September 2026
GradeFront limitBack limit
TAG Pristine 1051/4952/48
TAG 10 Gem Mint55/4565/35
TAG 9 Mint60/4075/25
TAG 8.5 NM-MT+62.5/37.585/15
TAG 8 NM-MT65/3595/5
TAG 7.5 NM+67.5/32.5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 7 NM70/30Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 6.5 EX-MT+72.5/27.5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 6 EX-MT75/25Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 5.5 EX+77.5/22.5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 5 EX80/20Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 4.5 VG-EX+82.5/17.5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 4 VG-EX85/15Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 3.5 VG+87.5/12.5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 3 VG90/10Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 2.5 Good+92.5/7.5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 2 Good95/5Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 1.5 Fair98.33/1.67Some border showing; not miscut
TAG 1 PoorNo ratio givenSome border showing; not miscut

TAG’s back limits for trading cards are stricter than for sports cards: about 65/35 for a TCG Gem Mint 10 against 70/30 for sports, and 52/48 against 54.5/45.5 for Pristine.

Beckett (BGS)

Not listed. Beckett’s website was offline for maintenance when we checked on September 22, 2026, and the secondary sites that reproduce its scale disagree with each other, for example on the back limit for a 10. Check Beckett’s own grading scale before you submit; we’ll add its figures once we can read them there.

How to use it

In 5 steps

  1. 1Measure each border at the middle of its side, from the card's edge to where the printed frame starts. A millimeter ruler under good light works; calipers or a scan work better.
  2. 2Or choose Line up a photo, pick Front or Back, and drag the solid Edge lines to the card’s edges and the dashed Frame lines to the inside of the border. The photo never leaves your phone.
  3. 3Do the back as well. Every company has a separate back limit, and TAG's is the strictest for trading cards.
  4. 4Read the split for each axis, the worse axis, and the best grade each company's centering limits allow.
  5. 5Then check corners, edges and surface with the condition grader. Centering only caps the grade.

Why centering is a ceiling, not a grade

Graders look at four things: centering, corners, edges and surface. Centering is the only one you can measure with a ruler, which is why it’s the easiest to pre-screen. But it only works one way. A card outside PSA’s 55/45 front limit can’t get a PSA 10 however clean it is, while a perfectly centered card with a whitened corner won’t get one either.

Measure the worse axis, front and back. Cards are usually off in one direction. The grade follows the worse of left/right and top/bottom, and the back has its own limit, looser than the front at most grades: 75/25 for a PSA 10 or CGC Gem Mint 10, about 65/35 for a TAG Gem Mint 10 on trading cards.

The limits are approximate. PSA, CGC and TAG all write their numbers as approximate, and PSA says a small variance may be allowed for eye appeal. If your card lands within a point of a line, treat it as a coin flip, not a sure thing.

CGC doesn’t publish TCG numbers below 10. Its scale gives Pokémon and other TCG cards a Pristine 10 at 50/50 and a Gem Mint 10 at 55/45 and 75/25. Below that it gives centering figures for sports cards only, so this tool says so rather than borrowing them.

Want the whole process, from pre-screening to packing a submission? Read how Pokémon card grading works, and price it with the grading cost calculator.

FAQ

Centering: questions

What centering do you need for a PSA 10?

About 55/45 or better on the front and 75/25 or better on the back, per PSA's grading standards. PSA writes these as approximate and says a small variance may be permitted for eye appeal. A PSA 9 allows about 60/40 on the front and 90/10 on the back.

How do you calculate card centering?

Divide the wider border by the two borders added together. A left border of 3.1 mm and a right border of 2.2 mm give 3.1 ÷ 5.3 = 58.5%, so the card is 58.5/41.5 left to right. Do the same top to bottom and on the back; each side is judged on its worse axis.

What centering does CGC need for a Pristine 10?

CGC's grading scale says a Pristine 10's centering is 50/50. Its Gem Mint 10 allows up to about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back. Below 10, CGC publishes centering figures only for sports and non-sports cards, not for trading card games such as Pokémon.

Is TAG stricter than PSA on centering?

On the back of trading cards, yes. TAG's rubric allows about 55/45 on the front and 65/35 on the back for a TCG Gem Mint 10, where PSA allows 75/25 on the back for a 10. TAG's Pristine 10 needs about 51/49 on the front and 52/48 on the back.

Can I measure centering from a phone photo?

Yes, if the card is flat and the photo is taken straight on; a scan is better still. Only the ratio of the borders matters, so pixels work as well as millimeters. This tool's photo mode draws the picture in your browser, and the image is never uploaded.

Does perfect centering mean a card will grade 10?

No. Centering only sets the ceiling. The corners, edges and surface have to meet the same grade, and a single whitened corner or surface scratch can keep a perfectly centered card from a 10.

Not answered here? Ask us — a photo of the card helps.

Text (760) 453-6389Send a message

Sources

Where these numbers come from

  1. [1]CGC Cards, “Grading Scale” (opens in a new tab)Pristine 10: “The centering is 50/50.” Gem Mint 10: up to about 55/45 front, 75/25 back. From Mint 9 down, centering figures are given for sports and non-sports cards only. Read 2026-09-22.
  2. [2]TAG, “Grading Rubric” (opens in a new tab)Front tolerance for every grade and a separate TCG back tolerance down to 8; from 7.5 down the back only needs some border and must not be miscut. Read 2026-09-22.
  3. [3]TAG, “Grading Scale” (opens in a new tab)Grade names and 1,000-point score bands; half points on every level except between 9 and 10. Read 2026-09-22.
  4. [4]PSA, “Grading Standards” (opens in a new tab)Graders’ discretion: “a small variance may be permitted on occasion” for eye appeal. The per-grade text sits in a slider we couldn’t read as text, so PSA’s figures are taken from the next three sources. Read 2026-09-22.
  5. [5]Card Centering Calculator, “PSA Centering Standards” (opens in a new tab)PSA’s current per-grade front and back figures, quoting PSA’s wording for a 10 (“approximately 55/45 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse”). Read 2026-09-22.
  6. [6]Elite Fourum, “PSA grading standard updated?” (January 29, 2025) (opens in a new tab)Records PSA’s page changing a 10 from “55/45 to 60/40” on the front to 55/45. Read 2026-09-22.
  7. [7]PSA, “Grading Your Cards” (opens in a new tab)PSA’s older per-grade ranges (a 10 at 55/45 to 60/40, a 9 at 60/40 to 65/35 …); today’s figures are the tight end of each. Read 2026-09-22.
  8. [8]PSA, “Introducing PSA Half Grades” (January 16, 2008) (opens in a new tab)Half grades in every step except 9.5; centering at least five to ten points better than the grade’s tolerance. Read 2026-09-22.
  9. [9]Beckett Grading (opens in a new tab)Offline for maintenance on 2026-09-22 (redirected to maintenance.beckett.com), so Beckett’s figures are not listed here.

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