PSA, CGC, BGS and TAG grading standards compared
Send a trading card to a grading company and it comes back scored from 1 to 10 in a sealed case (a slab). Each company scores a little differently, so the same card can earn different grades.
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What grading is
A grading company authenticates a card, scores its condition and seals it in a tamper-evident case. Prices for a 10 and a 9 can differ enormously, so the more valuable the card, the more it pays to estimate its condition before submitting.
How the companies differ
- PSA: the most used company for trading cards. Whole-number grades from 1 to 10, where 10 is Gem Mint.
- CGC: started with comic books and expanded to cards. It splits 10 into the stricter Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10.
- BGS (Beckett): gives separate subgrades for centering, corners, edges and surface, in half-point steps. A card with 10 in all four is a rare Black Label.
- TAG: measures defects with computer imaging and shows the evidence behind each score.
By 2025 volume, PSA grades the most TCG cards, followed by CGC, BGS and TAG.
Centering needed for a 10
| Company | Grade | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 10 Gem Mint | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC | 10 Pristine | 50/50 | 50/50 |
| CGC | 10 Gem Mint | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| BGS | 10 Pristine / Black Label | 50/50 | 55/45 |
| BGS | 9.5 | 55/45 | 60/40 |
| TAG | 10 Pristine | 51/49 | 52/48 |
| TAG | 10 Gem Mint | 55/45 | 65/35 |
“55/45” compares the two borders: the wider border may be at most 55% of the two combined. Back standards are usually looser than front standards.
What else graders look at
- Corners: any whitened or softened corners.
- Edges: whitening where the border edge has chipped.
- Surface: scratches, dents, print lines and scuffs on holo surfaces.
Centering can be measured from a photo; the other three need careful inspection under light and magnification.
Check before you submit
AlphaGrade finds the borders in photos of the front and back, measures left/right and top/bottom centering automatically, and — once you pick the condition of corners, edges and surface — shows estimated PSA, CGC, BGS and TAG grades. Photos never leave your device. Estimates are for reference; actual grades come from each company’s inspection.