What is the PSA 10 centering standard?

55/45 or better on the front and 75/25 or better on the back. The front was tightened from 60/40 to 55/45 in early 2025.

What is the BGS 9.5 centering standard?

Unofficial sources give 55/45 front and 60/40 back. BGS Pristine 10 is around 50/50 front and 55/45 back.

What is the CGC 10 centering standard?

CGC Gem Mint 10 is 55/45 front (official) and 75/25 back (unofficial). Pristine 10 is officially "about 55/45".

Which grader is strictest on the back?

SGC (55/45), then BGS 9.5 (60/40) and TAG 10 (65/35). PSA 10 and CGC 10 allow 75/25.

Does ARS grade centering?

No. ARS states officially that print misalignment, including centering, is not deducted.

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Home › Card centering standards by grader: PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, TAG, ACE, ARS

Card centering standards by grader: PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, TAG, ACE, ARS

Short answer: on the front, PSA 10, BGS 9.5, CGC 10, SGC 10 and TAG 10 all require 55/45 or better. They differ on the back: PSA 10 and CGC 10 allow 75/25, TAG 10 allows 65/35, BGS 9.5 allows 60/40 and SGC requires 55/45. ARS does not deduct for centering at all.

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Centering limits by grader (top grades)

Numbers are the maximum share of the wider margin: 55 means 55/45 or better.

Grader	Grade	Front	Back	Source / note
PSA	10 Gem Mint	55	75	Official. Front tightened from 60 to 55 in early 2025
PSA	9 Mint	60	90	Official. 8 = 65/90, 7 = 70/90
BGS	Pristine 10	50	55	Unofficial; back quoted 50–60
BGS	9.5 Gem Mint	55	60	Unofficial sources agree
BGS	9	55	65	Sources differ (55/60 front, 65/70 back); stricter used
CGC	Pristine 10	50	55	Official says "about 55/45"; 50/50 unofficial
CGC	Gem Mint 10	55	75	Front official, back unofficial
CGC	9	60	90	Official
SGC	Pristine 10	50	50	Unofficial
SGC	Gem Mint 10	55	55	Back quoted 55 or 60
TAG	Pristine 10	51	52	Official, TCG values (sports back 54.5)
TAG	10	55	65	Official (sports back 70)
TAG	9	60	75	Official (sports back 90)
ACE	10	60	70	Unofficial only
ARS	—	n/a	n/a	Official: print misalignment is not deducted

What the ratios mean in millimetres

Border per side (equal L/R)	Front 55/45 (PSA 10) max L–R difference	Offset from centre	Front 60/40 (PSA 9)	Back 75/25 (PSA 10)
2.0 mm (Yu-Gi-Oh! frame)	0.4 mm	0.2 mm	0.8 mm	2.0 mm
2.5 mm (Pokémon with border, One Piece)	0.5 mm	0.25 mm	1.0 mm	2.5 mm
3.0 mm (MTG black border)	0.6 mm	0.3 mm	1.2 mm	3.0 mm
3.5 mm (Pokémon back, MTG back)	0.7 mm	0.35 mm	1.4 mm	3.5 mm

Border widths are typical measured values and vary by set and print run. With S = left + right margin, the allowed difference is S×0.1 for 55/45, S×0.2 for 60/40 and S×0.5 for 75/25.

Example: on a 2.5 mm border, 2.75 mm left and 2.25 mm right is exactly 55/45. A print offset of 0.25 mm already reaches the PSA 10 limit. The same applies top/bottom.

Choosing a grader from the numbers

Front ≤55, back ≤75: within PSA 10 and CGC 10; TAG 10 if the back is ≤65.
Front ≤55, back 65–75: PSA 10 and CGC 10 are possible; TAG 10 and BGS 9.5 fail on the back.
Front 56–60: PSA 9 territory. ARS, which ignores centering, is an option.
Front ≤50, back ≤55: rare — BGS/CGC Pristine and TAG Pristine (51/52) become realistic.

Caveats

Unofficial figures are guidance; graders make the final call and also weigh corners, edges and surface.
PSA rewrote its front guideline from 60/40 to 55/45 without a formal announcement around 2024–2025, so older PSA 10 slabs can include cards that would grade 9 today.
TAG uses different back limits for TCG and sports cards.

FAQ

What is the PSA 10 centering standard?: 55/45 or better on the front and 75/25 or better on the back. The front was tightened from 60/40 to 55/45 in early 2025.
What is the BGS 9.5 centering standard?: Unofficial sources give 55/45 front and 60/40 back. BGS Pristine 10 is around 50/50 front and 55/45 back.
What is the CGC 10 centering standard?: CGC Gem Mint 10 is 55/45 front (official) and 75/25 back (unofficial). Pristine 10 is officially "about 55/45".
Which grader is strictest on the back?: SGC (55/45), then BGS 9.5 (60/40) and TAG 10 (65/35). PSA 10 and CGC 10 allow 75/25.
Does ARS grade centering?: No. ARS states officially that print misalignment, including centering, is not deducted.

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Centering limits by grader (top grades)

What the ratios mean in millimetres

Choosing a grader from the numbers

Caveats

FAQ

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