Card centering calculator
Updated October 4, 2026 by Kamal Nasir
To check a card's centering, measure the left and right borders at their narrowest points and divide the larger by the two added together: 3 mm and 2 mm give 3 divided by 5, or 60/40. Do the same from top to bottom, and the worse of the two is that side's centering. Type your measurements or line up a photo below to see the ratio for the front and back and the PSA and CGC grades it allows.
The centering lines this calculator uses
How to measure card centering with a ruler
Use a ruler with millimeter marks, or calipers, and measure each border at its narrowest point, from the card's edge to where the printed frame or picture begins. Any unit works as long as all four borders use the same one, so inches, ruler ticks or pixels from a scan give the same ratio as millimeters.
- Measure the left and right borders at their narrowest points.
- Divide the larger by the two added together and multiply by 100: 3.1 mm and 2.4 mm give 56.4/43.6.
- Repeat from top to bottom. The worse of the two axes is that side's centering.
- Do the same on the back, which graders hold to a looser line.
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Scan Pokémon, Magic and One Piece cards for value
PSA centering standards by grade
PSA's grading standards give a front and a back line for each grade, and a card has to meet both. These are the lines on psacard.com as checked on 4 October 2026, written as the larger border's share:
PSA goes by "the most off-center part of the card", and adds that "at the grader's sole discretion, a small variance may be permitted on occasion based on the card's overall eye appeal." It also says cards "between PSA 2 and PSA 9 may achieve a half-point increase", with "a clear focus on centering". The calculator gives whole grades only.
- GEM-MT 10: approximately 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back
- MINT 9: approximately 60/40 on the front and 90/10 on the back
- NM-MT 8: approximately 65/35 on the front and 90/10 on the back
- NM 7: approximately 70/30 on the front and 90/10 on the back
- EX-MT 6: 80/20 on the front and 90/10 on the back
- EX 5 and VG-EX 4: 85/15 on the front and 90/10 on the back
- VG 3, GOOD 2 and FR 1.5: 90/10 on the front and back
- PR 1: no centering figure
CGC centering standards
At the top of CGC's grading scale the figures apply to every card. Pristine 10 says "The centering is 50/50", and Gem Mint 10 says centering "is not to exceed approximately 55/45, and reverse centering is not to exceed 75/25."
Below Gem Mint 10, CGC's figures are written for sports and non-sports cards; only Very Good+ 3.5 gives its 90/10 without naming a card type. For Pokémon, Magic, One Piece and other trading card games, the lower grades describe handling and manufacturing defects instead, so the calculator shows only the two 10s when a trading card game is selected. The figures for sports and non-sports cards:
- Mint 9: 60/40 or better on the front and 90/10 on the back
- NM/Mint 8 and Near Mint+ 7.5: 65/35
- Near Mint 7: 70/30
- Ex/NM 6: no worse than 75/25
- VG/Ex+ 4.5: 85/15
- Very Good+ 3.5: 90/10
- Mint+ 9.5, NM/Mint+ 8.5, Ex/NM+ 6.5, Excellent+ 5.5, Excellent 5 and VG/Ex 4: no centering figure
Why many pages still quote 60/40 for a PSA 10
At the end of 2024, PSA's grading page gave ranges: a GEM-MT 10 needed "approximately 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front", a MINT 9 60/40 to 65/35, an NM-MT 8 65/35 to 70/30 and an NM 7 70/30 to 75/25. The page now reads "approximately 55/45" for a 10, and each of those grades gives a single front figure.
Guides and calculators written before the change still quote the older ranges. This calculator uses the current lines and shows the date they were last checked.
Tips for measuring centering from a photo
- Lay the card flat and shoot straight down, or use a flatbed scan. An angled shot makes the far border look thinner.
- Use even light without glare on the borders, so both edges of each border are easy to see.
- Let the card fill most of the frame, so each border spans more pixels.
- Square up a slightly tilted shot with the rotation slider before placing the guides.
- Measure the front and the back from separate photos: choose the side, load the photo and place the guides again.
- The photo is drawn in your browser and never uploaded.
What centering does not tell you
Centering is one of four things graders score, with corners, edges and surface. A well centered card with a whitened corner or a scratch can still miss a 10, so read the result as a ceiling rather than a prediction. Borderless and full-bleed cards have no border to measure, so this calculator does not apply to them.
Nocturne grades condition from your photos, with centering, corners, edges and surface sub-scores and a defect map showing where the wear is. It identifies Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and One Piece cards on the iPhone, offline. Its grade is a guide for buying and selling, not a substitute for official grading services.
Questions people ask
What centering does a PSA 10 need?
PSA's grading standards say a GEM-MT 10 must be centered within approximately 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back. At the end of 2024 the same page read 55/45 to 60/40 on the front, so a guide quoting 60/40 for a 10 is describing the older wording.
How is card centering calculated?
Measure two opposite borders at their narrowest points and divide the larger by the two added together. A 3 mm left border and a 2 mm right border give 3 divided by 5, or 60 percent, written 60/40. Do the same top to bottom; PSA goes by the most off-center part of the card.
Does CGC use the same centering for Pokémon cards?
At the top, yes: Pristine 10 asks for 50/50 and Gem Mint 10 for about 55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back. Below that, CGC's published centering figures, such as 60/40 for a Mint 9, are written for sports and non-sports cards, and its descriptions for trading card games talk about handling and manufacturing defects instead.