Pokémon card centering: how to measure it and what it does to a grade
Centering is how evenly the borders sit around a card's picture. Graders write it as a split, such as 55/45. A card can be flawless and still miss a 10 on centering alone. Measure yours with the calculator below.
How centered is your card?
Measure the border on each side of the front, in millimeters. A ruler works, and so does a photo you zoom into.
- Centering is written as a split: 50/50 is perfect, 60/40 is plainly off.
- A PSA 10 needs about 55/45 or better on the front.
- The back is judged more loosely: 75/25 passes for a 10.
- Centering cannot be fixed. It is set when the sheet is cut.
- Check centering before you pay a grading fee, not after.
How to measure it
- Lay the card flat, face up.Take it out of the sleeve. Light from above, with no shadow across the borders.
- Measure left and right.Measure the yellow or silver border from the card's side to the picture frame, on both sides.
- Measure top and bottom.Do the same above and below. Type all four into the calculator.
- Turn it over.Check the back by eye. A blue border much wider on one side counts against the card.
What each grade asks for
| PSA grade | Front | Back |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 55/45 to 60/40 | 75/25 |
| 9 | 60/40 to 65/35 | 90/10 |
| 8 | 65/35 to 70/30 | 90/10 |
| 7 | 70/30 to 75/25 | 90/10 |
These are PSA's standards as grading guides quote them. For a 10 some quote 55/45 and some allow up to 60/40. Aim for 55/45.
Confirmed
- Graders measure both directions. The worse of the two decides.
- Centering is one of four things graded, with corners, sides and surface.
Reported, not confirmed
- Beckett and CGC keep their top labels for cards at 50/50.
- Collectors report modern cards being held to 55/45 for a PSA 10.
Cards with no border
Full art cards have no frame to measure from.
- Compare the gap between the text and each side of the card.
- Look at the back. Its blue border shows the cut plainly.
- Graders judge these by the back and by how the design sits.
Is an off center card worth grading?
Sometimes. A 9 can still pay on a valuable card, and a card with a famous miscut is collected for it.
Our grading guide works out whether a 9 covers the fee for your card.
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Common questions
What centering does a PSA 10 need?
About 55/45 or better on the front and 75/25 or better on the back. Grading guides quote PSA's front standard as 55/45 to 60/40, and 55/45 is the safe target.
How do you measure centering on a Pokémon card?
Measure the border on the left and the right, then the top and the bottom. Each pair gives a split, such as 55/45. The worse of the two is the card's centering.
Can a badly centered card get a PSA 10?
Not if it is outside the standard. A card past 60/40 on the front is held to a 9 or lower, however clean its corners and surface are.
Does centering on the back matter?
Less than the front. PSA allows 75/25 on the back for a 10 and 90/10 for a 9. A back far off to one side still costs a grade.
Can you fix the centering of a card?
No. Centering is set when the printed sheet is cut. Trimming a card to fix it is tampering, and graders reject trimmed cards.
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