Which company’s published centering line accepts the most off-centre card, rung by rung, front and back, at PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC, TAG and ACE. Ordered from most to least lenient on the front; every line is quoted from the company’s own standard, read on the date shown.
| Service | Grade | Front | Back | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACE | Gem Mint 10 | under 60/40 | under 60/40 | “An Ace 10 will not be marked, stained or damaged, and will have centering that is less than a 60/40 split.” ACE does not say front or back for its 10; applied to both. |
| PSA | GEM-MT 10 | ~55/45 | 75/25 | “The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse.” |
| BGS | Gem Mint 9.5 | 55/45 | 60/40 | “55/45 both ways on front. 60/40 or better on back.” |
| CGC | Gem Mint 10 | ~55/45 | 75/25 | “Centering is not to exceed approximately 55/45, and reverse centering is not to exceed 75/25.” |
| SGC | 10 Gem | 55/45 | not published | “55/45 or better centering, sharp focus, four sharp corners*, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear.” |
| TAG | Gem Mint 10 | ~55/45 | ~65/35 TCG | “Front image centered within a tolerance of ~55/45 and back image within ~70/30 (Sports), or ~65/35 (TCG).” |
| Service | Grade | Front | Back | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAG | Pristine 10 | ~51/49 | ~52/48 TCG | “Front image centered within a tolerance of ~51/49 and back image within ~54.5/45.5 (Sports) or ~52/48 (TCG).” |
| BGS | Pristine 10 / Black Label | 50/50 | 55/45 | “50/50 all around on front. 55/45 or better on back.” |
| CGC | Pristine 10 | 50/50 | not published | “The centering is 50/50, and the card has flawless color and registration.” |
| SGC | 10 Pristine | 50/50 | not published | “A "virtually flawless" card. 50/50 centering, crisp focus, four sharp corners*, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear under magnification.” |
| Service | Grade | Front | Back | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACE | Mint 9 | under 65/35 | under 70/30 | “The centering for a card must be greater than 65/35 for any opposite pair on the front, and 70/30 for any opposite pair on the rear of the card.” |
| PSA | MINT 9 | ~60/40 | 90/10 | “Centering must be approximately 60/40 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.” |
| CGC | Mint 9 | 60/40 | 90/10 | “For sports and non-sports cards, centering must be 60/40 or better for the front of the card, and 90/10 for the back.” |
| SGC | 9 Mint | 60/40 | not published | “60/40 or better centering, sharp focus and four sharp corners*.” |
| TAG | Mint 9 | ~60/40 | ~75/25 TCG | “Front image centered within a tolerance of ~60/40 and back image within ~90/10 (Sports) or ~75/25 (TCG).” |
| BGS | Mint 9 | 55/45 | 70/30 | “55/45 both ways on front. 70/30 or better on back.” |
| Service | Grade | Front | Back | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACE | NM-MT 8 | under 70/30 | under 75/25 | “The centering for a card must be greater than 70/30 for any opposite pair on the front, and 75/25 for any opposite pair on the rear of the card.” |
| PSA | NM-MT 8 | ~65/35 | 90/10 | “Centering must be approximately 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.” |
| CGC | NM/Mint 8 | 65/35 | not published | “For sports and non-sports cards, centering must be 65/35 or better.” |
| SGC | 8 NM-MT | 65/35 | not published | “65/35 or better centering, corners sharp to the naked eye but may exhibit slight wear under closer examination.” |
| TAG | NM-MT 8 | ~65/35 | ~95/5 TCG | “Front image centered within a tolerance of ~65/35. For TCG, backs should be centered within a ~95/5. The back may show a tiny sliver of border, but may not be miscut or have a portion of another card displayed.” |
| BGS | NM-MT 8 | 60/40 | 80/20 | “60/40 both ways or better on front. 80/20 or better on back.” |
PSA: checked 2026-10-28 · BGS: checked 2026-07-14 · CGC: checked 2026-10-28 · SGC: checked 2026-09-17 · TAG: checked 2026-10-28 · ACE: checked 2026-10-28. “~” is the company’s own “approximately”; “under” marks ACE’s lines, which exclude the boundary (“less than” or “greater than” a split), so a card exactly on the figure does not meet them. TAG’s backs are its TCG figures; its sports backs are looser.
For the Gem Mint rung (a PSA 10 and its equivalents), on the published front lines: ACE Gem Mint 10, at under 60/40. The strictest are level: PSA GEM-MT 10 at ~55/45, BGS Gem Mint 9.5 at 55/45, CGC Gem Mint 10 at ~55/45, SGC 10 Gem at 55/45 and TAG Gem Mint 10 at ~55/45.
On the Gem Mint rung, PSA GEM-MT 10 and CGC Gem Mint 10 at 75/25 on the back. SGC publishes no back figure for that rung. ACE’s line names no side; it is applied to both here.
No. Centering is one of four criteria (with corners, edges and surface), each company applies its own judgement, and a 10 from one company can sell for a different price than a 10 from another. A lenient line only says which grades your centering still allows.
PSA adds: "A 5% leeway is given to the front centering minimum standards for cards which grade PSA 7 or better." A card inside the published figure meets it; up to 5 points beyond may still pass on strong eye appeal.
ACE’s lines exclude the boundary: "less than a 60/40 split" for a 10, "greater than 65/35" for a 9, so a card exactly on a line does not meet it. Those lines are shown as “under”.
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