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PSA centering requirements

Read from PSA’s grading standards page. Checked 2026-09-20. Official page.

Grade	Front	Back	As published
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.”
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.”
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.”
NM 7	~70/30	90/10	“Centering must be approximately 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.”
EX-MT 6	80/20	90/10	“Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.”
EX 5	85/15	90/10	“Centering must be 85/15 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.”
VG-EX 4	85/15	90/10	“Centering must be 85/15 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the back.”
VG 3	90/10	90/10	“Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.”
GOOD 2	90/10	90/10	“Centering must be 90/10 or better on the front and back.”
FR 1.5	~90/10	90/10	“The centering must be approximately 90/10 or better on the front and back.”
PR 1	—	—	No centering requirement is published for PSA 1.

Notes

PSA writes "approximately" on its 10, 9, 8, 7 and 1.5 lines.
Footnote on the official page: "At the grader’s sole discretion, a small variance may be permitted on occasion based on the card’s overall eye appeal."
Half-point grades (2.5–9.5) go to cards with high-end qualities within a grade, "with a clear focus on centering."
PSA’s 10 line tightened from 60/40 to approximately 55/45 in 2025; older guides still quote 60/40.

PSA grading fees

Read from PSA’s Trading Card Grading page. Checked 2026-09-20. Official page · full cost page.

Tier	Fee / card	Max value	Turnaround
Standard	$59.99	$1,000	90–100 business days
Priority	$79.99	$1,500	70–80 business days
Express	$199	$2,500	20–30 business days	Includes grader notes.
Super Express	$349	$5,000	10–15 business days
Premier	$599	$10,000	7–10 business days

PSA’s Value tiers (the ~$25 class) were paused on the date checked; the cheapest live tier was Standard at $59.99.
Cards worth more than $10,000 use unlisted Premium options.
Turnarounds are PSA’s estimates in business days.

Questions

What centering does PSA require for its top grade?

GEM-MT 10: ~55/45 on the front and 75/25 on the back. The company says "approximately".

How is centering measured?

Compare the two borders on each axis (left vs right, top vs bottom). A card whose left border is 55% of the left+right total is "55/45". Services use the worse axis.

Does PSA publish back centering figures?

Yes for some grades — see the table.

All services · 50/50 · 52/48 · 53/47 · 55/45 · 57/43 · 58/42