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PSA centering requirements

Read from PSA’s grading standards page. Checked 2026-10-28. 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.

“~” is the company’s own “approximately”.

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 go to cards that "exhibit high-end qualities within each particular grade, between PSA 2 and PSA 9", and "there will be a clear focus on centering."
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.
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 (its pricing, Premium tiers included) on 2026-11-02: every fee, cap and turnaround as on 2026-10-29. SlabbyPrep counts Value ($39.99, cards up to $500) as not open because it sits under PSA’s notice “Value Services Are Temporarily Paused”, though PSA still lists it with Get Started. Checked 2026-11-02. Official page · full cost page.

Tier	Fee / card	Max value	Turnaround
Value (under PSA’s “Temporarily Paused” notice, 2 Nov 2026)	$39.99	$500	90–100 business days	On 2 November 2026 PSA’s pricing page listed Value at $39.99 with Get Started, under a notice headed “Value Services Are Temporarily Paused” that points to PSA’s Backlog Tracker for reopening updates. The Tracker’s latest update (20 October 2026) says PSA is working toward reopening Value submissions, with existing orders ahead of new ones. Check PSA’s page before you send.
Standard	$59.99	$1,000	70–80 business days
Priority	$79.99	$1,500	50–60 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
Premium 1	$999	$25,000	5–7 business days
Premium 2	$1,999	$50,000	5–7 business days
Premium 3	$2,999	$100,000	5–7 business days
Premium 5	$4,999	$250,000	5–7 business days
Premium 10	from $9,999	no value cap	5–7 business days	From $9,999 for cards over $250,000; above $350,000 add $399 per $10,000 or part.

PSA calls each tier’s figure the Max Insured Value. If PSA finds a card worth more than that after grading, it moves the card to the right tier and asks you to pay the difference in service-level price and shipping charges, so the figure works as a value cap.
Value Bulk was still paused on the date checked, with no published price.
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 · how to measure centering · 50/50 · 55/45 · 60/40 · 65/35 · 70/30 · 75/25