How to Check If Your Card is Centered Before Submitting to PSA or BGS

✅ Why Centering Matters in Card Grading

Whether you're submitting to PSA, BGS, SGC, or even the fast-growing TAG grading, centering plays a major role in your final grade—and ultimately, your card’s value.

All major grading companies consider centering one of the four key components of a card’s condition, alongside corners, edges, and surface. But unlike surface scratches or whitening on the back, centering is a visible flaw that can instantly drop a gem mint card to a 9… or worse.

The Updated Standards (Including TAG)

• PSA: Allows 55/45 front centering for a PSA 10 (previously 60/40), and 75/25 on the back

• BGS: Requires 50/50 for a perfect 10, and allows up to 55/45 for a 9.5

• SGC: Similar to BGS, with strict thresholds on front centering

• TAG: Uses a data-based AI system to score centering with laser-precise measurements. Their standards are transparent and consistently enforced, making them a favorite among collectors looking for objective results

  
  

Why It Matters

Let’s say you have a card in perfect shape—sharp corners, clean surface, no whitening—but the centering is off by just a few millimeters. That alone can cost you:

• Hundreds in resale value

• A shot at a PSA 10 or BGS 9.5

• Your chance to submit for grading upcharges (premium level cards)

Bottom line: If you’re not checking centering before you grade, you’re gambling.

Manual Ways to Check Card Centering (And Their Limitations)

How to Check Centering by Hand (The Old School Way)

Before advanced tools existed, collectors had to rely on visual estimates or ruler measurements to judge centering. While this can work for obvious misalignments, it’s far from accurate when you're trying to distinguish 55/45 from 60/40—and that's exactly where grading outcomes are decided.

Here are three common DIY methods:

1. The Ruler or Caliper Method

You place a millimeter ruler across the top, bottom, and side borders, and compare the thickness. If one side is 2mm and the other is 3mm, you're at 60/40 or worse.

⚠️ The issue: Most cards have printing inconsistencies or uneven frame widths. Even a high-precision caliper won’t help if your reference points aren’t perfect.

2. Overlay Grids or Phone Templates

Some collectors use custom-made centering templates or phone apps that place a grid over the card using the camera. It helps—but only if the card is perfectly aligned, the camera is level, and there’s no lens distortion.

⚠️ One small angle or tilt = inaccurate results.

3. The Eyeball Test

This is the most common (and dangerous) method. You compare the left/right or top/bottom visually and make a judgment call.

⚠️ Most human eyes can’t accurately tell the difference between 55/45 and 60/40—especially under low lighting or with patterned card designs.

Why These Methods Fall Short

Even experienced graders can misjudge centering by a few percentage points. That’s the difference between a PSA 10 and a PSA 8—or a $500 card vs. $75.

In the next section, we’ll show you a better way: AI-powered centering precision, available in seconds from your phone.

Examples of card centering percentages, illustrating variations from perfectly balanced to significantly off-center alignments.

✅ The Smarter Way – Use AI to Check Centering Instantly

There’s a Better Way: Let AI Do the Measuring For You

Manual tools can help—but if you're serious about card grading, you need precision.

That’s where CenterGrade comes in.

CenterGrade is an AI-powered centering tool built for sports and trading card collectors. Just snap a photo of your card, and CenterGrade instantly analyzes the image using advanced visual algorithms to determine exact centering percentages—so you know whether to grade it or not.

How CenterGrade Works:

1. Upload or Take a Photo – Use your phone or a scanned image

2. AI Analyzes the Card Borders – Calculates center alignment with millimeter precision

3. Instant Results – See your card’s centering score before spending money on submission fees

   
   

Why Collectors Are Switching to AI

• No more guessing between 55/45 and 60/40

• Avoid submitting cards that won’t grade well

• Scan your entire collection in minutes

• Confidence when it matters most—before you send to PSA, BGS, SGC, or TAG

  
  

Try CenterGrade Now

Want to test your card’s centering before sending it in?

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No credit card required. Just smarter grading decisions.

Granding standards for PSA, BGS, SGC, CGC, and TAG to receive a 10

Conclusion: Don’t Gamble with Centering – Grade Smarter

Centering is one of the most common reasons good cards get bad grades. Whether you’re sending to PSA, BGS, SGC, or TAG, even a few millimeters off can cost you hundreds in resale value—or worse, a shot at a gem mint.

You could guess. Or measure. Or hope.

Or you could scan your card with CenterGrade, get instant AI precision, and submit with confidence.

🎯 Check your card’s centering today. Your next PSA 10 starts here.

👉 [Get Early Access and Claim 3 Free Scans]