If you’ve ever seen a Pokémon card inside a protective plastic case with a grade such as PSA 10 or CGC 9.5, you may have wondered how that grade was determined.

Pokémon card grading is the process of having a professional grading company examine a card’s condition, assign it a grade, and encapsulate it in a protective case.

Grading can be an appealing option for collectors who want to preserve an important card, document its condition, or potentially increase its marketability. However, grading costs money, and not every card is worth submitting.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how Pokémon card grading works from start to finish, including how cards are evaluated, what the grades mean, and what happens after you submit a card.

Already wondering whether you should grade your card? Check out our guide: Should You Grade Your Pokémon Cards?

What Is Pokémon Card Grading?

Pokémon card grading is a professional evaluation of a card’s condition and authenticity.

You send your card to a grading company, where trained graders examine it for characteristics such as:

Centering
Corners
Edges
Surface condition
Printing defects
Overall appearance

The grading company then assigns the card a numerical grade based on its condition.

The card is typically placed inside a protective plastic holder, commonly called a slab, along with a label identifying the card and its grade.

For example, a card might receive a:

PSA 10 — Gem Mint

or another grade depending on the grading company’s scale.

Why Do Collectors Grade Pokémon Cards?

There are several reasons someone might choose to grade a Pokémon card.

Protection

Encapsulation protects the card from many forms of physical damage and makes it easier to store or display.

Authentication

Professional grading companies can help authenticate cards, which can provide additional confidence when buying or selling.

Condition Verification

A third-party grade provides an independent assessment of the card’s condition.

Collecting

Some collectors enjoy building collections around graded cards, such as collecting PSA 10 examples of their favorite Pokémon.

Resale

A high grade can sometimes make a card more desirable to buyers and may increase its market value.

However, grading doesn’t automatically make a card more valuable. The cost of grading, the card’s condition, and collector demand all matter.

Step 1: Choose a Card to Grade

The first step is deciding whether a card is actually worth submitting.

Look at:

The card’s market value
Condition
Centering
Demand
Grading fees
Potential grade

A valuable vintage card in excellent condition might be an obvious grading candidate.

A common modern card worth only a few dollars may not make financial sense to grade.

That’s why it’s important to evaluate the card before sending it to a grading company.

Step 2: Inspect the Card’s Condition

Before submitting a card, carefully examine its condition.

Most grading evaluations focus heavily on four major areas.

Centering

Centering refers to how evenly the printed portion of the card is positioned within its borders.

A card that is significantly shifted to one side may receive a lower grade than an otherwise similar card with excellent centering.

Corners

Look closely at all four corners.

Check for:

Whitening
Bending
Dents
Soft corners
Wear

Sharp, clean corners are generally desirable.

Edges

Examine the edges for:

Whitening
Chipping
Nicks
Roughness
Manufacturing issues

White spots along the edges can be particularly noticeable on cards with dark borders.

Surface

The surface should be examined under good lighting.

Look for:

Scratches
Print lines
Dents
Creases
Holo scratches
Stains
Other imperfections

Tip: Don’t inspect your card by aggressively touching or rubbing the surface. Handle it carefully by the edges.

Step 3: Decide Which Grading Company to Use

Once you’ve determined that your card is a good candidate, you’ll need to choose a grading company.

Some of the major companies collectors encounter include:

PSA
CGC
Beckett (BGS)

Each company has its own grading standards, services, pricing, turnaround times, and market reputation.

For a more detailed comparison, see our guide:

Which Pokémon Card Grading Service Is Better?

Step 4: Prepare the Card

Before sending your card, protect it properly.

A common approach is to place the card in a penny sleeve and then into an appropriate semi-rigid card holder or other submission-approved holder.

Be careful when inserting the card. You don’t want to damage the corners or edges while preparing it for submission.

You can learn more about protecting your cards in:

Step 5: Submit Your Card

Once your card is prepared, you’ll submit it according to the grading company’s instructions.

The exact process varies between companies, but generally you’ll:

Create an account.
Select the appropriate grading service.
Enter your card information.
Complete the submission paperwork.
Package your cards securely.
Ship your submission to the grading company.

Always follow the current submission instructions from the grading company you’re using, since requirements, pricing, and available services can change.

Step 6: The Grading Company Receives Your Card

Once your submission arrives, the grading company processes it.

Depending on the company and service level you selected, the card may go through several stages before grading is completed.

You may be able to track the submission through your account.

Turnaround times can vary significantly, so don’t assume that every submission will take the same amount of time.

Step 7: Your Card Is Evaluated

This is the part most collectors are interested in.

The grader examines the card’s condition and assigns a grade according to the company’s grading standards.

The evaluation considers characteristics such as:

Centering + Corners + Edges + Surface

The exact methodology and terminology can vary between grading companies.

Importantly, grading isn’t simply a matter of finding one flaw and assigning a grade. The card’s overall condition matters.

Step 8: Your Card Receives a Grade

Different grading companies use different grading scales.

For example, PSA uses a 1–10 numerical grading scale, with PSA 10 representing Gem Mint condition.

Other grading companies may use additional grades or half-point increments.

This is why it’s important to understand which company’s grading scale you’re looking at before comparing grades between companies.

What Does a PSA 10 Mean?

A PSA 10 is one of the highest grades available on PSA’s standard grading scale.

Collectors commonly refer to PSA 10 cards as Gem Mint.

A PSA 10 generally represents a card that meets PSA’s standards for exceptional condition.

However, a PSA 10 doesn’t necessarily mean that the card is literally flawless under every possible viewing condition. Grading is an assessment made according to the company’s published standards.

And remember:

A PSA 10 does not automatically mean the card is extremely valuable.

The Pokémon, card, set, rarity, demand, and market all influence value.

Step 9: The Card Is Encapsulated

After grading, the card is placed into a protective plastic holder.

This is called encapsulation.

The slab typically includes a label containing information such as:

Pokémon/card identification
Set information
Card number
Grade
Certification number

The holder provides physical protection and makes the card easier to store, display, and identify.

Step 10: The Graded Card Is Returned

Once the grading process is complete, the encapsulated card is shipped back to you.

At this point, you can:

Add it to your collection
Display it
Store it safely
Sell it
Continue collecting other graded cards

If you’re collecting graded cards, keeping them protected from excessive heat, moisture, and physical damage is still important.

How Much Does Pokémon Card Grading Cost?

There isn’t one universal price.

Grading costs can depend on:

Grading company
Service level
Card value
Turnaround time
Number of cards submitted
Additional services

Some grading companies offer different service tiers, with faster services generally costing more.

Because prices and service options can change, check the grading company’s current pricing before submitting your cards.

This is also why you should calculate your potential total cost before deciding whether a card is worth grading.

Is Pokémon Card Grading Worth It?

It depends.

Grading can make sense when:

The card has meaningful value.
The card is in excellent condition.
You want professional authentication.
You want long-term protection.
You enjoy collecting graded cards.
A high grade could meaningfully affect the card’s market value.

It may not make sense when:

The card has very low value.
The card has obvious damage.
Grading costs a significant percentage of the card’s value.
You’re only considering grading because you think every graded card increases in value.

For a deeper look at this decision, read:

Should You Grade Your Pokémon Cards?

Final Thoughts

Pokémon card grading can seem complicated at first, but the basic process is fairly straightforward:

Choose a card → Inspect its condition → Choose a grading company → Prepare the card → Submit it → The card is evaluated → Receive your grade → Card is encapsulated → Card is returned

The most important thing is to evaluate your card before spending money on grading.

A high-quality card from a desirable set may be an excellent grading candidate, while a low-value card with significant damage may not be worth the expense.

If you’re considering submitting your first card, start by carefully examining its centering, corners, edges, and surface, then research the current grading costs and standards of the company you’re considering.

How Does Pokémon Card Grading Work?