tcg grading standards
At SSINT, we treat every trading card as a treasure. Each card is carefully evaluated across Corners, Edges, and Surface, ensuring a fair, consistent, and transparent grade that reflects its true condition.
Our weighted grading system prioritises the front of the card - the part collectors value most - while still considering the back, giving every evaluation a precise and balanced perspective.
Centring is another critical factor, measuring how perfectly the card’s design sits within its borders. Our proprietary formula weights front alignment more heavily, so collectors can trust that the most visible aspects of their card are accurately assessed.
With transparency and trust at the core of our process, SSINT gives collectors the confidence that every grade is fair, detailed, and backed by expertise - helping you preserve, showcase, and protect your collection with certainty.
ssint. ai grader Algorithm
| Formula | Description |
|---|---|
| Front Grade (FG) =(Corners + Edges + Surface) / 3 |
Average of corner, edge, and surface grades for the front of the card. |
| Back Grade (BG) =(Corners + Edges + Surface) / 3 |
Average of corner, edge, and surface grades for the back of the card. |
| Defect Grade = 0.6 × FG + 0.4 × BG |
Weighted average of front and back defect grades, prioritising the front. |
| Centering Grade = 0.6 × Front Centring + 0.4 × Back Centring |
Weighted centering grade based on front and back alignment. |
| Final Grade = Round(0.9 × Defect Grade + 0.1 × Centering Grade to nearest 0.5) |
Overall card grade combining defect assessment and centering, rounded to the nearest 0.5. |
Example Calculations
| Front (C/E/S) | Back (C/E/S) | Centering F/B | Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 / 9 / 10 | 8 / 9 / 8 | 9 / 10 | 9 |
| 8 / 9 / 9 | 7 / 8 / 7 | 8 / 9 | 8.5 |
| 9 / 10 / 9 | 9 / 9 / 8 | 10 / 9 | 9.5 |
| 7 / 7 / 8 | 6 / 6 / 7 | 7 / 8 | 7 |
ssint. ai gradE DEFINITIONS
| Grade Number | Grade Name | Label Prefix |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Exquisite Echelon | EXQ-ECH |
| 9.5 | Premier Prestige Plus | PRE-PRE+ |
| 9 | Premier Prestige | PRE-PRE |
| 8.5 | Elegant Excellence Plus | ELE-EXC+ |
| 8 | Elegant Excellence | ELE-EXC |
| 7.5 | Noble Preservation Plus | NOB-PRE+ |
| 7 | Noble Preservation | NOB-PRE |
| 6.5 | Distinguished Resilience Plus | DIS-RES+ |
| 6 | Distinguished Resilience | DIS-RES |
| 5.5 | Sovereign Sophistication Plus | SOV-SOP+ |
| 5 | Sovereign Sophistication | SOV-SOP |
| 4.5 | Timeless Integrity Plus | TIM-INT+ |
| 4 | Timeless Integrity | TIM-INT |
| 3.5 | Regal Maturity Plus | REG-MAT+ |
| 3 | Regal Maturity | REG-MAT |
| 2.5 | Majestic Survivor Plus | MAJ-SUR+ |
| 2 | Majestic Survivor | MAJ-SUR |
| 1.5 | Grandiose Artefact Plus | GRA-ARC+ |
| 1 | Grandiose Artefact | GRA-ARC |
| Category | Designation Name | Label Prefix | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Artist Cards | Creative Legends Tier | CLG | Applied to custom artist cards, recognising originality, craftsmanship, and artistic significance. |
| Autograph Verification | ssint. LegendMark | SLM | Indicates a verified authentic autograph, independently validated and recorded within the SSINT Registry. |
Corner Grading Scale
| Grade | Description | Minor Damage | Major Damage | Major Plus Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Spotless corners with no damage | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 1 minor imperfection (light whitening or spot) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Up to 2 minor imperfections | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Up to 3 minor imperfections | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Moderate whitening on all four corners | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Major damage on one corner | ≥ 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Major damage on two or more corners | ≥ 0 | ≥ 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Major plus damage on one corner | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Major plus damage on two corners | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | 2 |
| 1 | Three or more corners with significant major plus damage | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | ≥ 3 |
Edge Grading Scale
| Grade | Description | Minor Damage | Major Damage | Major Plus Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Spotless edges with no damage | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 1 minor imperfection (light whitening) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Up to 2 minor edge imperfections | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 3–4 minor edge imperfections | 3–4 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Minor damage in 5–10 areas or up to 50% of edge | 5–10 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Minor damage in more than 10 areas or up to 75% of edge | > 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Major damage in one area or over 75% affected | ≥ 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Multiple major damages or one major plus damage | ≥ 0 | > 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Major plus damage in 2–3 areas | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | 2–3 |
| 1 | Four or more major plus damages or 95–100% affected | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | ≥ 4 |
Surface Grading Scale
| Grade | Description | Minor Damage | Major Damage | Major Plus Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Spotless surface with no damage | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 1 minor surface imperfection | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Up to 2 minor surface imperfections | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 3–4 minor surface imperfections | 3–4 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Minor damage in more than 4 areas | > 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Major damage in one surface area | ≥ 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Major damage in two surface areas | ≥ 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | More than two major surface damages | ≥ 0 | > 2 | 0 |
| 2 | Major plus damage in one surface area | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | 1 |
| 1 | Major plus damage in multiple surface areas | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | > 1 |
Centering Ratio Scale
| Grade | Front Ratio | Back Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| 9 | 60/40 | 90/10 |
| 8 | 65/35 | 90/10 |
| 7 | 70/30 | 90/10 |
| 6 | 80/20 | 90/10 |
| 5 | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| 4 | 85/15 | 90/10 |
| 3 | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| 2 | 90/10 | 90/10 |
| 1 | N/A | N/A |
Defect & Centering Grade Examples
| Example | Front Corners | Front Edges | Front Surface | Front Grade | Back Corners | Back Edges | Back Surface | Back Grade | Front Centring | Back Centring | Centring Grade | Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10.0 | 55/45 | 75/25 | 8.9 | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9.67 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9.33 | 57/43 | 80/20 | 9.0 | 9.5 |
| 3 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9.33 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8.33 | 60/40 | 90/10 | 9.0 | 9 |
| 4 | 8.5 | 9 | 9 | 8.83 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8.0 | 63/37 | 90/10 | 9.0 | 8.5 |
| 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8.67 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7.67 | 65/35 | 90/10 | 8.9 | 8 |
| 6 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 7.83 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7.33 | 68/32 | 90/10 | 8.1 | 7.5 |
| 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7.67 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6.67 | 70/30 | 90/10 | 7.9 | 7 |
| 8 | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | 6.83 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6.0 | 75/25 | 90/10 | 7.3 | 6.5 |
| 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6.67 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5.67 | 80/20 | 90/10 | 6.9 | 6 |
| 10 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 5.83 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5.0 | 85/15 | 90/10 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
| 11 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5.67 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.67 | 85/15 | 90/10 | 5.9 | 5 |
| 12 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 4.83 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4.33 | 87/13 | 90/10 | 5.3 | 4.5 |
| 13 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.67 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3.67 | 85/15 | 90/10 | 4.9 | 4 |
| 14 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.83 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.33 | 88/12 | 90/10 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| 15 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3.67 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.67 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 3.9 | 3 |
| 16 | 2.5 | 3 | 3 | 2.83 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.33 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 3.8 | 2.5 |
| 17 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.67 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.67 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 3.3 | 2 |
| 18 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 1.83 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.33 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 3.2 | 1.5 |
| 19 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.67 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 90/10 | 90/10 | 3.1 | 1 |
