How to read an SGC label: grades, names and codes
What each part of an SGC label tells you: the card's details, the grade and its name, an autograph grade, the cert code, and what to check when a slab arrives.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 8 min read
An SGC label answers four questions: what the card is, what grade it got, whether its autograph was graded, and which slab this is in SGC’s records. On the example holder SGC shows on its cert lookup page, four lines on the left describe the card, a large number on the right gives the card’s grade with a small GM badge, a number marked AUTO sits beside it, and a 7-digit cert code sits in the bottom right corner. Our guide to reading a CGC label covers CGC’s version.
What does each part of an SGC label show?
On SGC’s cert lookup, one example is an autographed patch card, numbered 7/25, in SGC’s holder. It is a single example, so treat it as a guide to the layout; other labels can differ.
| Part | Where it sits on SGC’s example | What it says there |
|---|---|---|
| SGC name | Top left, on the black frame | SGC |
| Description, line 1 | Left side, top | The year, the maker and a shortened set name |
| Description, line 2 | Left side | The card number, then the player’s name |
| Description, line 3 | Left side | The insert’s name, abbreviated |
| Description, line 4 | Left side, bottom | The parallel’s name and the serial number, 7/25 |
| Autograph grade | Middle, with AUTO above and GRADE below | 10 |
| Card grade | Right of a dividing line | 10, with a GM badge beside it |
| Cert code | Bottom right corner, under the card grade | 7 digits |
Read the description first and check it against the card. The four lines on the example follow the way collectors name a modern card: set, card number, insert, parallel and serial number. Expect abbreviations, since the set name on the example is shortened.
SGC’s holder has a black insert inside, and SGC may charge extra for custom cuts to it. The card in the photo sits in a black surround.
How do you decode the grade?
SGC grades from 1 to 10 in half steps, with two 10s. Its scale gives each step a short name and a description, and the descriptions are only guidelines: other factors can still affect a grade. The table gives the whole scale in Rip.fan’s words.
| Grade | SGC’s name | Centering and what else marks it |
|---|---|---|
| 10 PRI | Pristine | Centering 50/50; virtually flawless, with no wear visible even under magnification |
| 10 GM | Gem | Centering 55/45 or better; sharp focus and corners; one slight print spot allowed if it does not spoil the look |
| 9.5 | Mint+ | Looks like a 10 at first, but a close look finds a tiny flaw |
| 9 | Mint 9 | Centering 60/40 or better; one minor flaw on close examination |
| 8.5 | NM/MT+ | Centering 65/35 or better; four sharp corners and a few minor flaws |
| 8 | NM/MT | Centering 65/35 or better; corners sharp to the eye, with slight wear under a closer look |
| 7.5 | NM+ | Centering 70/30 or better; a few small flaws |
| 7 | NRMT | Centering 70/30 or better; slight corner wear; a slightly diamond-shaped cut is allowed |
| 6.5 | EX/NM+ | A 6 with high-end quality and eye appeal |
| 6 | EX/NM | Centering 75/25 or better; slight fuzzing at the corners and slight notching at the edges |
| 5.5 | EX+ | A 5 with high-end quality and eye appeal |
| 5 | EX | Centering 80/20 or better; minor rounding, edge chipping, and one very slight crease allowed |
| 4.5 | VG/EX+ | A 4 with high-end quality and eye appeal |
| 4 | VG/EX | Centering 85/15 or better; slightly rounded corners and a light hairline crease |
| 3.5 | VG+ | A 3 with high-end quality and eye appeal |
| 3 | VG | Centering 90/10 or better; more rounding, stronger creasing and more visible staining |
| 2.5 | Good+ | A 2 with high-end quality and eye appeal |
| 2 | Good | Centering 90/10 or better; heavy creases, pinholes, or ink or pencil marks |
| 1.5 | Fair | Centering 90/10 or better; as at 2, and a small piece may be missing |
| 1 | Poor | Many heavy flaws; small pieces may be missing |
- The lower half grades have no limits of their own. 6.5, 5.5, 4.5, 3.5 and 2.5 are described only as the whole grade below with high-end quality and eye appeal. Read a 4.5 as a strong 4.
- 9.5 is measured against the 10. SGC describes it as a card that looks like a Gem Mint 10 until a close look turns up a tiny flaw, not as a strong 9.
- The names change pattern at 7. The 7.5 is NM+, but the 7 is NRMT. And the badge on SGC’s example label reads GM, which SGC’s own 9.5 entry spells out as Gem Mint, while the scale’s name column gives only Gem.
SGC’s centering figures loosen from 50/50 at 10 PRI to 90/10 at 3, 2 and 1.5. Rip.fan’s centering checker takes a card’s border widths and finds the highest SGC and CGC grades whose published figures it meets.
What do AUTO and other marks mean?
On SGC’s example, the word AUTO sits above the left-hand 10 and GRADE below it, so the label reads as carrying two grades: one for the autograph and one for the card. A dividing line separates them, and the card’s grade is the one with the GM badge. SGC neither captions the label nor publishes its autograph grading standards, so this is a reading of the picture. Our guide to checking an autograph card covers what to look at yourself.
SGC’s scale lists no qualifiers, the short codes some graders add after a grade to name a flaw, and no subgrades. It will not grade a card that, in its judgment, shows evidence of alteration, such as trimming, recoloring, bleaching, power erasing, cleaning, waxing or rebacking, and a counterfeit never goes into an SGC holder. So a numeric grade means SGC did not judge the card altered or counterfeit when it graded it. Every grade is also a professional opinion that can change.
Where is the cert code, and how do you check it?
SGC’s lookup asks for the code in one of two forms, depending on the label’s color:
| Label color | Cert code format |
|---|---|
| Black | 7 digits |
| Green or white | 11 characters, written XXXXXXX-XXX |
On the black label in SGC’s example, the code sits in the bottom right corner, just under the card’s grade. Count the characters to see which form of the code you have. Type it into SGC’s Cert Verification page, or use the SGC app, which gives high-resolution images and key information about SGC cards. Compare what comes back with the card in front of you: the description, the grade and the card in the images. Our guide to spotting a fake slab covers the physical checks, and the glossary explains the cert number.
A code that no longer checks out is a warning. SGC can deactivate the certification on any graded card or holder it believes altered, counterfeit or tampered with, and remove a card from its holder if it finds the card fake, tampered with or not accurately described.
What should you check when an SGC slab arrives?
SGC sets short deadlines, so check every card and label as soon as the box is open:
- The description. Report an error in a card’s description within 5 business days of receiving it. SGC can ask you to send a wrongly described card back for correction.
- Damage and other errors. Report damage, discrepancies or errors in the cards and their labels to SGC in writing within 5 calendar days. The calendar-day limit can run out first.
- Clerical errors. The remedy SGC offers is to correct the error and reholder the card at its own cost.
If the holder is damaged later, SGC reholders holders that are unopened but marked, chipped or cracked. On October 12, 2026, that cost $50 at Standard or $100 at Expedited for a card declared up to $3,500, and $75 or $150 up to $7,500. An opened holder means the card must be graded again at the grading fee. SGC’s holders are neither waterproof nor UV-resistant, so see storing graded cards.
How does an SGC label compare with CGC’s?
| Part | SGC | CGC Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | 1 to 10 in half steps; 10 PRI and 10 GM at the top | 1 to 10 in half steps; Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10 at the top |
| Top-grade label | None described | A special label for every Pristine 10 |
| Autograph grade | On the front, beside the card grade, on SGC’s example | On the back of the label, for sports cards with manufacturer’s certified autographs |
| Subgrades | None on the scale or the example | No longer offered |
| Cert code | 7 digits (black) or 11 characters (green and white) | A unique number and barcode, with a QR code on the back |
| Images | High-resolution images through its app | Every card imaged after sealing, shown in its Verify tool |
| Holder | A black insert inside | An ultrasonically welded case |
For fees and waits, see CGC vs SGC. To send a card in, see how to submit cards to SGC, and for the four-score labels CGC once printed, see CGC subgrades explained. The SGC and grading scale glossary entries define the terms used here.
Frequently asked questions
Can an SGC slab be crossed over to CGC?
Yes. CGC's CrossOver service takes cards in SGC holders and moves one only if CGC would give the same grade or higher, unless you ask for Cross at Any Grade.
Will TAG grade a card in an SGC slab?
No. TAG does not crack SGC or any other company's slab, so the card has to reach it raw, in a penny sleeve and semi-rigid shield.
Is there a TAG grade that matches SGC's 9.5?
No. TAG gives no 9.5: a card that beats its standard for a 9 is a Gem Mint 10, and one that beats its Gem Mint criteria is Pristine.
Where is SGC based?
In Boca Raton, Florida, at 951 West Yamato Road, Suite 101.