CGC Grading Cost & Grades: Fees, Scale & Turnaround
CGC grading starts at $17 for Bulk or $20 without a minimum. Compare current 2026 fees, working-day estimates, add-ons, and pre-screening.
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CGC grading starts at $17 for Bulk or $20 without a minimum. Compare current 2026 fees, working-day estimates, add-ons, and pre-screening.
CGC pricing and turnaround changed materially in 2026. As of August 4, 2026, the public service schedule is:
| Service | Price | Published Turnaround | Maximum Declared Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk | $17 | 150 working days | $500 |
| Economy | $20 | 90 working days | $1,000 |
| Standard | $55 | 10 working days | $3,000 |
| Express | $100 | 5 working days | $10,000 |
| WalkThrough | $300 | 2 working days | $100,000 |
| Unlimited | $300 + 1% FMV | 2 working days | Above WalkThrough ceiling |
Bulk requires at least 25 cards. Economy is the lowest no-minimum tier.
Last verified August 4, 2026: CGC’s official grading services page. These are published per-card fees and estimated working-day turnarounds, not guaranteed completion dates. Shipping, insurance, add-ons, and applicable tax are not included in the table.
For scale, label, and submission context beyond price, read the CGC grading guide.
CGC Cards uses a 10-point numerical scale with half-point grades for TCG, sports, and non-sports cards. Its two top labels are Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10. They are not interchangeable: CGC publishes a 50/50 centering standard for Pristine 10, while its Gem Mint 10 guidance allows one criterion to fall short of Pristine and lists approximate 55/45 front and 75/25 reverse centering limits.
| CGC grade | What the label means |
|---|---|
| Pristine 10 | CGC’s highest standard, with 50/50 centering and flawless color and registration in its published guidance. |
| Gem Mint 10 | A 10 overall that falls short of Pristine in one grading criterion. |
| Mint+ 9.5 | A 9.5 with premium eye appeal for the Mint range. |
| Mint 9 | High-condition grade; CGC’s public standard allows limited minor flaws. |
| 8.5 through 1 | Progressively more wear or defects, with half points where CGC’s scale applies. |
The label is not a value formula. Compare current completed sales for the exact card, grade, label version, and venue rather than assuming a fixed price gap. For an already graded card, use the CGC certification lookup to review the official record.
CGC has also updated legacy labels: its published key maps legacy CGC Trading Cards Gem Mint 9.5 to the current Gem Mint 10 label. A legacy label is part of the item you are buying or selling, so verify the actual slab rather than inferring the modern grade name from a listing.
Source checked August 4, 2026: CGC Cards grading scale. CGC’s published standards are guidance; CGC makes the final grade after physical review.
Beyond the service fee, a submission may include:
CGC does not currently offer card subgrades, so older articles describing a paid subgrade add-on are outdated.
CGC offers a free membership option and paid plans that can include grading discounts. The correct choice depends on annual submission volume. Compare the membership fee with the expected discount before upgrading:
Break-even cards = annual membership fee ÷ savings per eligible card
If a plan advertises a percentage discount, calculate savings per card = selected tier fee × discount rate, then round the break-even result up to the next whole card. Use the current plan price, discount, eligible services, and renewal terms from CGC; do not rely on an old membership price quoted elsewhere.
Use this formula for any batch:
All-in cost = (number of cards × service fee) + add-ons + value upcharges + outbound shipping and insurance + return shipping and insurance + applicable tax
The 25-card Bulk minimum starts at 25 × $17 = $425 in grading fees. With a clearly labeled $60 assumed round-trip shipping and insurance budget, the example total is $485, or $19.40 per card, before optional services, value upcharges, membership costs, or tax. Replace that assumption with your actual carrier and CGC return-shipping quote.
For one card at Economy, the grading fee starts at $20, but the full shipping cost is concentrated on that single card. This is why a no-minimum tier can be cheaper at checkout yet cost more per card all-in than a carefully planned batch.
Use the maximum declared value in the table as an eligibility ceiling, not a price target. Choose a tier that accepts the card's honest declared value, and check CGC's current rules for value upcharges and return insurance before submitting. A card estimated above the $100,000 WalkThrough ceiling belongs in the Unlimited tier under the published schedule. Market movement can change the appropriate tier before CGC receives the package.
CGC’s fastest services remain quick, but the entry tiers now have long published estimates. Bulk lists 150 working days and Economy lists 90. That means CGC should not be described as universally faster than PSA, Beckett, or SGC.
The useful comparison is the exact tier:
CGC is particularly relevant to Pokémon, Magic, and other TCG collectors. Its current grading scale includes half-points, Gem Mint 10, and the stricter Pristine 10.
The economic test is still card-specific:
The card grading companies comparison puts those tradeoffs side by side.
CardGrade.io analyzes visible centering, corners, edges, and surface across 47 inspection points in about 60 seconds. It is a pre-submission filter, not physical authentication.
Before paying CGC’s fee, rank the batch and remove cards whose visible condition does not support the likely return. Pre-screen a card free, and use the CGC cert lookup to cross-check certification details on an already-graded CGC card.
CGC grading starts at $17 per card for Bulk with a 25-card minimum. Economy is $20, Standard is $55, Express is $100, and WalkThrough is $300.
CGC lists 150 working days for Bulk, 90 for Economy, 10 for Standard, 5 for Express, and 2 for WalkThrough as of August 4, 2026.
No. CGC does not currently offer subgrades on new card submissions. Current labels show one overall numerical grade.
CGC Cards uses a 10-point numerical scale with half-point grades. Its top labels are Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10, followed by Mint+ 9.5 and Mint 9. Read CGC’s current grading-scale page for the full standard and the details that apply to a specific card type.
CGC treats Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10 as separate top labels. CGC publishes 50/50 centering for Pristine 10; Gem Mint 10 allows one grading criterion to fall short of Pristine and publishes approximate 55/45 front and 75/25 reverse centering limits. CGC makes the final decision after physical review.
No. CGC offers a free membership option. Paid membership levels can provide grading discounts for frequent submitters.
Pre-screen your cards before submitting to PSA, BGS, or CGC. Plans from $4.99/mo.
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Current TAG backlog progress, reopening estimates, PSA tier availability, and CGC turnaround times—checked against first-party sources in August 2026.
PSA Value tiers remain paused. See current open prices, the July 28 backlog at 12.4 million, the reopening target, and what to check before submitting.
At the published $17 Bulk rate, the 25-card minimum costs $425 in grading fees. Add outbound and return shipping, insurance, optional services, value upcharges, and applicable tax to calculate the all-in total.
Divide the current annual membership fee by the verified savings per eligible card, then round up. If the discount is a percentage, multiply the selected tier fee by that percentage first to find the savings per card.
A June 2026 snapshot of PSA, SGC, Beckett, CGC, and TAG pricing, capacity, turnaround, and what collectors should verify before submitting.