What types of damage can a trading card have?
Gradeon tracks 11 defect types: scratch, whitening, dent, crease, edge wear, surface damage, dirt, print line, soft corner, chip and other damage such as holes or writing.
Resources
Sep 29, 2026
The Card Defect Encyclopedia: Every Type of Damage, Explained
Every defect a grader looks for, in one place: the 11 defect types, how severity works, what is never counted as damage and how defects cap a grade, with a guide for each.
By the Gradeon Team · Updated
Card damage falls into 11 defect types: scratch, whitening, dent, crease, edge wear, surface damage, dirt, print line, soft corner, chip and other. Each is rated from 1 to 5 and counts against one area of the grade.
This is the starting point for everything about card damage on the Gradeon blog. Each section links to a detailed guide.
What are the 11 defect types?
Code | Defect | Counts against | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
SCR | Surface | ||
WHT | Corners or edges | ||
DNT | Surface | ||
CRS | Surface | ||
EDG | Edges | ||
SRF | Surface | ||
DRT | Surface | ||
PRL | Surface | ||
COR | Corners | ||
CHP | Corners or edges | ||
OTH | Surface |
For a full walk-through of all eleven, read The 11 Defects Every Grader Looks For.
How is each defect rated?
Every defect gets a severity from 1 to 5:
Level | Name | How you recognise it | Colour in the app |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minimal | Only visible zoomed in | Green |
2 | Light | Visible if you look for it | Green |
3 | Medium | Noticed at a glance | Orange |
4 | Heavy | Spoils the card's look | Red |
5 | Extreme | Dominates the card | Red |
When the model hesitates between two levels, it takes the lower one.
What is never counted as a defect?
Glare and reflections, factory cut marks, holo patterns and print texture, camera blur, shadows and sleeve reflections. Gradeon is explicitly told to ignore them.
How do defects affect the grade?
Defects cap the sub-grade of the area they belong to: one defect caps an area at 9, two at 8, three at 7, four or more at 6. Any defect of severity 3 or more caps it at 7, and severity 4 or more at 5. A crease caps surface at 6. Card Grading, Explained shows how those sub-grades become one pre-grade.
Is damage always the end of a card?
No. Some marks are dirt that light cleaning can remove, and a slight bow may be restorable. Your Card Is Damaged: 5 Checks Before You Write It Off helps you tell the difference.
See every defect on your card
Run a Full Grade and Gradeon tags each defect with its code, rates it 1–5 and draws it on your photo.
Frequently asked questions
Which defect lowers a grade the most?
A crease. In Gradeon, any crease caps the surface sub-grade at 6, so a creased card tops out around 7 overall.
Does glare count as damage?
No. Glare is a reflection, not damage, and Gradeon is trained to ignore it.