The 11 Defects Every Grader Looks For — and How to Spot Each One

Graders look for 11 kinds of defect on a trading card: scratches, whitening, dents, creases, edge wear, surface damage, dirt, print lines, soft corners, chips, and other damage such as holes or writing.

Gradeon tags every defect it finds with a 3-letter code, draws it on your photo and rates it from 1 (minimal) to 5 (extreme). This guide explains the eleven codes: what each defect looks like, what it is often confused with, and how badly it can hurt a grade.

How do you check a card for defects?

Use one soft light source, hold the card at a slight angle and turn it slowly. Check the front and the back, then all four corners and all four edges. Most surface defects only appear at certain angles, so a single flat look is never enough. A good rule: if a bright mark moves when you tilt the card, it is glare, not damage.

1. What is a scratch (SCR)?

A scratch is a thin line cut into the surface, straight or curved, usually visible only when the light hits it. On holo cards it breaks the rainbow pattern. Do not confuse it with a print line, which is perfectly straight and comes from the factory. A short, light scratch rates 1–2; one across the artwork rates 3; one deep enough to remove ink rates 4–5.

2. What is whitening (WHT)?

Whitening is the white core of the card showing through where the coloured edge or corner layer has worn off: specks, "salt", or a white stretch along a border. The shape is intact; colour is missing, not material. True whitening shows tan or cream fibres with irregular edges and is visible from any angle, unlike glare. Whitening on one corner caps corners at 9; on two or more, at 8.

3. What is a dent (DNT)?

A dent is a pressure mark: a small depression or bump from a fingernail, a stacked object or a binder ring. It shows as a shadow or a shine distortion when you tilt the card. There is no fold line; with a fold line, it is a crease. Most dents rate 1; wide or deep ones rate 2–3.

4. What is a crease (CRS)?

A crease is a fold line: the card was bent. It shows as a line with broken print or white fibres, or as a bent or lifted corner. It is the most expensive defect. Any crease caps the surface sub-grade at 6, and two creases, or a crease that runs beyond the border, cap it at 4. A tiny bend at a tip rates 2; a visible fold rates 3–4.

5. What is edge wear (EDG)?

Edge wear means the border itself is damaged: frayed, ragged, with layers visible along the edge, not just whitened. It is common on the long edges of heavily played cards. Do not confuse it with whitening, where colour is gone but the edge is still straight, or with a chip, where one piece is missing. A short stretch rates 1–2; a whole zone 3; a full edge 4.

6. What is surface damage (SRF)?

Surface damage is any surface damage that is not a line: scuffing, a dull patch, holo peeling, ink loss, a factory ink mark or worn print over an area. Gradeon uses it when no more precise type fits. Most surface damage rates 2–3; a large area rates 4; damage over most of the face rates 5.

7. What is dirt (DRT)?

Dirt is something on the card rather than damage to it: a stain, a fingerprint, residue, an ink spot that is not part of the print, or a stuck fibre. Dust on the lens or the background is ignored. Dirt usually rates 1; a visible spot 2; large or dark stains 3–4. Some dirt can be removed with light cleaning; the app's restoration advice tells you when that might help.

8. What is a print line (PRL)?

A print line is a perfectly straight, thin line from the printing press, usually running the full height or width of the card and often visible only on holo foil. It is a factory defect, but grading companies still count it, and so does Gradeon. A faint print line rates 1–2; one clearly visible across the artwork rates 3.

9. What is a soft corner (COR)?

A soft corner has lost its point: it is rounded, fuzzy, with fibres visible and sometimes layers separating. It usually comes with whitening. Any softness caps corners at 8, and softness on two or more corners caps them at 6. A typical soft corner rates 2; a clearly rounded one 3; a crushed or open corner 4.

10. What is a chip (CHP)?

A chip is a small piece missing from an edge or a corner: a nick, a bite or a torn-off flake. The outline of the border changes. Do not confuse it with edge wear, where the border is frayed but nothing is missing. A typical chip rates 2; a large missing piece 3–4.

11. What counts as "other" damage (OTH)?

Other covers damage that fits none of the ten types above: a hole, a burn, tape residue, writing or a tear. Its severity depends on its size and how much it dominates the card.

What is not a defect?

Gradeon is explicitly told to ignore things beginners mistake for damage: glare and reflections, the uniform factory cut marks along every card's edge, holo patterns and print texture, camera blur, shadows and sleeve reflections.

How do defects affect the grade?

Each defect counts against one area. Whitening, soft corners and chips in a corner zone count against corners; edge wear, chips, whitening and silvering along the border count against edges; everything else counts against surface. Then caps apply: one defect in an area limits it to 9, two to 8, three to 7, four or more to 6, and any defect of severity 3 or more limits it to 7. Card Grading, Explained shows how those sub-grades become one pre-grade.

See every defect on your own card

Run a Full Grade in Gradeon and every defect is tagged with its code, rated 1–5 and drawn on your photo, so you know exactly what is costing your card points.

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