How CGC Grades Comic Books - Process, Labels and Costs

Who Is CGC?

Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) was founded in 2000 and has become the dominant third-party grading company for comic books. It has graded tens of millions of comics and its label is recognised worldwide as the gold standard for comic condition certification. In the secondary market, a "blue label CGC" is shorthand for a professionally certified, unrestored comic - a designation that commands a significant premium over comparable raw (ungraded) copies.

When collectors say a comic is "slabbed," they almost always mean it has been encapsulated by CGC (or occasionally its main rival, CBCS - Comic Book Certification Service). The CGC census, which records how many copies of each book exist at each grade, is one of the most valuable databases in the hobby for understanding rarity and pricing.

More recently, CGC has expanded into trading cards through its CGC Cards division, applying the same grading expertise to Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and sports cards. For comic book grading, however, CGC remains in a category of its own for market trust and recognition.

The CGC Grading Scale

CGC uses the standard 0.5-to-10.0 point scale shared by all major comic graders. This scale runs from Poor (0.5) through Gem Mint (10.0), with meaningful grades at every half-point increment. For a full breakdown of what each grade means and what graders look for at each level, see our complete guide How Comic Book Grading Works.

In practice, the most commercially significant grades cluster at a few key levels:

9.8 Near Mint/Mint: The most common "top grade" achievable for modern books. The realistic ceiling for most submissions.
9.6 Near Mint+: One step below 9.8, still a premium grade but with a noticeably lower market value for most books.
9.4 Near Mint: Very sharp copy with minimal defects; a solid grade for older books where 9.8 is nearly impossible.
9.2 and below: Still collectible grades, but premiums over raw diminish as condition declines, except for key vintage issues where even low-grade copies have significant value.
10.0 Gem Mint: Extraordinarily rare; perhaps a handful are ever awarded across all submissions in a given year.

CGC Label Colours and What They Mean

One of CGC's most important contributions to the hobby is its colour-coded labelling system. The label colour communicates fundamental information about the book's status that is visible at a glance without opening the slab.

Universal (Blue Label)

The blue label is the standard CGC grade for an unaltered, unrestored comic in original condition. This is what the overwhelming majority of collectors want to see. A blue label means CGC is confident the book is in its original manufacturing state with no restoration work, no chemical cleaning beyond what would be considered normal handling, and no structural repairs of any kind. Blue label comics are the only category where full market premiums apply.

Restored (Purple Label)

A purple label indicates that CGC has detected restoration - any deliberate work done to improve the appearance or structural integrity of the book beyond simply pressing out non-structural defects. Restoration includes colour touch-ups to faded covers or art, piece replacement where missing paper has been filled or reconstructed, spine reinforcement using tape or glue, staple replacement, and chemical cleaning with solvents.

Restored comics sell at a steep discount to their blue label equivalents. A purple label 9.0 might sell for 10-20% of what a blue label 9.0 commands for the same book. Many serious collectors and investors refuse to purchase restored books at any price, viewing them as fundamentally different from unrestored originals. If you are considering buying a restored comic, always verify the grade and discount it accordingly.

Qualified (Green Label)

A green label is awarded when CGC grades the book but must note a specific defect or circumstance that prevents a standard universal grade. Common reasons include a missing coupon (where an insert has been cut out), handwriting in an otherwise negligible location, a manufacturing defect clearly introduced at the factory, or a stamp from a previous owner. The grade on a qualified label reflects the overall condition of the book, but the label specifies what the qualifying note is. Green label books are tradable and can still achieve good prices, but buyers should understand exactly what the qualification means before purchasing.

Signature Series (Yellow Label)

The yellow label denotes that CGC (or a CGC-authorised representative) was physically present when a creator or celebrity signed the book and has authenticated that signature. A CGC Signature Series comic is not merely a signed copy - it is a witnessed and authenticated signed copy that has then been immediately encapsulated to preserve both the book and the signature.

Signature Series books can command significant premiums when signed by sought-after creators, particularly for key issues or first appearances. A yellow label first appearance signed by the creator of that character, for example, occupies a special place in the market. However, Signature Series books also sometimes trade at slight discounts to unsigned blue label equivalents because some investors prefer a clean, unwritten copy that appeals to the broadest possible buyer base.

How the Grading Process Works

Step 1: Creating Your Submission

You create an account at cgccomics.com and navigate to their submission page. You choose your service tier (economy, standard, express, walkthrough, etc.), declare the value of each book, and fill in the submission form detailing each book's title, issue number, variant designation, and any other relevant information. CGC provides submission instructions specifying how to bag, board, and package your books before shipping.

Step 2: Shipping Your Books

You are responsible for safely packaging and shipping your comics to CGC's facility. CGC recommends specific packaging guidelines - comics should be bagged and boarded, packed in a sturdy inner container, and shipped in a robust outer box with adequate padding. You should use tracked and insured shipping for anything of value. CGC is not responsible for damage that occurs during inbound shipping, so adequate packaging is important.

Step 3: Receiving and Verification

Upon receiving your package, CGC logs each book into their tracking system, verifies the contents against your submission form, and assigns each book a unique submission tracking number. From this point you can monitor your submission's progress through the grading pipeline via your online account.

Step 4: Grading

Each comic is examined by multiple independent graders working under controlled lighting conditions. Graders assess the book's cover, interior pages, spine, staples, and any restoration or structural defects. Where graders disagree significantly on a grade, a senior or finalisation grader reviews the book and arbitrates. CGC does not publish the exact internal weighting applied to different defect types, but the criteria broadly align with the industry-standard four Cs: corners, cover condition, creases, and centring/staples, plus interior page quality.

Step 5: Encapsulation

After grading is finalised, the comic is placed in an archival-quality acid-free inner bag with a clean backing board, and then sealed inside the rigid CGC slab - a two-part tamper-evident polycarbonate case. A printed label showing the grade, book title, issue number, date, and any relevant notes (restoration, signature, qualification) is permanently affixed inside the holder where it cannot be altered or replaced without visibly breaking the seal.

Step 6: Return Shipping

Completed slabs are shipped back to you via tracked courier. CGC insures the return shipment for the declared value you provided at submission. You are responsible for insuring the outbound shipment, which is why using tracked and insured outbound shipping is strongly recommended.

Grading Fees and Turnaround

CGC offers multiple service tiers with different pricing and turnaround commitments. Economy is the slowest and most affordable tier; standard, express, walkthrough, and convention tiers offer progressively faster turnarounds at higher per-book costs. Fees are based on both the service tier and the declared value of each book - higher-declared-value books cost more to grade.

Exact fees change periodically and vary by book category (comics, magazines, lobby cards, etc.). Always verify current pricing at cgccomics.com before submitting, as fees and tier structures are updated regularly. As a general indicator, economy submissions for lower-value modern books have historically ranged from approximately $20-$40 per book before shipping costs are added. High-value books or fast-turnaround tiers cost considerably more.

Turnaround times at economy tier have historically ranged from a few weeks to several months, depending on submission volume at the time. CGC posts estimated current turnaround times on their website, and these can change substantially during peak periods such as major convention seasons or market booms.

Is CGC Worth Using?

For key issues, high-value vintage comics, and anything you plan to sell to a buyer you have never met - particularly across international borders - CGC is almost always the right choice. The certification provides authentication and condition assurance that the raw market cannot replicate. It removes buyer doubt completely, enabling the highest prices from the broadest pool of potential buyers.

The CGC census provides an additional benefit beyond the grade itself: knowing exactly how many copies of a given book exist at each grade level is directly useful for assessing rarity and pricing. A book with only 3 copies graded at 9.8 in the entire census is a different asset from one with 300 copies at the same grade.

For lower-value books or books you plan to keep in your personal collection indefinitely, grading costs often exceed the benefit. See our full cost-benefit analysis in Is Grading Worth It before committing to a submission.

Track your graded and raw comic values together on CollectionPlnr alongside your entire collection, with market prices updated regularly.

Pressing Before Grading

Many experienced collectors choose to have their comics professionally pressed before submitting to CGC. Pressing uses heat and controlled pressure to remove non-structural defects such as reading creases, spine rolls, light bends, and some surface dents. The key distinction is that pressing does not add any material to the book or alter its colour - it only removes defects caused by handling or improper storage.

Because pressing involves no addition of material or colour work, CGC does not classify it as restoration. A pressed book can still receive the standard blue universal label. In many cases, pressing can improve a book's final grade by 0.5 to 1.0 points - which at the top end of the scale (say, improving from 9.4 to 9.6 or 9.8) can represent a substantial value increase. Professional pressing is typically performed by a specialist service before submission and adds cost, but for valuable books the investment is often well worth it.