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CGC pricing · sealed LEGO · 2026

CGC LEGO grading costs $23 – $30.

CGC’s economy tier is $23 for sets declared under $400. Standard tier $25, express $30, premium $60. Turnaround 2–6 weeks. Pre-grade with BrickGauge first — the $25 fee is wasted on any box that won’t hit CGC 9.0+.

Pre-grade my set free →AFA vs CGC vs WATA
⊙ Quick answer

What is CGC LEGO grading cost?

CGC LEGO grading cost is $23–$30 per sealed submission at standard tiers, scaling to $60–$150 for sets declared over $5,000. Insured shipping adds $15–$25 round-trip. CGC grades on a 0.5–10.0 scale with published box, seal, and surface subgrades. Turnaround is 2–6 weeks depending on tier — roughly 1–2 weeks faster than AFA. BrickGauge predicts the grade for free before you commit the $25 fee.

Economy fee
$23
Express fee
$30
Scale
0.5 – 10.0
Turnaround
2 – 6 weeks
Full tier table

CGC LEGO grading fees by declared value.

Declared value drives tier, tier drives fee. Always declare accurately — under-declaring voids the CGC grade guarantee, and over-declaring puts you in a tier you don’t need.

CGC tierDeclared valueFeeTurnaround
EconomyUp to $400$235 – 6 weeks
Standard$400 – $1,500$254 – 5 weeks
Express$1,500 – $5,000$302 – 3 weeks
Premium$5,000 – $20,000$602 weeks
Walkthrough$20,000+$150+5 – 10 days
What you get

What’s in the $23 – $30 CGC fee.

01

Six-axis grade

Box, seal, and surface subgrades published openly on the slab. Plus the overall numeric grade on the 0.5–10.0 scale.

02

Encapsulated slab

Tamper-evident UV-stable acrylic slab with the CGC barcode, grade, and submission ID. Buyer-visible, resale-ready.

03

Auth record

Digital authentication log searchable on CGC's public database. Resale buyers can verify your slab in 5 seconds.

04

Grade guarantee

CGC backs the grade. If a future re-submission disagrees by more than 0.5, CGC re-grades free. Worth the $25.

CGC vs AFA pricing

CGC LEGO grading cost vs AFA LEGO grading cost.

Side-by-side: CGC vs AFA fees per equivalent tier (2026)
TierCGC feeAFA feeDelta
Economy / Standard$23 – $25$25$0 – $2 cheaper
Express$30$40$10 cheaper
Premium$60$80$20 cheaper
Turnaround (standard)4 – 5 wks5 – 8 wks1 – 3 wks faster
Don't waste the $25

Pre-grade before you pay CGC.

The $23–$30 CGC fee is non-refundable. If your box comes back CGC 8.0 or lower, the slab now documents that condition permanently and your resale drops below the raw comp. BrickGauge’s free pre-grade tells you the likely CGC grade range in 38 seconds — two scans free on signup, no credit card.

Cost cluster

More on LEGO grading cost.

Cost to grade a LEGO set
All-in pricing across AFA / CGC / WATA
Read the guide →
CGC LEGO turnaround
Tier-by-tier wait windows
Read the guide →
AFA grading turnaround time
AFA-specific wait windows
Read the guide →
AFA vs CGC vs WATA
Full grader comparison
Read the guide →
Should I grade my LEGO set?
Decision framework
Read the guide →
AFA grading tiers explained
Scale + threshold breakdown
Read the guide →
CGC pricing FAQ

More on CGC LEGO grading cost.

↦How much does CGC charge to grade a LEGO set?

CGC charges $23–$30 per sealed LEGO submission at standard tiers, scaling up to $60–$150 for sets declared over $5,000. The economy tier covers any set declared under $400 at $23 per submission. Add $15–$25 for insured round-trip shipping. Total all-in cost is $38–$60 for most collectible LEGO sets.

↦What's the cheapest CGC LEGO grading tier?

The Economy tier at $23. It covers any set with a declared value under $400 and runs 5–6 week turnaround. Most ICONS sets, modern Star Wars, City, and Creator Expert under MSRP fit here. Above $400 declared value, you're pushed into Standard at $25.

↦Is CGC cheaper than AFA for LEGO grading?

Yes — CGC is $2–$10 cheaper per submission across all tiers. CGC also publishes subgrades openly on the slab (box / seal / surface), has faster turnaround, and runs a cleaner modern resale comp pool. AFA still has the deeper auction history for vintage UCS and original Modulars — pick CGC for modern, AFA for vintage.

↦What does the CGC grade scale look like?

CGC grades sealed LEGO on a 0.5–10.0 numeric scale: 10.0 Gem Mint, 9.8 NM/Mint, 9.6 Near Mint, 9.4 Excellent+, 9.0 Excellent, 8.5 Very Fine+, 8.0 Very Fine, 7.5 and below Fine or lower. Sub-grades cover Box, Seal, and Surface independently. CGC 9.6+ is the investment-grade threshold; CGC 9.0+ is collector-grade.

↦How long does CGC take to grade a LEGO set?

2–6 weeks at standard tiers, 5–10 days at Walkthrough. Express tier hits 2–3 weeks for $30. CGC is roughly 1–2 weeks faster than AFA across equivalent tiers — useful if you have a Whatnot stream or auction window queued. Read the full CGC LEGO turnaround guide for tier-by-tier wait windows.

↦What's included in the CGC LEGO grading fee?

Inspection, six-axis condition score, the encapsulated slab with the published grade, digital authentication record, and CGC's grade guarantee. Insured return shipping is added separately at $15–$25 depending on declared value. International submissions add customs handling.

↦Can I lower my CGC grading cost?

Three ways: (1) declare honestly — over-declaring pushes you into a higher fee tier; (2) bundle 5+ sets to negotiate bulk pricing on CGC's submission portal; (3) pre-grade with BrickGauge first ($0–$2.90 per scan) so you only ship sets that will return value on the $25 fee. The third one saves the most money.

↦Is CGC grading worth the cost for LEGO?

Worth it when (a) the set has a graded-vs-raw comp delta over $90 on recent BrickLink / eBay sold listings and (b) the box pre-grades at NM 8.5+. Modular Buildings, retired UCS, ICONS flagships, and SDCC exclusives consistently clear that bar. Modern in-production sets almost never do. Pre-grade first with BrickGauge.

CGC LEGO Grading Cost — 2026 Fees, Tiers, Turnaround | BrickGauge