How do you grade a vinyl record?

Grade a record by inspecting it under a bright, direct light, then playing it, and giving the vinyl and the sleeve separate grades on the Goldmine scale, from Mint down to Poor. A visual check catches scratches, scuffs, warps and label damage; playing it catches surface noise and defects you can't see. Grade conservatively and describe every flaw.

Before you start

You need a bright, direct light rather than a diffused one, because scratches and scuffs only show when light reflects off them at an angle. Discogs recommends a bright light positioned close to the surface. You also need a turntable in good order: a clean stylus and correct tracking force, so the noise you hear comes from the record and not the equipment.

Handle records only by the edges and label, as the Library of Congress advises, so you don't add fingerprints while you work. Clean the record first. Dust and grime add noise and can look like wear, and Discogs' grading tips note that a good clean can lift a record by a whole grade. Cleaning won't remove scratches or groove wear, though.

Step 1: inspect the vinyl

Hold the record by its edges and label and tilt it slowly under the light, one side at a time.

Under Goldmine's definitions, a Near Mint record is shiny with no visible defects and no spindle marks or writing on the label. A record that has lost most of its gloss, with visible groove wear and scratches you can feel, is VG.

Step 2: play it

Discogs expects sellers to play an item, in most cases, and to listen all the way through, noting clicks, pops and skips by side. Pay most attention to quiet passages, intros and fades, where the VG definition says surface noise becomes evident. If you hear a click, clean that spot and play it again; dirt clears, but scratches don't.

Playing matters because looks can mislead. Goldmine's experience is that LPs from the 1950s to about 1971 tend to play better than they look, while newer LPs, at least until 1989, tend to play worse than they look. Pressing defects in the vinyl itself often only show up on playback.

Step 3: grade the sleeve and inserts

Grade the jacket on its own. Check for ring wear, creases, seam splits (the bottom edge is the most vulnerable), writing, tape, stickers, cut-out holes or clipped corners, and water damage. Inner sleeves, lyric sheets and posters count too; if a poster is missing, say so. On Discogs, a plain or standard company sleeve can be listed as Generic and needs no further grading.

Step 4: write it down

Give the media grade and sleeve grade separately, then add a comment for anything a buyer would want to know: a light scuff that doesn't play, a seam split, writing on the back. Say whether you play-graded the record or graded it visually. Goldmine advises grading conservatively: it's better to surprise a buyer with a better record than expected than to grade on wishful thinking and lose a customer.

Visual grading works best with the record in your hands. If you'd rather do the light-and-tilt check before you pay, the Recordz store directory lists independent shops in 16 cities.

Record grading FAQ

Do I have to play a record to grade it?

Discogs asks sellers to play items in most cases. Goldmine acknowledges that many dealers grade visually because they have too many records to play, which is why many buyers ask whether a copy was play-graded.

What does "play graded" mean?

It means the seller listened to the record, usually the whole of both sides, rather than only looking at it. Sellers who play-grade usually say so in the listing.

Can cleaning improve a record's grade?

Often, yes. Removing dirt can eliminate noise that would otherwise pull a record down a grade, but it can't fix scratches, groove wear or warps.

What if a record sits between two grades?

Pick the lower grade and explain why in the comments. That is what grading conservatively, as Goldmine advises, means in practice.

Should I grade sealed records?

You can only grade what you can see, so describe the jacket and say it's sealed. Discogs notes that sealed does not automatically mean Mint, and Goldmine warns that sealed records can be resealed or contain the wrong record.

Last updated September 30, 2026.

Sources: Discogs, How to Grade Items (selling guide); Discogs, How To Grade Items; Goldmine, Record Grading 101; Classic Album Sundays, record grading tips by Discogs; Library of Congress, Care, Handling and Storage of Audio Visual Materials.

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