The GradeThread grading standard
Pre-owned clothing has never had a single, objective condition standard — “Excellent” means one thing to one seller and something else to the next. GradeThread’s 1.0–10.0 scale is that standard. A standard is only a standard if it’s objective, published, reproducible, and independently verifiable, so GradeThread grades every pre-owned garment against one fixed rubric — five weighted factors combined into a single 1.0–10.0 score mapped to seven named tiers — and a grade means the same thing no matter who is selling. This page documents that methodology in full: how the score is built, how we keep it consistent, and how anyone can verify it.
What makes it a standard
Objective
Every garment is scored against one rubric — five weighted factors on a fixed 1.0–10.0 scale — not a subjective, seller-by-seller eyeball judgement.
Published
The factors, their fixed weights, and the seven named tiers are disclosed up front — the rubric is open to inspect, not hidden in a black box.
Consistent
Every grade uses the same fixed rubric and weights — the same five factors, scored the same way, whoever submits the item. Not a seller-by-seller eyeball judgement.
Independently verifiable
Every grade becomes a public certificate buyers can open and check, and we publish an open accuracy report — updated as review volume grows.
We hold the standard to account: our published accuracy report measures every grade against expert reviewers.
The five weighted factors
The overall grade is not a single impression — it's a weighted blend of five factors. The weights are fixed and add up to 100%, so the same evidence always produces the same score.
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Fabric Condition | 30% |
| Structural Integrity | 25% |
| Cosmetic Appearance | 20% |
| Functional Elements | 15% |
| Odor & Cleanliness | 10% |
For what each factor and tier means in detail, see the condition grading guide.
The scale: ten to one
Every grade resolves to a named tier so the number always carries the same meaning. This is the complete GradeThread condition scale — the same seven tiers a buyer reads on any certificate.
| Grade | Tier | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | NWT — New With Tags | NWT (New With Tags) is a brand-new, unworn garment with its original retail tags still attached. |
| 9 | NWOT — New Without Tags | NWOT (New Without Tags) is a new, unworn garment whose original tags have been removed. |
| 8 | Excellent | Excellent condition (an 8 on the 1.0–10.0 scale) describes a gently used garment with no notable flaws. |
| 7 | Very Good | Very Good condition (a 7 on the 1.0–10.0 scale) means light, normal wear: minor signs of use that don't affect the overall look or function of the garment. |
| 6 | Good | Good condition (a 6 on the 1.0–10.0 scale) describes visible but minor wear — slight pilling, faint marks, or small cosmetic issues — on a garment that is still very wearable. |
| 5 | Fair | Fair condition (a 5 on the 1.0–10.0 scale) means noticeable wear or a documented flaw — such as a stain, hole, or fading — that affects the garment's appearance. |
| 3–4 | Poor | Poor condition (a 3–4 on the 1.0–10.0 scale) means significant damage or heavy wear. |
How the score is computed
- 1
Assess each factor. AI vision inspects the garment photos and scores all five factors independently against the rubric.
- 2
Apply the weights. Each factor score is multiplied by its fixed weight and summed into a single 1.0–10.0 grade, resolved to the nearest half point.
- 3
Map to a tier. The numeric grade anchors a named tier — from NWT (10) down to Poor — so the result reads the same to every buyer and seller.
- 4
Check confidence. A confidence score accompanies the grade; anything below threshold is routed for human review before it's finalized and certified.
The GradeThread Grade field — an open standard
A grade is only useful if it travels. The GradeThread Grade is a published, versioned, machine-readable field anyone can embed in a listing — so a pre-owned garment can carry "GradeThread Grade 8.0" the way a trading card carries a third-party grade. This is an open specification: free to read and implement, with no proprietary lock-in. We publish the standard; we don't claim anyone else has adopted it.
The field
The grade is expressed as a schema.org PropertyValue (an additionalProperty on the item), with a stable propertyID of https://gradethread.com/grading-standard#grade:
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "https://gradethread.com/grading-standard#grade",
"name": "GradeThread Grade",
"value": 8.0, // 1.0–10.0, half-point increments
"minValue": 1,
"maxValue": 10,
"alternateName": "Excellent", // the named tier
"url": "https://gradethread.com/cert/<id>" // verifiable certificate
}The full field shape is documented by a stable, citable JSON Schema: grade-standard.schema.json. The spec and schema are published under a CC BY 4.0 license.
How it's embedded everywhere
Every listing GradeThread publishes carries the field in a consistent way, adapted to each marketplace's rules:
| Surface | How the grade is carried |
|---|---|
| eBay | A "Condition Grade" item specific plus the certificate number in the description (eBay disallows off-site links, so no URL). |
| Shopify · Depop | A grade line plus a machine-readable [gradethread-grade]…[/gradethread-grade] marker and the certificate verify link in the description. |
| Certificate page | The grade is emitted as schema.org structured data on the public /cert/<id> page for any crawler or AI engine to ingest. |
Grading standard FAQ
- What makes GradeThread a grading standard rather than an opinion?
- Every item is scored against one published rubric: five weighted factors combined into a single 1.0–10.0 grade mapped to seven named tiers. Because the factors and weights are fixed and disclosed, two different items in the same condition receive the same grade — the defining property of a standard.
- How is the overall grade calculated?
- The grade is a weighted blend of five factors — Fabric Condition (30%), Structural Integrity (25%), Cosmetic Appearance (20%), Functional Elements (15%), and Odor & Cleanliness (10%) — expressed on a 1.0–10.0 scale in half-point increments so graders can place an item precisely between tiers.
- How does GradeThread keep grades consistent and objective?
- The same rubric and weights are applied to every submission, and each grade carries a confidence score. When confidence falls below our threshold, the submission is routed for human review before the grade is finalized, so low-confidence cases never ship an unchecked result.
- Is a GradeThread grade verifiable by buyers?
- Yes. Every grade produces a public certificate with a unique URL and QR code showing the overall score, tier, factor-by-factor breakdown, and garment photos — so a buyer can independently confirm the condition against the standard, no account required.
- Can other platforms or partners use the GradeThread Grade field?
- Yes. The GradeThread Grade is published as an open, versioned specification: a machine-readable field expressed as a schema.org PropertyValue (additionalProperty), documented on this page and as a stable JSON Schema at /grade-standard.schema.json under a CC BY 4.0 license. Anyone can read and implement it to carry a grade in a listing or ingest it from one. It describes the open standard only — we make no claim that any third party has adopted it.
Ready to Grade Smarter?
Join resellers who trust GradeThread to standardize condition grading, build buyer confidence, and sell faster.