Grading a used pair of jeans
Grading a used pair of jeans separates intended wash from real wear. Denim is bought partly for its fades, so the grade weighs whether whiskering and honeycombs are as-made, then leads with the crotch blowout, inner-thigh abrasion, and hem roping that end a jean's life regardless of how good the fades look.
What to check
- Crotch blowout — the classic jean failure at the four-seam junction
- Inner-thigh abrasion and thinning toward a hole
- Intended fades and whiskering vs. incidental fabric loss
- Hem roping vs. cut hems; button-fly and rivet hardware
How to grade it, step by step
- 1
Check the crotch
Inspect the four-seam crotch junction for thinning and blowout, the most common way jeans fail and the flaw that leads the grade.
- 2
Read the fades
Decide whether whiskering, honeycombs, and stacks are the jean's intended wash. As-made fading isn't penalized; incidental thinning is.
- 3
Inspect hems and hardware
Check the hems for damage beyond honest roping and confirm the shank button, rivets, and fly all function.
Graded examples
| Grade | Why |
|---|---|
| 9 (NWOT) | Deadstock, no wear at crotch or thighs, hardware crisp. |
| 7 (Very Good) | Honest fading, thighs sound, hems roped but intact. |
| 3 (Poor) | Crotch blowout and thinning inner thighs — repair only. |
Every grade sits on the GradeThread 1.0–10.0 scale.
Flaws to watch on this garment
Frequently asked
- Is fading on jeans a defect?
- Usually not. Jeans are graded against their intended, worn-in state, so whiskering, honeycombs, and fade lines are part of the design and aren't penalized. What lowers the grade is structural failure on top of the fades — a crotch blowout, thinning inner thighs, or a hole heading through the fabric.
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