A Comprehensive Guide to ACE Grading Labels
The Collector's Guide

A Comprehensive Guide to ACE Grading Labels

Published Date: 05th June 2026

Welcome to Cardzillo’s complete guide to ACE Grading’s range of labels, in this guide we’ll break down the full range of labels you can purchase with your grading submission, including the cost, design and which one you should pick as part of your grading process.

One of the things that sets ACE Grading apart from other grading companies is the attention they pay to the label inside the slab. While competitors tend to offer a standard one-size-fits-all approach with their labels, ACE gives you a genuine choice. For many collectors, that choice is a big part of why they choose ACE in the first place. Especially for collectors based in the UK, whether you’re grading for your personal collection or with resale in mind, understanding the label options available to you is an important step before you submit.

The Three ACE Grading Label Types

Basic Standard Label

Cost: Free

The Standard label is ACE Grading’s original design and the default option for every submission. It features a clean, classic look with black and gold highlights, displaying all the key grading information: the card name, set, card number, rarity, language, grade, and subgrades.

This is best for collector’s who are either looking to save a few quid on the cost of labels in a massive grading submission. It’s definitely worth noting that the standard label is the one applied when a card receives a grade such as: Altered, Misprint or Poor. If your card is unable to receive a numerical grade, it will always come back on a standard label regardless of the card that has been submitted.

Colour Match Label

Cost: £1 per card

The Colour Match label is a step up from the Standard. Rather than the default black and gold, ACE’s system pulls the two most prominent colours from your card’s artwork and uses those as the label highlights instead. The result is a label that feels visually tied to the specific card inside the slab, a nice touch for display pieces or collection showcases.

This is best for collectors who have a mixed demand of wanting to save a bit of money on bulk submissions but also give their slabs that little bit of flair to make them stand out in their collection without going all out on a full custom label. It works well with cards with bold and distinctive artwork as these tend to produce the most striking results. This is probably the sweet spot in terms of the “best” solution for collectors in the sports card hobby.

Ace Label

Cost: £3 per card

The Ace Label is ACE Grading’s flagship option and the one that’s made them genuinely well known in the collecting community. Rather than adapting the card’s colours, ACE’s in-house illustrators create a completely bespoke label design for that specific card, extending and enhancing the card’s artwork to produce something that feels like truly bespoke and the centrepiece of your collection. Hats off to the ACE creative team on these as well as I’ve never looked at an ACE slab and thought “that doesn’t make the card look better”.

These labels are hand-drawn and unique to each card, making them one of the most visually distinctive label options in the grading industry.

So whilst all this is great. Ace Labels are not available for every card. They exist for a large (and growing) library of cards, you can browse the full Label Library at acegrading.com/ace-labels, but if your specific card doesn’t yet have one, ACE will create it. However, this adds time to your submission, and you won’t be able to preview the design before submitting. ACE will make you aware of this at the point of selection.

High-value cards, personal display pieces, or cards that are particularly close to your heart. If you’re grading a card you plan to keep long-term, a PSA-equivalent trophy card for your collection — the Ace Label is worth the extra cost. For bulk submissions or lower-value cards being graded for resale, the Standard or Colour Match will serve you better.

Are ACE Grading Labels Included in the Grading Price?

Sadly not, and this is an important point to factor into your submission budget.

ACE Grading’s service tier pricing (Basic, Standard, Premier, Ultra, Luxury) covers the grading itself, not the label. Labels are charged separately on top of the grading fee. Shipping is also separate.

So if you’re submitting 20 cards on a Standard tier and want Colour Match labels on all of them, add £20 to your expected invoice. Ace Labels across the same 20 cards would add £60. It’s worth factoring this in before you submit, especially on larger batches.

Which Label Should You Choose?

Here’s a quick rule of thumb:

  • Grading for resale or submitting in volume? Go Standard. Keep your costs down and let the grade do the work.
  • Grading for your personal collection and want it to look good? Go Colour Match. The £1 per card is very reasonable for the visual uplift, and the result is noticeably better on display.
  • Grading a card you’re emotionally invested in, or a high-value card you plan to hold? Go Ace Label. The bespoke illustration genuinely elevates the slab into something special, and for the right card, £3 is a small price to pay.

For the full, up-to-date label library, head to acegrading.com/ace-labels. For information on how to grade your cards with ACE Grading, be sure to check out our ACE Grading Guide and other Grading Guides for the worlds top grading companies.

Prices correct at time of publishing. Always check ACE Grading’s official site for the latest pricing before submitting as well as their full range of ace grading labels.

Image Credit: ACE Grading