# How to read a Japanese auction sheet: damage codes (A1, U2, W1, X and more)

Updated 2 November 2026. What the letters and numbers on the car diagram of a Japanese auction sheet mean, from scratches (A) and dents (U) to repair marks (W), with house differences.

A Japanese auction sheet has a drawing of the car. Small marks on the drawing, like A1, U2 or W1, show where the inspector found a fault. The letter says the type of fault (scratch, dent, repaint and so on). The number says how big it is. Different auction houses use slightly different size rules, so always read the legend of the house that printed the sheet.

## Where things are on the sheet

Layouts differ by auction house, but most sheets have the same parts:

- **Overall grade** (for example 4 or 4.5), usually near the top right. See [auction grades explained](/guides/japan-auction-grades-explained).
- **Interior grade** (A to E) next to it.
- **Car details:** chassis number, year, engine size, gearbox.
- **Mileage** with a mark that may say if the figure is doubtful.
- **Car diagram** with the damage codes. Some exporters say it is at the bottom right; this varies.
- **Inspector comments** in Japanese. These matter as much as the codes.
- **Equipment list** and the **name of the auction house**.

Check the auction house name first. USS, TAA, CAA and others each publish their own rules.

## The letters: what type of damage

These letters agree in the written rules of three operators I read (CAA, TAA and AS):

| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Scratch |
| U | Dent |
| B | Dent with a scratch |
| P | Paint fading or peeling (CAA and TAA) |
| W | Repair trace, a repainted or wavy panel |
| S | Rust |
| C | Corrosion (heavier rust) |
| G | Small chip on the front glass |
| X | Part needs to be replaced |
| XX | Part has already been replaced |

Watch out: the same letter can mean different things elsewhere on the sheet. A, B, C, D and E are also interior grades, and S is also an overall grade. Read the letter where it sits: on the car diagram it is a damage code.

## The numbers: how big

The number is a size, not a price. The rule books use ball and hand sizes. Here are the CAA and TAA sizes, which are the same in both:

| Number | Scratch (A) | Dent (U) | Rust (S) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | about 10 cm, a fist | golf ball | golf ball |
| 2 | about 20 cm, one palm | tennis ball | tennis ball |
| 3 | about 40 cm, two palms | soccer ball | bigger than 2 |
| 4 | bigger than 3 | bigger than 3 | not used |

B (dent with scratch) uses the same dent sizes as U. Corrosion C is graded 1 to 3 the same way as rust.

**Repair marks (W)** are the ones to watch most:

- **W1:** a repair trace exists.
- **W2:** the trace is easy to see.
- **W3:** the repair needs to be done again.

A W code usually means the panel was repainted or repaired. One W1 on a bumper is common. W2 or W3 on several panels, or on pillars and the roof, deserves a question to your exporter.

### Houses differ

AS (Autoserver) uses fewer levels and different sizes. Compare:

| Code | CAA and TAA | AS |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | about 20 cm | about 30 cm |
| A3 | about 40 cm | anything bigger than A2 |
| U2 | tennis ball | up to baseball size |
| U3 | soccer ball | large, fixable by reconditioning |
| S1 | golf-ball size | a few small rust spots |

So "U2" on a CAA sheet and "U2" on an AS sheet are not exactly the same size. And exporter guides differ again: some write A1 to A3 only, others list P1 to P4 and C1 to C4. The rulebooks I read do not have P4, and CAA and TAA stop C at 3. Use the written legend of the house, not a general chart.

**USS** is the largest house, but its public inspection rules that I found cover grades and interior only, not the diagram symbols. One exporter says USS-style sheets use the same letters. I could not confirm USS sizes in a primary document.

## X and XX

- A single **X** (or ×) means the part needs replacement. For bumpers and glass it can have a number for crack or tear length, for example X1 is about 5 cm on a bumper.
- **XX** (××) means the part has already been replaced. It does not by itself mean an accident. A replaced bumper or door can come from a small knock. But several XX marks, or XX on structural panels, are a reason to ask for the inspector comments and photos.

## Other marks you may see

These have only one or two weak sources, so I mark them unverified:

- **Y** (crack): listed by one exporter. The rulebooks write cracks in Japanese (ワレ) or use X.
- **H** (paint fade): one exporter only. The rulebooks use P, or the Japanese word for faded colour.
- **A triangle** for panel replacement or repair: one exporter only.
- **E** for a very small dent and **UA** for scratch plus dent: seen on one used-car trade site, not in the three rulebooks.

If a sheet shows a code you cannot match, ask your exporter in writing what it means for that auction house.

## Mileage marks: sources disagree

Many sheets add a mark next to the mileage. I found two exporter charts and they do not agree:

| Source | Marks they describe |
|---|---|
| Nobuko Japan | one star: cannot be checked; two stars: looks too low; three stars: tampering suspected; dash: meter replaced |
| JDM Buy Sell (describing USS) | asterisk: tampered; dollar sign: meter replaced with record; hash: distance cannot be judged |

**Disputed.** I could not confirm either list in an auction rulebook. What I did confirm: USS rule Article 5 says USS may treat a car as meter-tampered if the way the speedometer is fitted shows the distance shown is not the real distance. Another source says an auction sheet does not prove mileage or mechanical condition.

## Fake or altered sheets

Two sources warn about this, so treat it as a caution rather than a measured fact:

- PakWheels says fake or edited sheets can appear in the market, and that repaired cars are sometimes sold as "grade 4". It says to compare the sheet with service records.
- TokyoCarz (June 2026) lists signs of a fake: poor image quality, mismatched fonts, missing auction house branding. It says to ask for the original sheet and treat a refusal as a warning.

I found no figures on how common this is. A practical step is to match the chassis number on the sheet with the car using the [vehicle code decoder](/tools/vehicle-codes), and to buy from a vetted exporter: [how to vet a Japanese used car exporter](/guides/vet-japanese-used-car-exporter).

## A quick reading routine

1. Read the auction house name, then the overall and interior grades.
2. Count the codes on the diagram and note the biggest numbers.
3. Look for W2, W3, X and XX, and for any mark on pillars, roof or floor.
4. Read the inspector comments, using a translator or your exporter.
5. Ask for the original sheet and photos of any worrying area.

This guide is general information, not buying advice. Grading and symbol rules were last checked in October 2026 and houses can revise them.

## Sources
1. [CAA auction rules: evaluation standards and defect symbols (revised 1 February 2021)](https://taacaa.jp/auction_site/pdf_caa/Caa_kiyaku.pdf)
2. [TAA auction rules: vehicle evaluation standards and defect symbols](https://taacaa.jp/auction_site/pdf_taa/Taa_kiyaku.pdf)
3. [AS (Autoserver) rules: inspection symbol table, Article 7 (revised 31 January 2022)](https://taacaa.jp/auction_site/pdf_as/as_kiyaku.pdf)
4. [USS Inspection Rules (revised 1 July 2015)](https://www.uss-engine.com/info_items/rules/inspection_20150701.pdf)
5. [JDM Buy Sell: auction grading, USS, TAA and CAA compared](https://www.jdmbuysell.com/learn/topics/auction-grading/)
6. [Nobuko Japan: how to read a Japanese auction sheet, grade and damage map guide](https://www.nobukojapan.com/japanese-car-blog/how-to-read-a-japanese-auction-sheet-full-grade-damage-map-guide)
7. [EVERY: Japanese used car auction sheet articles](https://www.everycar.jp/blog/?p=29405)
8. [PakWheels: how to read a Japanese car auction sheet](https://www.pakwheels.com/blog/how-to-read-a-japanese-car-auction-sheet-a-detailed-guide/)
9. [TokyoCarz: how to translate Japanese auction sheets, a beginner's guide (June 2026)](https://tokyocarz.com/blog/news/how-to-translate-japanese-auction-sheets-a-beginners-guide/)

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