How to read a Japanese auction sheet

Updated July 14, 2026 · 8 min read

Every car sold at a Japanese auction is inspected by an independent grader who records its true condition on a single-page report — the auction sheet. Learn to read it and you can tell a genuine bargain from a hidden-accident car before you ever place a bid.

What is an auction sheet?

When a used car enters a Japanese auction (USS, TAA, JU, HAA and others), a trained inspector examines it and fills out a standardised condition report. That report — the auction sheet — records the model and chassis number, mileage, an overall condition grade, separate interior/exterior grades, and a diagram of the body marked with symbols showing every scratch, dent and repair. Because the grader is independent of the seller, the sheet is the most trustworthy record of a car's real condition.

The catch: sheets are in Japanese, and dealers reselling imported cars sometimes show a faked or edited sheet — or none at all. That's why buyers verify the original sheet by chassis number straight from the auction records. See our guide on where to find your chassis number.

Step 1 — Check the overall grade

The big number (or letter) in the corner is the overall grade — the inspector's single-glance summary. As a rule of thumb, Grade 4 and above is a safe used buy. Anything marked R / RA means repair or accident history, regardless of how clean it otherwise looks.

Read the full breakdown in auction grades explained.

Step 2 — Read the interior and exterior letter grades

Next to the overall grade you'll usually see two letters, A–E, for the exterior and the interior. A car can be Grade 4 overall but have a tired 'C' interior — the letters tell you where the wear is.

Step 3 — Decode the damage map

The diagram of the car is the most detailed part of the sheet. The grader marks each defect with a letter (the type of damage) and often a number 1–4 (the severity, 1 = minor). Here are the symbols you'll see most:

Step 4 — Confirm mileage and equipment

The sheet records the odometer reading at inspection. Compare it to the car's age and the mileage the seller is quoting — a mismatch is the classic sign of a rolled-back odometer. The equipment line uses abbreviations such as AAC (auto A/C), PS (power steering), PW (power windows), SR (sunroof), AW (alloy wheels) and TV/nav.

Step 5 — Verify the sheet is genuine

A sheet is only useful if it's real. Because anyone can Photoshop a JPEG, always match the sheet to the auction's own records using the chassis number. That's exactly what SheetJP does — we pull the original sheet straight from the auction database so you know the grade, mileage and damage map haven't been touched.

Common mistakes when reading a sheet

1. Reading the overall grade alone. A Grade 4 with a 'D' interior or a cluster of repair marks isn't the same as a clean Grade 4 — always read the letters and damage map too.
2. Panicking at an XX. A replaced bolt-on panel is routine; structural repair shows as an R or RA grade.
3. Ignoring the interior grade. The exterior can be spotless while the cabin is worn — the two are graded separately.
4. Trusting a screenshot. An image can be edited. Only a sheet verified against the auction records is trustworthy.
5. Skipping the mileage cross-check. Compare the sheet's mileage to the car's age and the seller's claim.