Refurbished Device Grading Guide - What Each Condition Grade Means

Every device sold by Tech 4 Change is graded by our Sustainable Tech 4 Good engineers before listing. Select your device type below to see exactly what each grade covers and browse that collection.

Product photos on individual listings are example images for each grade, not the exact unit you will receive. Individual units may show different marks within that grade but will not fall outside the condition described.

All laptops are fully tested and fully functional for normal use unless otherwise stated. Cosmetic grade refers to how the laptop looks, not how it performs.

Grade A – Excellent

Fully functional and in great cosmetic condition, close to "as new" for everyday use.

Casing Up to 5 minor scratches or scuffs; no dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, or missing rubber feet.
Screen No cracks, scratches, light spots or dead pixels.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Keyboard No worn, missing, or loose keys.
Trackpad No fading; buttons not loose.
Battery Not swollen. Dell: "Good" or "Excellent". Non-Dell: battery report at least 80% of original design capacity.
Grade B – Good

Fully functional with light to moderate signs of use; ideal value for everyday work.

Casing 5–15 minor scratches or scuffs; no dents or cracks. Up to 2 small patches of chipped paint allowed. Some rubber feet may be missing.
Screen No cracks. Up to 1 minor light spot or 1 dead pixel; no major light spots or heavy scratching.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Keyboard Fully functional; no worn-off, missing or loose keys.
Trackpad May show minor cosmetic fading; buttons not loose.
Battery Not swollen. Dell: "Good" or "Excellent". Non-Dell: battery report at least 60% of original design capacity.
Grade C – Well Used

Fully functional for normal use but with heavy cosmetic wear and/or minor non-critical defects; ideal as a budget or backup device.

Casing Visible wear including scratches, scuffs, dents, deep scratches, hairline cracks (no missing pieces), patches of chipped paint, and missing rubber feet.
Screen No cracks. May have light spots, dead pixels, and scratches visible in normal use.
Ports May include some worn or non-working ports.
Keyboard Fully functional but may have several visibly worn keys.
Trackpad May be noticeably faded and have looser buttons; still fully usable.
Battery Not swollen. May show "Fair" or "Poor" condition and reduced runtime compared with new.
Other Non-essential features such as webcam, one speaker, or BIOS lock may be faulty or present.
Browse refurbished laptopsHP | Dell | Lenovo | Apple - all grades in stock

All desktops are fully tested and fully functional for normal use unless otherwise stated. Cosmetic grade refers to appearance only, not performance.

Grade A – Excellent

Fully functional and in excellent cosmetic condition, suitable for customer-facing use or business deployment.

Casing Maximum 5 minor scratches or scuffs. No dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, or missing rubber feet. Front face panel/cover must be present where applicable.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Internals No cracks in SATA connectors.
Grade B – Very Good

Fully functional with visible but limited cosmetic wear; ideal for general use at a reduced price.

Casing 5–15 minor scratches or scuffs. No dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, or missing rubber feet. Front face panel/cover must be present where applicable.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Internals No cracks in SATA connectors.
Grade C – Well Used

Fully functional for normal use but with heavy cosmetic wear and possible non-critical faults; best suited for budget builds or internal use.

Casing More than 15 minor scratches/scuffs; dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, missing rubber feet, or missing panels are allowed.
Ports Bent or blocked ports allowed.
Internals No cracks in SATA connectors.
Browse refurbished desktopsHP | Dell | Lenovo - compact and tower form factors

All All-in-One PCs are fully tested and fully functional for normal use unless otherwise stated. Cosmetic grade refers to appearance only, not performance.

Grade A – Excellent

Fully functional and in excellent cosmetic condition, suitable for customer-facing use or business deployment.

Casing Up to 5 minor scratches or scuffs; no dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, or missing rubber feet. Front face panel/cover must be present where applicable.
Screen No cracks, scratches, light spots or dead pixels.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Internals No cracks in SATA connectors.
Grade B – Very Good

Fully functional with visible but limited cosmetic wear; ideal for general use at a reduced price.

Casing 5–15 minor scratches or scuffs; no dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, or missing rubber feet. Front face panel/cover must be present where applicable.
Screen No cracks. Up to 1 minor light spot or 1 dead pixel; no major light spots or heavy scratching.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Internals No cracks in SATA connectors.
Grade C – Well Used

Fully functional for normal use but with heavy cosmetic wear and possible non-critical faults; best suited for budget builds or internal deployments.

Casing More than 15 minor scratches/scuffs; dents, cracks, deep scratches, chipped paint, missing rubber feet, or missing panels allowed.
Screen No cracks. May have visible light spots, multiple dead pixels, or scratches noticeable in normal use.
Ports Bent or blocked ports allowed (may affect some I/O).
Internals No cracks in SATA connectors.
Browse refurbished All-in-One PCsApple iMac | HP | Dell - all grades in stock

All phones and tablets are fully tested and fully functional for normal use unless otherwise stated. Cosmetic grade refers to appearance only, not performance.

Grade A – Excellent

Fully functional and in excellent cosmetic condition, suitable for users who want a premium look and feel.

Casing Up to 5 minor scratches or scuffs. No dents, cracks, deep scratches, or chipped paint.
Screen No cracks, scratches, light spots or dead pixels.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Grade B – Very Good

Fully functional with light to moderate cosmetic wear; ideal for everyday use at a reduced price.

Casing 5–15 minor scratches or scuffs. No dents, cracks, deep scratches. Up to 2 small patches of chipped paint allowed.
Screen No cracks or major scratches. Up to 2 minor surface scratches; no light spots or dead pixels.
Ports All ports present and working; no bent or blocked ports.
Grade C – Well Used

Fully functional for normal use but with heavy cosmetic wear and/or noticeable defects; best suited for budget buyers or rough-use environments.

Casing Significant scratches, dents and/or cracks. Up to 1 deep scratch. More than 2 patches of chipped paint may be present.
Screen May be cracked or heavily scratched and may show light spots or dead pixels visible in use.
Ports Ports may show cosmetic wear; charging and core connectivity will still work.
Browse refurbished phones & tabletsApple iPhone | iPad | Samsung - all grades in stock

Common questions about refurbished device grades

A Grade A refurbished device is in excellent cosmetic condition with only minor signs of use — typically up to five small scratches on the casing. The screen has no cracks, scratches, light spots or dead pixels, and all ports and components are fully working. It is the closest to "as new" condition in our range.

Both grades are fully functional and pass all technical tests. Grade B devices show more visible cosmetic wear — more scratches on the casing, possible minor trackpad fading (on laptops), and up to one minor screen light spot or dead pixel. Grade B is a popular choice for buyers who want good performance at a lower price and do not mind visible signs of use.

Yes — Grade C devices are fully functional for normal everyday use. The grade reflects heavy cosmetic wear and possible non-critical faults (such as a reduced battery on laptops or worn keys), not performance issues. Grade C is well suited as a budget device, a backup machine, or for use in environments where appearance is not a priority.

Every device is tested against the original manufacturer's specification by our Sustainable Tech 4 Good engineers. This includes hardware diagnostics, screen inspection, port testing, battery health checks (on laptops), and a full cosmetic assessment. Devices that fail testing are repurposed for spare parts — they are never listed for sale.

Product photos are example images showing the typical condition for that grade. Your individual unit may show different marks in different places but will not fall outside the condition described for that grade. If you have questions about a specific listing, please contact us before ordering.

Questions about a specific device or grade?

Call 01438 873837 or email support@tech4change.co.uk

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