---
title: "What is a Banknote made of?"
description: "Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash. Every component, the material it uses, and the constraint that ma"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is a Banknote made of?

**What is a Banknote made of?: Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.**

The single most useful fact about banknotes is that they are not paper in the everyday sense: there is no wood pulp in them, which is why a note that goes through a washing machine comes out intact while a receipt disintegrates. Polymer notes, pioneered in Australia in 1988 and now used across the UK, Canada and dozens of other countries, go further — they shrug off water entirely but deform permanently above about 120 °C, so an iron or a tumble dryer destroys them. Cotton for banknote paper is often linter, the short fibre left on the seed after ginning, which is a by-product rather than a competing use of the crop.

## Component by component

*Every material is a choice, and the third column is the constraint that drove it.*

| Part | Material | Why that material |
| --- | --- | --- |
| substrate (paper notes) | cotton fibre with linen or flax; US notes are 75% cotton and 25% linen | Rag fibres are long and strong and, unlike wood pulp, contain no lignin to yellow and embrittle — a note survives folding and a wash cycle. |
| substrate (polymer notes) | biaxially oriented polypropylene film with opacifying layers | It is far more durable and dirt-resistant, lasts two to five times longer, and allows a genuinely clear window that paper cannot. |
| security thread | a metallised or demetallised polyester thread woven into or windowed through the substrate | It has to be inside the substrate rather than printed on it, which is a step a copier or printer cannot reproduce at all. |
| watermark | variation in fibre thickness formed on the papermaking cylinder | It is created while the sheet is still a wet slurry, so it cannot be added afterwards. |
| fluorescent fibres and planchettes | fibres visible only under ultraviolet light | Ordinary paper glows under UV because of optical brighteners; banknote paper deliberately does not, so a glowing note is a bad sign. |

## Other around the house objects

- [Lego brick](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/lego-brick/) — ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- [Soap](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/soap/) — Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- [Toothpaste](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/toothpaste/) — Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- [Coin](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/coin/) — Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- [Sunscreen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/sunscreen/) — UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- [Credit card](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/credit-card/) — Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- [Candle](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/candle/) — Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- [Lipstick](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/lipstick/) — Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- [Shampoo](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/shampoo/) — Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- [Balloon](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/balloon/) — Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- [Deodorant](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/deodorant/) — Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
- [Toothbrush](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/toothbrush/) — Nylon filaments stapled into a polypropylene handle with a wire — three plastics that cannot be separated for recycling.

## Common questions

### What is a Banknote made of?

Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.

### What is the substrate (paper notes) of a Banknote made of?

Cotton fibre with linen or flax; US notes are 75% cotton and 25% linen. Rag fibres are long and strong and, unlike wood pulp, contain no lignin to yellow and embrittle — a note survives folding and a wash cycle.

### What is the substrate (polymer notes) of a Banknote made of?

Biaxially oriented polypropylene film with opacifying layers. It is far more durable and dirt-resistant, lasts two to five times longer, and allows a genuinely clear window that paper cannot.

## Related pages

- [Lego brick](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/lego-brick/)
- [Soap](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/soap/)
- [Toothpaste](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/toothpaste/)
- [Coin](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/coin/)
- [Sunscreen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/sunscreen/)
- [Credit card](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/credit-card/)
- [Candle](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/candle/)
- [Lipstick](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/lipstick/)
- [Pencil](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/)
- [Tennis ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/tennis-ball/)
- [Golf ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/golf-ball/)
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/)
- [Glass](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glass/)
- [Soccer ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/soccer-ball/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)