What is a Credit card made of?
What is a Credit card made of?
Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
The dimensions — 85.60 by 53.98 mm and 0.76 mm thick — are fixed by ISO/IEC 7810 as format ID-1, which is why every wallet, card reader and vending machine slot in the world interoperates. The digits are not random either: ISO/IEC 7812 assigns the first digits to the issuing scheme, and the final digit is a check digit computed with the Luhn algorithm, so a typo is usually caught before the transaction is ever attempted. Several issuers have moved to recycled PVC or PLA card bodies, and metal cards are typically a stainless steel or brass core with the chip and antenna laminated into a plastic layer.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| body | several printed PVC or PVC-acetate sheets laminated under heat to 0.76 mm | PVC is dimensionally stable, prints sharply and laminates into a card that flexes thousands of times without delaminating. |
| chip module | a silicon die in epoxy under gold-plated contact pads | The chip performs cryptography the magnetic stripe could not, which is what killed counterfeit-by-copying. |
| contactless antenna | a loop of fine copper wire embedded in the card body | The reader powers the chip by induction through that loop, so a contactless card needs no battery. |
| magnetic stripe | iron oxide or barium ferrite particles in a resin binder | Two coercivity grades exist; high-coercivity stripes resist stray magnets, which is why modern cards survive phone cases. |
| signature panel and hologram | printed panel and an embossed foil optical device | Both are anti-tamper features from the pre-chip era, and both are now being quietly dropped. |
Other around the house objects
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- 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 UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Shampoo Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- Balloon Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- Deodorant Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
- Toothbrush Nylon filaments stapled into a polypropylene handle with a wire — three plastics that cannot be separated for recycling.
Common questions
- What is a Credit card made of?
- Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- What is the body of a Credit card made of?
- Several printed PVC or PVC-acetate sheets laminated under heat to 0.76 mm. PVC is dimensionally stable, prints sharply and laminates into a card that flexes thousands of times without delaminating.
- What is the chip module of a Credit card made of?
- A silicon die in epoxy under gold-plated contact pads. The chip performs cryptography the magnetic stripe could not, which is what killed counterfeit-by-copying.
Related pages
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- 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 UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place