---
title: "What is a Credit card made of?"
description: "Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil. Every component, the material it uses, and the constraint that made t"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/credit-card/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

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

| 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](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/) — Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- [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.
- [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 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](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/)
- [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/)
- [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

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)