---
title: "What is a Dice made of?"
description: "Cheap dice are injection-moulded plastic with painted pips; casino dice are machined cellulose acetate with density-matched fill. Every component, the material it us"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/dice/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is a Dice made of?

**What is a Dice made of?: Cheap dice are injection-moulded plastic with painted pips; casino dice are machined cellulose acetate with density-matched fill.**

The difference between a casino die and a board game die is a factor of a hundred in precision and it is entirely about fairness. Casino dice are transparent so that a slug of metal cannot be hidden inside, machined true within thousandths of an inch, serial-numbered, and retired after a few hours of play because wear rounds the edges. Ordinary moulded dice are measurably biased — the drilled-and-unfilled pips alone put slightly more mass on the one face than the six. Cellulose acetate also degrades with age, releasing acetic acid and crumbling, which is why decades-old dice smell faintly of vinegar and eventually crack.

## Component by component

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

| Part | Material | Why that material |
| --- | --- | --- |
| casino dice body | cellulose acetate, cast in sheets and sawn to size | It can be cut to a tolerance of about a thousandth of an inch and is transparent, so any inserted weight would be visible. |
| casino pips | drilled holes filled with paint of the same density as the body | Flush, equal-density pips keep the centre of mass exactly at the centre — a hollowed pip on one face biases the roll. |
| consumer dice | injection-moulded ABS or polyester resin with painted or moulded pips | Moulding is fast and cheap, but shrinkage and the gate mark mean the faces are not identical to any useful precision. |
| finish | sharp-edged (razor) for casinos, rounded for everything else | Sharp edges stop dice rolling too far and make them tumble unpredictably; rounded ones roll further and wear evenly. |

## 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.
- [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.

## Common questions

### What is a Dice made of?

Cheap dice are injection-moulded plastic with painted pips; casino dice are machined cellulose acetate with density-matched fill.

### What is the casino dice body of a Dice made of?

Cellulose acetate, cast in sheets and sawn to size. It can be cut to a tolerance of about a thousandth of an inch and is transparent, so any inserted weight would be visible.

### What is the casino pips of a Dice made of?

Drilled holes filled with paint of the same density as the body. Flush, equal-density pips keep the centre of mass exactly at the centre — a hollowed pip on one face biases the roll.

## 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/)
- [Credit card](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/credit-card/)
- [Candle](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/candle/)
- [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/)