What is a Playing card made of?
What is a Playing card made of?
Two sheets of paper laminated around a black glue core, then coated in plastic — or solid PVC.
Almost every quality difference between a cheap deck and an expensive one is in the coating and the core rather than the printing. The embossed finish decides how a deck fans and faros, and it wears off, which is why cards go sticky long before they look worn. Casinos use plastic cards or dispose of paper decks after a few hours, and they drill or clip retired decks so they cannot be reintroduced at the table. The standard 63 x 88 mm poker size and 57 x 88 mm bridge size are conventions rather than standards, but they are old enough that every card box and shoe in the world is built to them.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| core | a black or grey adhesive layer between two paper plies | The opaque core is the reason you cannot read a card by holding it up to a light, and it is the definition of "casino stock". |
| faces | bleached paper, printed by offset lithography | Paper takes fine printing far better than plastic and is enormously cheaper for a deck that will be thrown away. |
| coating | plastic varnish, embossed with a linen or cambric texture | The embossed pattern traps a thin air film between cards so they slide over each other, which is what makes a deck shuffle. |
| plastic cards | solid PVC or cellulose acetate | Plastic cards survive being washed, cannot be marked by a fingernail crimp, and last a hundred times longer at ten times the price. |
Other stationery and paper objects
- Pencil Graphite mixed with clay and fired, glued inside two grooved halves of softwood. No lead, ever.
- Paper Cellulose fibres from wood pulp, plus up to a third mineral filler, sizing and brightener.
- Ballpoint pen A tungsten carbide ball a millimetre across, rolling in a brass socket, fed by thick oil-based ink.
- Glitter Aluminium-coated polyester film, colour-coated and chopped into fragments — by definition a microplastic.
- Crayon Paraffin wax with pigment stirred in, poured hot into a mould and cooled. Almost nothing else.
- Cardboard Two flat kraft paper liners glued either side of a fluted paper medium — the flutes do all the work.
- Eraser Either natural rubber with fine abrasive and oil, or plasticised PVC — two different ways of lifting graphite.
- Blackboard chalk Mostly calcium sulfate — plaster of Paris — rather than the calcium carbonate the name suggests.
- Postage stamp Coated paper with phosphor bands, printed in security inks, on either water-activated gum or a self-adhesive.
Common questions
- What is a Playing card made of?
- Two sheets of paper laminated around a black glue core, then coated in plastic — or solid PVC.
- What is the core of a Playing card made of?
- A black or grey adhesive layer between two paper plies. The opaque core is the reason you cannot read a card by holding it up to a light, and it is the definition of "casino stock".
- What is the faces of a Playing card made of?
- Bleached paper, printed by offset lithography. Paper takes fine printing far better than plastic and is enormously cheaper for a deck that will be thrown away.
Related pages
- Pencil Graphite mixed with clay and fired, glued inside two grooved halves of softwood. No lead, ever.
- Paper Cellulose fibres from wood pulp, plus up to a third mineral filler, sizing and brightener.
- Ballpoint pen A tungsten carbide ball a millimetre across, rolling in a brass socket, fed by thick oil-based ink.
- Glitter Aluminium-coated polyester film, colour-coated and chopped into fragments — by definition a microplastic.
- Crayon Paraffin wax with pigment stirred in, poured hot into a mould and cooled. Almost nothing else.
- Cardboard Two flat kraft paper liners glued either side of a fluted paper medium — the flutes do all the work.
- Eraser Either natural rubber with fine abrasive and oil, or plasticised PVC — two different ways of lifting graphite.
- Blackboard chalk Mostly calcium sulfate — plaster of Paris — rather than the calcium carbonate the name suggests.
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Banknote Around the house
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
- Marshmallow Food and drink
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place