---
title: "What is a Playing card made of?"
description: "Two sheets of paper laminated around a black glue core, then coated in plastic — or solid PVC. Every component, the material it uses, and the constraint that made th"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/playing-card/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

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

| 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](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/) — Graphite mixed with clay and fired, glued inside two grooved halves of softwood. No lead, ever.
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/) — Cellulose fibres from wood pulp, plus up to a third mineral filler, sizing and brightener.
- [Ballpoint pen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/ballpoint-pen/) — A tungsten carbide ball a millimetre across, rolling in a brass socket, fed by thick oil-based ink.
- [Glitter](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glitter/) — Aluminium-coated polyester film, colour-coated and chopped into fragments — by definition a microplastic.
- [Crayon](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/crayon/) — Paraffin wax with pigment stirred in, poured hot into a mould and cooled. Almost nothing else.
- [Cardboard](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/cardboard/) — Two flat kraft paper liners glued either side of a fluted paper medium — the flutes do all the work.
- [Eraser](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/eraser/) — Either natural rubber with fine abrasive and oil, or plasticised PVC — two different ways of lifting graphite.
- [Blackboard chalk](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/chalk/) — Mostly calcium sulfate — plaster of Paris — rather than the calcium carbonate the name suggests.
- [Postage stamp](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/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](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/)
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/)
- [Ballpoint pen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/ballpoint-pen/)
- [Glitter](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glitter/)
- [Crayon](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/crayon/)
- [Cardboard](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/cardboard/)
- [Eraser](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/eraser/)
- [Blackboard chalk](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/chalk/)
- [Tennis ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/tennis-ball/)
- [Banknote](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/)
- [Golf ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/golf-ball/)
- [Glass](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glass/)
- [Soccer ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/soccer-ball/)
- [Marshmallow](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/marshmallow/)

## Sources

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