Playing Card Size: Card, Deck and Box Are Three Different Numbers

The standard playing card size is 2.5 × 3.5 inches (63.5 × 88.9 mm), called poker size. The other common size is bridge size, 2.25 × 3.5 inches (57.15 × 88.9 mm): the same height, a quarter inch narrower. Real cards differ from these by a few millimeters, depending on the brand. If you are making a deck, or a custom box for one, keep three numbers apart: the size of one card, the thickness of the whole deck, and the inside size of the box.

Poker Size vs Bridge Size

Poker size is the wide card and bridge size is the narrow one, but both are the same height.

	Poker size (wide)	Bridge size (narrow)
Nominal size	2.5 × 3.5 in (63.5 × 88.9 mm)	2.25 × 3.5 in (57.15 × 88.9 mm)
A maker’s own listing	Copag Elite: 2 1/2 × 3 7/16 in	KEM: 3.5 in high × 2.25 in wide
Cartamundi, per Wikipedia	88 × 63 mm	87 × 56 mm
Widths in one measured sample	62.44 to 63.54 mm	56.98 to 58.25 mm

Sources: KEM’s bridge size listing and Copag’s Elite listing on Cardtopia, a store that lists KEM and Copag among its own brands; the Wikipedia table of card sizes; and the measured sample described below.

When to choose bridge size. KEM’s listing says bridge cards suit any game where a player holds a lot of cards, such as Canasta. Wikipedia gives the same reason: narrower cards let players handle the larger hands that games like bridge need.

When to choose poker size. Faded Spade, a playing card seller, says the wider card gives more room for the index and the design, and that home game players usually pick it. It adds that bridge size suits automatic shufflers and games where each player holds four cards. It calls the choice a matter of personal preference.

For a custom deck, the choice also fixes the box, because a box made for poker cards is about a quarter inch too wide for bridge cards.

How Much Brands Differ

There is no formal rule that makers must match these sizes exactly, as Wikipedia notes, and its table lists Cartamundi’s poker card at 88 × 63 mm and its bridge card at 87 × 56 mm. In Germany, Ravensburger and ASS Altenburger poker packs measure 92 × 59 mm.

Copag lists its Elite poker deck at 3 7/16 inches tall, which is 87.3 mm rather than the nominal 88.9 mm.

The best measured data we found comes from Home Poker Tourney, a poker hobby site, whose playing card review table, archived in January 2015, lists 97 measured decks. Leaving out one row with an obvious typo and one unusually large deck, the cards ran from 87.50 to 89.50 mm long, about 2 mm between the shortest and the longest. These decks were measured before 2015, so today’s versions may differ.

The lesson for a custom box is to measure the cards you will actually pack, rather than sizing the box from the nominal number alone.

How Thick Is a Playing Card, and a Deck?

The same table measured each stack of 52 cards: the thinnest was 12.72 mm and the thickest was 17.60 mm. Divided by 52, that is about 0.24 to 0.34 mm per card.

Deck, as measured before 2015	Size (mm)	Stack of 52 cards
Aviator (poker)	88.00 × 63.25	12.72 mm
Bicycle 808 (poker)	88.25 × 63.25	15.15 mm
KEM Arrow (bridge)	89.10 × 57.30	15.80 mm
Modiano Poker Index (poker)	88.00 × 63.10	17.60 mm

So a deck of 52 cards can differ by almost 5 mm from one brand to another. Home Poker Tourney’s table covers both paper and plastic decks.

GSM is not thickness. GSM is the weight of one square meter of the stock, and two stocks with the same gsm can differ in thickness, so a gsm figure cannot tell you how deep a box must be. Our guide to what card stock is explains gsm, pounds and points, but for a box, measure the finished deck.

How to Size a Box From Your Deck

A box is sized from the deck, not from the card size alone, so here is the order to work in.

1. Count every piece that goes in. Many decks hold more than 52 cards. Copag’s Elite deck has 52 cards, 2 jokers and 1 guarantee card, so 55 pieces. KEM’s Arrow bridge decks include two jokers. Add any rule card, ad card or booklet.
2. Measure the stack. Square the finished deck and measure its thickness. If your cards are in sleeves, measure them sleeved, since sleeves add size and thickness.
3. Measure the card’s face, using your real cards rather than the nominal size.
4. Add any insert. A tray or divider takes up room inside the box.
5. Add a small clearance, since the cards need room to slide in and out, and confirm it on a sample with the real deck.

The inside of the box is the stack, plus any insert, plus that clearance, while the outside is larger by the board’s thickness, which depends on the stock you choose.

A worked example. Take the Bicycle 808 deck from the table, measured at 15.15 mm for 52 cards, or about 0.29 mm per card. Add 2 jokers and that is 54 cards, about 15.7 mm. If you allow 1 mm of clearance, the inside depth is about 16.7 mm, or 0.66 in. The 1 mm is only for the example, and your own clearance is set on a sample.

Why one published box size cannot fit every deck. One online packaging guide gives a poker tuck box depth of 0.75 inch, which is 19.05 mm, and another gives a deck as 0.75 inch thick. Here is how much empty space that leaves above 54 cards from the table:

Deck (54 cards)	Stack	Empty space in a 0.75 in box
Aviator	13.2 mm	5.8 mm
Bicycle 808	15.7 mm	3.3 mm
Modiano Poker Index	18.3 mm	0.8 mm

The same box leaves almost 6 mm spare for one deck and under 1 mm for another. That is why the box depth has to come from your deck count, your card stock, any insert and the clearance you choose.

Tarot and UNO: Decks That Change the Box

Tarot cards. Tarot is not one size either, and U.S. Games Systems sells its classic tarot deck in several sizes, including these three. The standard edition measures 2.75 × 4.75 inches. The pocket edition measures 2.25 × 3.5 inches, the same face as a bridge card, and the giant edition measures 4 × 6.5 inches, with 78 cards listed on its page. A tarot box therefore needs its own length and width, not a deeper poker box.

UNO cards. Mattel does not list a card size on the UNO pages we read, but it does list the count, and that depends on the edition. The Classic UNO tin comes with 112 cards, while the UNO Retro Edition has 108, so for a box or a holder, measure the edition you have.

Trading Cards, Bleed and Print Files

Sports trading cards are also 2.5 × 3.5 inches. Our baseball card dimensions guide covers them, with the difference between the trim size and the bleed, and the pixel sizes for a print file. For collectible card games, we did not find a size published by Wizards of the Coast for Magic cards, so check your game’s own specs or measure a card.

Custom Boxes Sized to Your Deck

Custom Boxes Deals makes custom playing card boxes to your deck’s size: a snug depth for one deck, more depth for a set of decks, and a different footprint for tarot. Choose a playing card tuck box for a single deck, or a two piece playing card box with a separate lid and an optional insert.

The box is cut to your product’s dimensions, so movement inside it is controlled. An insert holds the product in one position rather than letting it shift in transit. Before you approve production, you see a free 3D mockup of your box. Before bulk production begins, we send a real product video of the packaging for approval. Printing is CMYK, Pantone or PMS, or unprinted.

To get started, send us the card size, the number of cards and the stack thickness you measured.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard playing card size?

Poker size, 2.5 × 3.5 inches (63.5 × 88.9 mm). Bridge size, 2.25 × 3.5 inches, is the other common size.

What is the difference between poker size and bridge size cards?

In their nominal sizes, only the width. Bridge cards are a quarter inch narrower, which makes a big hand easier to hold, and the height is the same.

How thick is a deck of cards?

It depends on the brand. One measured sample put a stack of 52 cards at 12.72 to 17.60 mm, about 0.24 to 0.34 mm per card. Jokers and extra cards add to it.

How big should the box for a deck of cards be?

Measure your deck. The inside of the box is the card face and the stack, plus any insert, plus a small clearance checked on a sample. One published box depth will not fit every deck.

Is gsm the same as card thickness?

No. GSM is weight per square meter. Two stocks with the same gsm can differ in thickness.

How many cards are in an UNO deck?

It depends on the edition. Mattel lists the Classic UNO tin with 112 cards and the UNO Retro Edition with 108.

Are tarot cards bigger than playing cards?

It depends on the edition. U.S. Games lists its standard tarot deck at 2.75 × 4.75 inches, larger than a poker card, but its pocket edition is 2.25 × 3.5 inches, the size of a bridge card.