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Card Knowledge

What size are trading cards?

A blank trading card with a measuring tape curved around it on a white surface

Quick answer

Standard trading cards are 2.5 x 3.5 inches (63 x 88 mm) - the shared size of baseball cards, Pokemon cards, and Magic: The Gathering cards. Thickness varies from about 12pt for older cards to 16pt+ for premium modern stock, and sleeves and top loaders are all built around this standard.

Key takeaways

  • ✓The universal standard is 2.5 x 3.5 inches (63 x 88 mm) - baseball, basketball, football, Pokemon, MTG, and Yu-Gi-Oh (slightly smaller at 59 x 86 mm) all cluster around it.
  • ✓Thickness is measured in points (pt): 1pt = 0.001 inch. Vintage cards run ~12pt, modern premium stock 16-20pt, thick relic cards up to 130pt.
  • ✓Sleeves, top loaders, binders, and grading slabs are all designed around the 2.5 x 3.5 standard - print custom cards at this size and every accessory just works.
  • ✓Oversized formats exist for display: 5x7 box toppers and poster-size prints like Snapshot's 11 x 15.4 inch MEGA card.
  • ✓For printing, cards are designed with a small bleed beyond the final trim so color runs edge to edge after die cutting.

The standard, and who follows it

Nearly every card you have ever held is 2.5 x 3.5 inches: Topps and Panini sports cards, Pokemon, and Magic: The Gathering all print at 63 x 88 mm. Yu-Gi-Oh runs slightly smaller at 59 x 86 mm - which is why it uses its own sleeve size - and vintage tobacco-era cards were smaller still.

The standard survives because the ecosystem is built on it: penny sleeves, top loaders, nine-pocket binder pages, deck boxes, and grading slabs all assume 2.5 x 3.5. Print a custom card at standard size and it drops into any of them.

Thickness: the spec people forget

Card thickness is measured in points - thousandths of an inch. A 1950s Topps card is around 12pt; modern base cards run 14-16pt; premium and slabbed-style cards go thicker. Thickness is most of what separates a card that feels real from a home-printed one: printer paper is roughly 4pt, a third of a real card.

Snapshot prints on premium 16pt coated stock - the weight of a modern retail card - which is why custom cards sleeve and shuffle like the ones from a pack.

Bigger formats for display

Beyond the standard, collectors know 5x7 box toppers and jumbo promo cards. For wall display, Snapshot prints the MEGA card at 11 x 15.4 inches - the same card design at poster scale, popular for senior nights and bedroom walls. For everything meant to be held, sleeved, or traded, stay standard.

The Snapshot Team|Custom card printing specialists - thousands of cards designed and printed in the USA|Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

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More questions

How big is a baseball card?

2.5 x 3.5 inches (63 x 88 mm) - the standard since the late 1950s. Vintage pre-1957 cards were slightly smaller.

Are Pokemon and MTG cards the same size as sports cards?

Yes - both print at 63 x 88 mm, the same 2.5 x 3.5 inch standard, so they share sleeves and top loaders with sports cards.

What size are Yu-Gi-Oh cards?

Slightly smaller: 59 x 86 mm. They need small-size (Japanese-size) sleeves rather than standard sleeves.

What thickness should a custom card be?

14-16pt feels like a modern retail card. Snapshot prints at premium 16pt so cards hold up to shuffling and sleeve normally.

What size should I design a card for printing?

Design at 2.5 x 3.5 inches with a small bleed (about 1/8 inch) beyond the trim so color reaches the cut edge. Online makers like Snapshot handle the bleed automatically.

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