Card games are one of the few packaging categories where two of the three dimensions are already decided for you. Card formats are standardised across the industry, so the only variable you have to measure is the thickness of the deck, and whether it will be sleeved.
Standard card formats
| Format | Card size | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Poker | 2.5 x 3.5 in (63.5 x 88.9 mm) | The default for most card games and standard decks |
| Bridge | 2.25 x 3.5 in (57 x 88.9 mm) | Narrower, for games where a large hand is held at once |
| Tarot | About 70 x 120 mm | Tarot and oracle decks, and some larger-art games |
| Mini or euro | About 44 x 68 mm | Small component decks inside a larger board game |
These are published card standards, not iBox Factory box sizes. The box that goes around them is yours to specify.
The variable you have to measure: deck thickness
Two decks of the same card count can differ noticeably in thickness because stock weight, core type and finish all change caliper. Linen finishes and black-core stocks run thicker than a thin uncoated stock at the same count. So do not calculate the thickness, measure it, on a printed sample of the stock you are actually buying. Stand the deck on a flat surface, square it, and take the height at the middle of the stack rather than at an edge.
Sleeves change everything
If your game has a player base that sleeves cards, and most hobby card games do, the deck grows in every direction. Sleeved decks are wider, taller and considerably thicker than bare ones. You then have a real decision to make:
- Size to bare cards for the tightest, most premium-feeling tuck box, and accept that sleeved players will store the deck elsewhere.
- Size to sleeved cards so the original box stays in use, at the cost of bare cards rattling slightly in the box on the shelf.
- Add a card spacer inside a sleeved-size box so it presents tightly when unsleeved and still fits when sleeved. This is the version most players appreciate.
Box construction for decks
A tuck box is the standard, and the detail that separates a good one is the tuck itself. A friction-fit tuck with a well-proportioned dust flap holds closed through hundreds of openings. A tuck that is slightly too shallow pops open in a bag by the second week. If the deck is premium, a two-piece rigid box or a magnetic-closure box takes the price point up, at the cost of shelf depth and shipping volume. For a game with multiple decks plus tokens, a tray and lid with compartments beats separate tuck boxes rattling in a larger carton.
Finish choices that matter here
Card boxes get handled constantly, so scuffing is the thing to design against. A laminate adds abrasion resistance, and the matte versus gloss decision changes how visible the wear is. Spot UV and foil read well on a small tuck box because the whole panel is in the hand at once. The digital proof goes out before anything prints, which is the point at which to check that the spine copy sits where you expect after folding.
Ordering
Minimum order is 100 boxes, and pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof are included, so a tuck cut to your exact measured deck thickness costs no more to tool than a generic one. We make in West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China, with turnaround quoted per product in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 for delivery.
Order at playing card boxes. If you want to check how the tuck and dust flaps appear on the flat artwork before approving, see what a dust flap is.
Measure your printed deck, decide the sleeve question, and send both through the quote form. We will come back with an internal dimension and a written price.
