Card Sleeves

Custom Card Sleeves: Measure Finished Stack, Not Single Card

A sleeve for one promotional card is a very different structure from packaging made for a 60-card deck. Length and width are only the starting measurements. Once several cards are stacked together, their combined thickness determines the depth of the sleeve and how easily the pack slides in and out.

For trading cards, playing cards and collectable sets, we normally need the finished stack dimensions rather than the dimensions of a single card. This gives the sleeve enough clearance without leaving the deck loose inside.

Standard Card Sizes Give Us a Starting Point

Trading card formats are surprisingly consistent, which makes standard dimensions useful when planning packaging. Pokémon cards and Magic: The Gathering cards, for example, are generally around 63 × 88 mm. Yu-Gi-Oh! cards use a smaller format.

That does not mean a 63 × 88 mm card needs a sleeve with exactly those dimensions. Board thickness, the number of cards and whether the cards already have protective sleeves all change the final specification.

Common Card Sizes for Custom Sleeves

Card sleeves can be produced to suit standard trading cards, playing cards, collectable cards and other formats. The table below shows common card dimensions that can be used when specifying your packaging.

Already Using Protective Sleeves? Measure Again

This is particularly relevant to the TCG market. A bare deck and a deck fitted with card protector sleeves do not occupy the same space. Double sleeved cards add still more thickness.

If you’re developing packaging for Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece or custom MTG card sets, tell us how the cards will actually be supplied to the customer. Packaging a protected deck using measurements taken from bare cards can result in an unnecessarily tight fit.

Card Packaging Sleeves with Partly Open Ends

Unlike a conventional tuck carton, a card packaging sleeve can leave one or both ends exposed depending on the structure. This makes the pack easy to access and reduces the amount of material required. It also means a sleeve is not automatically the right format where full enclosure is essential.

For boxed card games, the sleeve can instead wrap around an existing deck box. This gives brands another printable surface for limited editions, promotional bundles or retailer-specific artwork without redesigning the primary box.

Printing Turns a Plain Deck Into a Retail Product

The flat surfaces of a sleeve provide useful space for artwork. Game titles, logos, character artwork, instructions, barcodes and age information can all be incorporated into the layout where required.

Branded card sleeves can also differentiate expansion sets or editions through changes in artwork while retaining the same structural specification.

For collectible products, accurate artwork positioning matters. Important graphics should stay clear of folds, glue areas and exposed edges when the sleeve is assembled. Our dieline guidelines explain how artwork should be prepared around structural cut and fold lines.

Card Packaging Board by Product and Channel

A lightweight promotional card does not need the same board specification as a thick collectable deck. Folding paperboard is suitable for many retail applications because it provides a clean printable surface without making a small pack unnecessarily bulky. Kraft and other fibre-based board options can also be considered where their appearance suits the brand.

If sustainability is part of the brief, we can discuss recyclable fibre-based specifications and responsibly sourced materials where available and appropriate. Environmental claims should always relate to the actual material supplied rather than the appearance of the board alone.

From Prototype Decks to Repeat Wholesale Runs

Card products often evolve. A publisher might begin with one deck and later introduce expansion packs, alternative artwork or additional card counts. Keeping the underlying packaging dimensions documented makes repeat ordering easier while still allowing the graphics to change.

Healey Packaging produces custom card sleeves for game publishers, retailers, promotional companies, card brands and packaging resellers across the UK.

Having supported thousands of packaging and print projects, we can help with dielines, material selection, prototypes, printing methods and bulk card sleeve packaging. The specification is built around the cards you actually sell rather than forcing the product into a generic sleeve template.