The exact dimensions of an MTG card aren’t something you think you need to know; until you need to know. This could be very useful information for several reasons. First, it’s important for buying properly fitting sleeves. Second, it’s must-have information for people who want to print proxies or custom cards. Lastly, knowing the weight of a card for your respective TCG can be helpful when buying or selling bulk cards by weight. With that said, let’s take a look at MTG card size, as well as Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh.
Cards dimensions for standard-sized games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon are 2.5 x 3.5 inches (63.5 × 88.9mm). Yu-Gi-Oh has slightly smaller cards than American “standard-sized” games. They measure in at 2.25 x 3.25 inches (59 x 86mm).
The overall measurements for trading cards are pretty straightforward. However, as mentioned above there are a few other factors to consider when considering the dimensions of your cards. For instance, what size card sleeves you should be using and how to print proxy cards. As well as how to use weight to assist in bulk buying and selling and why Magic card size is considered “standard.” We have the questions to each of these questions and more. So, without further ado, let’s dive into it.
What Size Card Sleeves Should You Buy?
By far the most common reason for curiosity regarding TCG card size comes when buying card sleeves. There are tons of sleeves on the market and most say things like “standard” and/or “perfect fit” which can cause some trepidation for newer players. Let’s put some of those fears to rest.
Magic: The Gathering
For MTG you need standard sleeves, which are 2.5 x 3.5 inches (64 x 89 millimeters) in size. Almost all card sleeves you see in stores will be this size. “Standard” in this sense refers to American-based trading card games. This also includes most sports cards.
However, there are a few exceptions to this. With that said, card sleeves for Magic the Gathering and most other trading/collectible cards are all 2.5 x 3.5 inches.
Related: The Best Card Sleeves For Mtg And Pokemon Cards
The sleeve sizes mentioned above are for outer sleeves, not inner sleeves used when double sleeving. To double sleeve, you will need a pack of card sleeves and a pack of “perfect fit” or inner sleeves. These are smaller and fit inside regular sleeves. Perfect fit dimensions are around 64x89mm.
Pokemon
Pokemon cards are the same as MTG cards. Therefore, Pokemon also uses the standard 2.5 x 3.5 inches (64×89 millimeters) sleeves. Why are Pokemon cards standard-sized despite being of Japanese origin? Because Pokemon cards in the US were originally printed by Wizards of the Coast, which is an American company. Wizards also produce Magic: The Gathering, so they used the same dimensions for both games.
Yu-Gi-Oh
Japanese card games usually have slightly smaller cards. This includes games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Cardfight Vanguard. These smaller cards have sleeves that are 2.4 x 3.5 inches (62 x 89 millimeters) in size.
What Is The Size Of An MTG Card?
Magic: The Gathering cards are:
- 2.5 x 3.5 inches
- 63.5 × 88.9mm
- 768 x 1070 px when printing
What Is The Size Of A Pokemon Card?
Pokemon cards are:
- 2.5 x 3.5 inches
- 63.5 × 88.9mm
- 768 x 1070 px when printing
What Is The Size Of A Yu-Gi-Oh Card?
Yu-Gi-Oh cards are:
- 3.25 x 2.25 inches
- 59 x 86mm
- 2.3′ x 3.38 inches when printing
How Big Is The Art Box On An MTG Card?
The art box of an MTG card is:
- 2.3 x 1.8 inches
- 59 x 45mm
How Big Is The Text Box On An MTG Card?
The text box of an MTG card is:
- 2.3 x 1.28 inches
- 59 × 32.5mm
How Do I Make Proxies?
Another common reason for interest in card size (for any TCG) is for printing proxy cards. “Proxies” are cards that are printed at home and used to represent actual cards for playtesting or casual play. This is a common practice for non-tournament play like EDH and for realistic playtesting of cards before you buy them.
Proxies are a great way to play with cards that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to acquire. This could be due to the price or scarcity of the card. It’s also a great way to avoid wasting money on buying cards just to test with. However, there are a few very important things to keep in mind when making or using proxies.
Related: MTG Proxies: An Ultimate Guide
First, never print cards yourself, and try to pass them off as authentic cards. That is where you get into counterfeiting instead of proxying. Second, be sure to communicate with your playgroup so that everyone is on the same page about using proxies. Lastly, remember that proxies are for casual play/playtesting only and can’t be used in DCI-sanctioned events.
What Are Wizards Of The Coast’s Proxy Rules?
Wizards of the Coast is in a unique position as far as proxy cards go. This is because of the commander format. Commander is an official, supported MTG format. However, there are no sanctioned events for the format, so proxies are something that can be allowed. Furthermore, EDH has many expensive and scarce cards in its card pool which makes proxies very practical. So, let’s take a look at Wizard’s view on proxies in Magic: The Gathering:
Cards used in DCI-sanctioned events must be authentic Magic cards. The only exception is if a card has become damaged during the course of play in a particular event (for instance, a shuffling accident bends a card or a drink gets spilled); in that case a judge may issue a proxy for use only for the duration of that event so the player can continue playing.
Wizards Of The Coast
As stated above, all cards that you use for actual Wizards-sanctioned events must be authentic MTG cards. The quote from above shows Wizard’s wording of this, as well as the 1 exception to the rule.
With that said, Wizards are not opposed to proxies in general, so long as they are used in the ways described above. They explain their position on proxies here:
Wizards of the Coast has no desire to police playtest cards made for personal, non-commercial use, even if that usage takes place in a store. What we really care about is that DCI-sanctioned events use only authentic Magic cards, and that we stop counterfeits.
Wizards Of The Coast
With proxy etiquette out of the way, let’s take a look at how to make them.
Making MTG Proxies
There are quite a few ways to print MTG proxies. Some methods use websites like MTGpress and Deckrealm to generate pre-sized downloads for you. However, there are also easy methods to size them yourself. Let’s take a look at one of the quickest ways to print MTG proxies.
Step 1:
Download or open the photo editor of your choice. For this example, we’ll say gimp.
Step 2:
Search for an image of the card you’d like to proxy. I recommend using Scryfall, but others will work. Once you’ve found the card and version you like, simply save it on your computer.
Step 3:
Open gimp and pull your card image into it. Then resize the photo to these dimensions; width 768 and height 1070. This will give you a printout of the correct size while leaving enough room for you to cut it out.
Step 4:
Here you will have to take the “pencil” feature and fill in the small bit of white/pixilation in each corner if you don’t want it on your final print. Keep in mind that the goal isn’t to be 100% passable prints. Therefore, I would save a minute and leave it. Next, save your image and print it using a color printer.
Step 5:
Cut out the card image. Then put it on top of a basic land card and slid the land and paper card into a sleeve as you usually would.
Making Pokemon Proxies
As mentioned, Pokemon and MTG cards are exactly the same sizes. So, that means that the steps mentioned directly above will work perfectly for Pokemon as well.
To summarize, just search for the pokemon card you want to proxy, on something like pkmncards.com and save it to your computer. Then open the photo editing software of your choice and open the image you saved.
Next, resize the image to a width of 768 and a height 1070. Print the card out using a color printer and then cut it out. Then put the cut-out on top of a basic energy card and sleeve it up.
Making Yu-Gi-Oh Proxies
Yu-Gi-Oh cards can also be printed using the same method. However, the height and width of Yu-Gi-Oh cards will be different. For Yu-Gi-Oh resize your image to a width of 2.3” and a height of 3.38.” Then, all the steps will be identical to Pokemon and MTG. You can put the cut-out in front of any cheap card you wish.
How Much Do Magic Cards Weigh?
A single non-foil MTG card weighs about 1.800 grams. This information can come in handy for a few different reasons.
First, people often sell bulk cards by the pound, and knowing the approximate weight of a single MTG card, you can do the math and tell how many cards are in a lot. Secondly, weighing your bulk is a much faster way to get an idea of how many cards you can fit into a box without counting them all. So, let’s take a look at how much a few different quantities of MTG cards would weigh.
Related: How To Organize Cards In A Binder
| Amount of cards | Weight |
| 256 cards | 1 lb |
| 1,000 cards | 3.91 lb |
| 1,287 cards | 5 lb |
| 5,000 cards | 19.57 lb |
Fun Fact: This means an unsleeved standard MTG deck weighs about 3.80959 ounces. While an unsleeved EDH deck would weigh 6.34931 ounces.
How Much Do Pokemon Cards Weigh?
Non-holographic Pokemon cards weigh between 1.67 and 1.73 grams each. I’m assuming this slight variation is due to a difference in cand stock. Either way, Pokemon cards are ever so slightly lighter than magic cards. This is interesting considering Pokemon and Magic cards are the same. However, holographic pokemon cards weigh approximately 1.91 grams. Which puts them just heavier than regular finish magic cards.
Related: The Best Pokémon Packs And Booster Boxes To Buy In 2022
Here are how much some different quantities of Pokemon cards would weigh.
| Amount of cards | Weight |
| 266 cards | 1 lb |
| 1,000 cards | 3.7 lb |
| 1,330 cards | 5 lb |
| 5,000 cards | 18.7 lb |
How Much Do Yu-Gi-Oh Cards Weigh?
Assuming it is not a foil or holographic card, a single Yu-Gi-Oh card weighs 1.6 grams. This makes it lighter than Pokemon and MTG. Let’s see how the numbers compare when the numbers are scaled up.
| Amount of cards | Weight |
| 283 cards | 1 lb |
| 1,000 cards | 3.5 lb |
| 1,415 cards | 5 lb |
| 5,000 cards | 17.6 lb |
Can You Weigh Booster Packs To Find Foil/Chase Cards?
The short answer is no. The idea behind weighing boosters packs comes from the fact that foil/holo cards are slightly heavier than non-foil/holo cards. So, people hope to be able to detect these differences on a scale and find the packs with the highest number of shiny cards inside. This sounds good and may have worked at some point. However, card companies are smart enough to implement a failsafe to prevent this.
Cards of varying weight (called code cards) are added to booster packs to help offset the difference between packs with fewer foils/holos. For example, “Green cards” (not referring to energy or mana type) are thicker and weigh more to make the weight of the pack closer to what it would be if it contained foils/holos in it.
End Step
The exact dimensions of your trading cards isn’t something that everyone is interested in. However, there are tons of practical applications to knowing the specs of your cards. Furthermore, some people just enjoy nerd knowledge. Regardless of if you’re looking to count cards by weight, print proxies, or make sure you’re buying the correct sleeves, now you know everything there is now about card size. We also have all the numbers you could ever need for Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. So, whatever your TCG of choice is we’ve got you covered.
