Paper
Business Card Thickness Explained
How thick a business card is in points, inches, millimetres and gsm, from 14 pt to 64 pt, and what each thickness feels like in the hand.
By Austin Terrill, founder of Print Peppermint · Updated 1 October 2026 · 8 min read
A standard business card is 14 to 16 pt thick: 0.014–0.016 inches, or 0.36–0.41 mm, roughly 300–350 gsm. "Pt" here means a thousandth of an inch. Premium cards start at 32 pt (0.032 in, 0.81 mm), a hair thicker than a credit card. 48 pt (1.22 mm) is extra thick, and 64 pt (1.63 mm) is about a coin.
Business card thickness at a glance
- Standard thickness
- 14–16 pt · 0.36–0.41 mm
- A credit card
- 0.76 mm · 0.030 in (≈ 30 pt)
- Where premium starts
- 32 pt · 0.81 mm
- Extra thick
- 48 pt · 1.22 mm
- 1 pt of thickness
- 0.001 in · 0.0254 mm
- Typical weight
- a 16 pt card ≈ 1.6 g
“32 points is where a card stops feeling like paper and starts feeling like an object. It's the one I recommend most.”
Thickness comparison chart
Here's every thickness you'll run into, from text paper to a card that stands up on its edge. Thickness (caliper) is measured in points; weight (gsm) is the paper mill's number. They track each other only roughly, because denser papers weigh more at the same thickness.
| Thickness | Inches | Millimetres | ≈ gsm | ≈ lb cover | Feels like | Ours at this thickness | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 pt | 0.014 | 0.36 | 300 | 110 lb | A good postcard; flexes easily | Standard uncoated | $52 for 100 · ships in 3–4 business days |
| 16 pt | 0.016 | 0.41 | 350 | 130 lb | The everyday standard; a little stiffer | Standard matte, gloss, silk | $52 for 100 · ships in 3–4 business days |
| 18 pt | 0.018 | 0.46 | 400 | 150 lb | Firm single sheet | (not a stock option) | — |
| 20 pt | 0.020 | 0.51 | 450 | — | Dense; laminated cards live here | Standard soft touch | $113 for 100 · ships in 3–4 business days |
| 32 pt | 0.032 | 0.81 | 700 | — | A hair thicker than a credit card; doesn't flex | Standard 32pt uncoated, Layered Black Core triplex, Custom Thick (cotton, silk, soft touch) | $165 for 250 (32 pt uncoated) · ships in 3–4 business days |
| 48 pt | 0.048 | 1.22 | 1,050 | — | Rigid; the edge becomes a surface | Custom Thick 48 pt | $290 for 250 (48 pt silk) · ~3 weeks |
| 64 pt | 0.064 | 1.63 | multi-ply | — | About a coin; a deliberate statement | By request | Get a price |
5 pt (0.005 in, 0.13 mm) is text-weight paper, like a nice letterhead. Copier paper is about 4 pt (0.1 mm).
gsm and lb are approximate for card stocks; mills publish both, and they vary by paper. Prices checked 1 Oct 2026; lead times are estimates after proof approval.
See all thick business cards →
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What does 'pt' mean?
On a business card, "pt" is a measure of thickness: one point is one thousandth of an inch (0.001 in, or 0.0254 mm). A 16 pt card is 0.016 inches thick; a 32 pt card is 0.032 inches, exactly twice as thick. Printers also call this caliper.
Two other measurements get confused with it. A type point is 1/72 of an inch: it's how big your letters are, and it's why a 3.5 × 2 inch card is "252 × 144 pt" in InDesign. Gsm (grams per square metre) is how heavy the paper is, not how thick. So a "16 pt business card", a "16 pt font" and "350 gsm" are three different things, and only the first one is thickness.
| Term | Measures | One unit equals | On a business card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caliper point (pt) | Thickness | 0.001 in · 0.0254 mm | 16 pt standard, 32 pt thick |
| Type point (pt) | Letter size | 1/72 in · 0.353 mm | Contact details are usually 7–9 pt |
| gsm | Paper weight | 1 g per m² | 350 gsm ≈ 16 pt |
See business card size in points.
Business card paper weight: pt, gsm and lb
The standard business card paper weight is about 300–350 gsm, which in the US is roughly 110–130 lb cover stock. That's the 14–16 pt range. Heavier than that, single sheets get hard to cut cleanly, so thick cards are usually made by bonding sheets together: two 16 pt sheets make a 32 pt card (about 700 gsm), three make 48 pt. That bonded build is called duplex or triplex, and the bond line is something you can design with: a coloured middle sheet shows as a stripe around the edge.
14pt vs 16pt (and 16pt vs 18pt)
16 pt is thicker than 14 pt by 0.002 inches (0.05 mm), about 14% more. You notice it more when you flex the card than when you look at it: 14 pt bends under a thumb, 16 pt pushes back. 14 pt cardstock is what many budget printers use as standard; 16 pt is the more common "standard" among better printers, and it's what most of our everyday cards use.
18 pt adds another 0.002 inches (0.46 mm total). It's firmer, but it's still one sheet, so it still flexes. If the reason you're comparing 16 and 18 is that you want the card to feel substantial, skip both and go to 32 pt. That's the jump people actually feel.
How thick is a business card compared with a credit card?
A credit card is 0.76 mm thick (0.030 inches, about 30 pt). That's the best reference most people carry. A standard 16 pt business card is about half as thick. A 32 pt card is a hair thicker than the credit card, so "credit-card thick" is the honest description. A 48 pt card is about one and a half credit cards, and 64 pt is about the thickness of a US penny (1.52 mm) or a one-cent euro coin (1.67 mm).
| Object | Thickness | In pt |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet of copier paper | 0.1 mm | ≈ 4 pt |
| Standard business card | 0.41 mm | 16 pt |
| Credit card (ISO 7810 ID-1) | 0.76 mm | ≈ 30 pt |
| Thick business card | 0.81 mm | 32 pt |
| Extra-thick business card | 1.22 mm | 48 pt |
| US penny | 1.52 mm | ≈ 60 pt |
| 64 pt business card | 1.63 mm | 64 pt |
How much does a business card weigh?
A standard 16 pt (350 gsm) business card weighs about 1.6 grams, so 100 of them weigh about 160 g. A 32 pt card is about 3.2 g, and 48 pt about 4.7 g. For comparison, a plastic credit card weighs about 5 g, and a metal card several times that.
Which thickness is right for you?
Here's how I'd decide. I always start with the full version and scale back, so here are three honest options and the one I'd pick.
16 pt: the everyday card.
Right for high-volume handouts, events, and anything you'll reorder often. It prints sharp and ships fast. It won't feel special, and it isn't trying to.
16 pt cards from $52 for 100Austin's pick
32 pt: where premium starts.
About a credit card. It doesn't flex, and a painted edge reads as a clear line. On cotton built from two bonded sheets, letterpress or a deboss can go deep without showing through on the back. If you upgrade one thing on your card, make it this.
thick business cards from $165 for 25048 pt: the statement.
Dramatic. The edge becomes a surface you can paint or gild. Very impressive, but honestly a little hard to stick in somebody's wallet, and some people find it a bit much. Worth it when the card is the brand.
Our letterpress business cards are 48 pt cotton as standard (32 pt is also orderable).
48 pt on Custom ThickThe best thickness for most business cards is 32 pt. Go to 16 pt for volume, 48 pt for a statement.
How thickness affects finishing options
Thickness changes what a finish can do, but it's rarely the thing that rules a finish out. The surface of the paper usually decides that. Here's what actually changes.
| Finish | Thinnest that works | What extra thickness buys you | What thickness can't fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letterpress | 16 pt uncoated or cotton | At 32 pt (two bonded sheets) the bite can go deep with no ghost on the back. Our letterpress business cards are 48 pt cotton as standard, with 32 pt also orderable | Needs soft, uncoated paper: no letterpress on soft touch, silk or plastic at any thickness |
| Emboss / deboss | 16 pt uncoated or cotton | A single sheet always shows a mirror image on the back; 32 pt duplex hides it. Depth up to about 1 mm on a thick card | No impression on laminated (soft touch, silk) stock |
| Hot foil | Any thickness | Below about 30 pt, foil on both sides of one sheet can press through, so we check it or bond two sheets | Gradients become one solid tone at any thickness |
| Spot UV | Any thickness, cotton included | Nothing: spot UV is about the surface | — |
| Painted edge | Any thickness, even single sheets | 16 pt shows a hairline, 32 pt a clear line, 48 pt a band of colour | — |
| Gilded (foil) edge | 32 pt in practice; 48 pt for a strong gleam | A wider, brighter metal edge | Works with square or rounded corners. On cotton, our production team confirms it first |
Combining several finishes (say foil, a deboss and a painted edge) is where 32 pt and up earns its money. Each process has room to work, and the back stays clean.
- letterpress
- embossing and debossing
- foil stamping
- spot UV
- edge painting vs edge foil
- painted edge business cards
- letterpress business cards
The thickness mistake I see most
How thick are plastic and metal business cards?
Plastic business cards come in two thicknesses here: our Essential plastic cards are 20 pt (about 0.5 mm), and our Custom plastic cards are 30 pt (about 0.76 mm), the same as a credit card. Metal cards work the other way round from paper: what you notice in the hand is the weight, because steel is dense, not the thickness.
plastic business cards · metal business cards
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Thick business cards, from $165 →
Setting up your file
- Designing for painted edges: caliper and color
- Combining edges with foil, letterpress and cuts
- Business card size and bleed
Business card thickness questions
How thick is a standard business card?
A standard business card is 14 to 16 pt thick: 0.014 to 0.016 inches, or 0.36 to 0.41 mm. That's roughly 300 to 350 gsm paper. Thick or premium cards start at 32 pt (0.032 in, 0.81 mm), which is a little thicker than a credit card.
What does pt mean for business cards?
On a business card, pt (point) measures thickness: 1 pt is 0.001 inch, or 0.0254 mm. A 16 pt card is 0.016 inches thick and a 32 pt card is 0.032 inches. It isn't the same as a font point (1/72 inch) or as gsm, which measures the paper's weight.
Is 14pt or 16pt thicker?
16 pt is thicker. It's 0.016 inches (0.41 mm) against 0.014 inches (0.36 mm), about 14% more, and it flexes noticeably less. 14 pt cardstock is a budget standard; 16 pt is the common standard among better printers. 18 pt (0.46 mm) is firmer again, but if you want a card that feels substantial, the real jump is to 32 pt.
What paper weight is used for business cards?
Most business cards are printed on 300 to 350 gsm paper, roughly 110 to 130 lb cover in US terms, which is 14 to 16 pt thick. Thick cards are made by bonding sheets: two 350 gsm sheets make a 32 pt card of about 700 gsm.
Is a 32pt business card as thick as a credit card?
Almost exactly. A credit card is 0.76 mm (0.030 in) thick and a 32 pt card is 0.81 mm (0.032 in), so the business card is a hair thicker. A 48 pt card is 1.22 mm, about one and a half credit cards.
How much does a business card weigh?
About 1.6 grams for a standard 16 pt (350 gsm) card, so 100 cards weigh about 160 g. A 32 pt card weighs about 3.2 g and a 48 pt card about 4.7 g. A plastic credit card is about 5 g.
What is the best thickness for business cards?
For most people, 32 pt. It's about the thickness of a credit card and doesn't bend. A painted edge shows as a clear line, and on two-ply cotton a letterpress bite or a deboss stays off the back. Choose 16 pt for high-volume handouts and 48 pt when the card itself is the statement.
Do letterpress and embossing need thick paper?
They need soft, uncoated paper more than thickness: they work from 16 pt cotton or uncoated stock. On a single sheet, though, the impression shows as a mirror image on the back. A 32 pt card built from two bonded sheets keeps the back clean, which is why we usually recommend it. Our letterpress business cards are 48 pt cotton as standard, and 32 pt is also orderable. Laminated stock such as soft touch can't be letterpressed or embossed at any thickness.
Can thin business cards have painted edges?
Yes. Edge paint works at any thickness, because the stack is clamped and painted as one surface. Thickness only changes how bold it looks: a hairline on 16 pt, a clear line on 32 pt, a band of colour on 48 pt. Gilded (foil) edges are different: they work best from 32 pt up, with square or rounded corners.
Will a 48pt business card fit in a wallet or cardholder?
It fits, but it takes the room of about three standard cards, so fewer fit in a holder. That's the trade-off with 48 pt: it makes a strong first impression and is less convenient to carry. 32 pt is the balance most people prefer.
How thick are plastic business cards?
Our Essential plastic cards are 20 pt (about 0.5 mm) and our Custom plastic cards are 30 pt (about 0.76 mm), the same thickness as a credit card.