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Pokémon card size and weight explained

We break down the exact dimensions of a Pokémon card to show why size matters - and why weighing Pokémon TCG packs isn't worth it in 2025.

Pokemon card size and dimensions - Wargamer photo showing a ruler measuring a Simisear VSTAR Pokemon card, overlaid on a photo of other Pokemon TCG cards

What’s the official size of Pokémon cards? It might seem a boring question – they’re just Pokémon card sized, right? But knowing the correct dimensions for standard and jumbo Pokémon cards can come in useful for spotting fakes, avoiding cheaters, and buying sleeves and binders to protect your collection. Pokémon pack weight is also a big question for fans – can weighing packs help you pull rares? All will be revealed in our complete, fully tested guide.

If you’re getting into Pokémon card collecting and want more expert advice, you should also check out our list of all Pokémon sets ever released – and catch up on the newest Pokemon set for the latest cards.

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a full art Simisear card with a Lego ruler measuring its length

What size are Pokémon cards?

Standard Pokémon cards (those found in booster packs) have had the exact same dimensions since 1996: they measure 2.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall, with a thickness between 0.01 and 0.03 inches.

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a full art Simisear card with a lego ruler measuring its width

In metric measurements for our British and European friends, that’s 63 millimeters wide and 88 millimeters tall, and between 0.25 and 0.76 millimeters thick.

These are the same dimensions as traditional playing cards from a 52-card deck. It’s also the official MTG card size, and it’s a shared standard across most other modern trading card games too. But hang on; what about those extra large Pokémon cards you sometimes see? Well…

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a size comparison between jumbo and standard Pokemon cards

What are jumbo Pokémon cards?

Jumbo Pokémon cards – sometimes known as large or oversized cards – are promotional collectables intended for display purposes, and are popular among collectors. They’re not unique new Pokémon cards in themselves, though – just limited, larger versions of pre-existing cards.

There are two size variants depending on the year of release. Jumbo Pokémon cards printed since 2020 measure 5.37 inches wide by 7.37 inches tall – that’s 136 millimeters by 187 millimeters.

Those printed between 2000 and 2020 are a little larger and narrower, at 5.7 inches by 7.87 inches, or 145 millimeters by 200 millimeters in metric.

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a size comparison between two sizes of jumbo Pokemon cards

Unlike the regular size versions you’ll find in all the best Pokemon packs, jumbo cards aren’t widely available – they’re typically handed out as prizes at events, or included as a promotional extra in bundle products like the jumbo Miraidon ex or Koraidon ex you get in the Paldea Collection box.

Some retailers also offer standalone jumbo cards as a bonus if you spend over a certain amount. For instance, when the Scarlet and Violet base set released in March 2023, UK videogame store GAME offered a Koraidon jumbo card for sales above £15.00 ($18.48).

It’s also important to note that jumbo cards are not allowed to be used in official tournaments (for obvious reasons) .

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a Leafeon V-star card being weighed

How much do Pokémon cards weigh?

Standard size Pokémon cards weigh between 1.8 and 2 grams. On average, holographic and Special Art Rare cards – almost always among the more valuable and rare Pokémon cards in each set – weigh slightly more than common cards, according to the testing I’ve done.

I weighed a few standard size Pokémon TCG cards of different types and rarities from the Crown Zenith set, and (based on this small sample), the more desirable holo and art cards do weigh more than your average common.

Pokémon card Weight in grams
Full Art Pikachu 2
Leafeon V-Star 1.99
Zarude Holographic 1.99
Cherubi Reverse Holographic 1.85
Common Scyther 1.81

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a reverse holo Cherubi card being weighed

How much do Pokémon booster packs weigh?

On average Pokémon booster packs weigh between 22.4 and 22.8 grams. Booster weight will vary depending on the set, but different boosters from the same set weigh almost exactly the same, within a variance of just 0.1 grams.

To test this, I weighed 10 standard booster packs from the 2023 Paradox Rift set, with the following results:

Booster pack number Weight in grams
1 22.60
2 22.55
3 22.60
4 22.60
5 22.60
6 22.60
7 22.65
8 22.65
9 22.55
10 22.65

The difference in weight between the heaviest and lightest pack was 0.1 grams.

Are heavier Pokémon packs better?

Weighed card by card, holo and full art cards are heavier – so does that mean you should weigh booster packs before buying them, to have better odds of pulling valuable rares? Is the fabled heavy pack a real thing?

In a word, no – weighing Pokémon packs is not a reliable way to increase your chances of getting better cards. At least, not if they’re boosters manufactured after 2011.

This is because, since late 2011, each booster has contained one card printed with a code to redeem cards on the game’s digital version (originally Pokemon TCG Online, now Pokemon TCG Live) and these cards are deliberately manufactured with a range of random weights, making it impossible to guess the presence of rarer cards by pack weight.

It’s theoretically possible that, if you were to weigh literally thousands of packs to choose your heavy favorites, and bought hundreds of them, you might get a slightly higher pull rate of rare cards than if you bought the same number of random packs – but I don’t recommend it, for two main reasons:

  1. Most game stores don’t permit you to weigh individual booster packs before buying them – mostly because it takes a long time and holds up the line. Asking to weigh their entire stock will not go down well.
  2. It’s not fun. Nobody likes opening up a pack and finding duplicate commons instead of cool shinies – but the thrill of the chase is part of the hobby. You’ll have a better time if you embrace the randomness.

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a jumble of different Pokemon cards laid on a table, including a Zapdos Ex

Why does Pokémon card size matter?

Now we’ve run the numbers, let’s address the Donphan in the room, shall we: why does Pokémon card size or weight matter enough for us to bother talking about?

For some incurable hobby nerds (like us), knowing these kinds of facts and figures is worthwhile for its own sake – but there are a few more practical reasons why Pokémon cards have standard sizes and weights, and why it pays to commit the stats to memory.

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a full art Pikachu card being weighed

It helps identify counterfeit Pokémon cards

Seriously rare items, like first edition Pokémon cards or the elusive Shadowless Pokémon cards, can be worth many thousands of dollars, so, as a collector, it’s vital to be able to tell the real deal from a worthless impostor. When it comes to spotting fakes, one of the first tests to do is to ensure the card is exactly the right size, and the same weight as an authentic copy. For that, you gotta know the numbers to hit!

For more guidance on avoiding counterfeits, read our guide to identifying fake Pokémon cards.

It helps prevents cheating at tournaments

A standard card size makes it easier and quicker for tournament organizers to ensure no players are cheating by using differently sized or counterfeit cards. Imagine if your most powerful cards were slightly bigger – you’d know exactly where they were in your deck and have an unfair advantage.

Pokemon card size and weight guide - Wargamer photo showing a holo Zarude card being weighed

It helps with storing and displaying cards

A standard size also allows consistency when displaying and protecting your cards. If card sizes varied, protecting your beloved cards would be a minefield, as you’d need a whole array of different-sized folders, card sleeves, and deck boxes to accommodate them all. A standard size keeps things simpler.

And that’s all you need to know about Pokémon card size and weight! For more Pokémon TCG goodness, check out our guides to the strongest and best Pokémon cards in the game and our complete breakdown of all the Pokémon card types.

Plus, if you need a refresher on all the mons in the game these days, read our explainer for that eternal question: how many Pokémon are there?