Pokémon card size and weight explained

Have you ever pondered Pokémon card size? Do you know how much a genuine card or booster pack should weigh? Many collectors and players don’t naturally think about it; we buy our cards, we create our decks, and we play. But there are benefits to being in the know – so we’ve created this guide to unpack and explore the exact size and weight of Pokémon cards, helping you become a true TCG hobby aficionado.

The Pokémon TCG is a wonderful but deep hobby world to explore, so we’ve created a whole library of expert guides to help you out – from the absolute basics of Pokémon card collecting, to pointers on how to build a Pokémon deck; and a full tutorial on how to play Pokémon cards.

For now, though, let’s get out our scales and rulers, and get to work…

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.

This is the same as the standard MTG card size, and shared across most other modern trading card games too.

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 between 2000 and 2020 are 5.7 inches x 7.87 inches. However, cards printed after 2020 are smaller, measuring around 5.37 inches by 7.37 inches.

These cards are not readily available like their standard counterpart. In Japan, large cards are typically handed out at exclusive events. Otherwise, they are available in some TCG boxes; for example the Iron Valiant ex box features a jumbo Iron Valiant ex.

Some retailers also offer these 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.

How much do Pokémon cards weigh?

Standard size Pokémon cards weigh between 1.8 and 2 grams – but, within that weight range, it’s important to remember that a Pokémon card’s weight depends a lot on the type of card.

Based on our testing, standard common cards weigh the least, with holographic cards weighing a little more due to the extra material, and full art cards weighing most of all (except for jumbo cards, of course).

As a demonstration, we weighed a few sample cards from the Crown Zenith Pokémon TCG set:

This would suggest that weighing unopened booster packs can help increase the chances of rarer holo or full art cards – the heavier the pack, the better your odds.

We weighed some standard Pokémon booster packs from the Paradox Rift set, with the following results:

Why does Pokémon card size or weight 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:

It helps identify counterfeit Pokémon cards

Seriously rare 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 imposter.

When it comes to spotting fake Pokémon cards, 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!

It helps prevents cheating at tournaments

It’s important to note that jumbo cards are not tournament-legal.

Likewise, a standard card size ensures all cards used during a tournament are the same size to guarantee no cheating. Imagine if your most powerful cards were slightly bigger – you’d know exactly where they were in your deck and have an unfair advantage.

It helps with storing and displaying cards

A standard size allows consistency when displaying and protecting your cards.

If card sizes varied, protecting 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 best Pokémon cards, the best Pokémon decks to try out, and how Pokémon card types work.

For more collecting advice, we can teach you all about first edition Pokémon cards, the elusive Shadowless Pokémon cards, and even give a simple run down of how to sell Pokémon cards online.