Pokémon card sizes and the sleeves that fit them
How big a Pokémon card is, why Japanese-size sleeves suit other card games, and which sleeves, inner sleeves and toploaders fit a standard card.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
A Pokémon card is a standard-size trading card. BCW, the supplies maker, gives that size as 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, and both BCW and Ultra PRO name Pokémon among the cards their standard 66 by 91 mm sleeves fit. The one trap is the label “Japanese size.” It means the smaller 62 by 89 mm sleeves made for Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Pokémon’s own sleeves don’t use that size: those sold in its Japanese store measure about 6.6 by 9.2 cm. For a rigid holder, BCW’s standard penny sleeves fit inside a 3 by 4 inch toploader.
Where a figure is converted or compared, it is Rip.fan’s arithmetic.
How big is a Pokémon card?
BCW sizes its standard sleeves and inner sleeves for cards of 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, and lists Pokémon among the cards its standard sleeves suit. By Rip.fan’s conversion, that is about 63.5 by 88.9 mm.
Thickness is given as a pt number. BCW puts standard cards at 20pt to 35pt as of January 30, 2026, and says most TCG cards fall in that range, along with modern base sports cards. Those fit a standard toploader. Our guide to storing trading cards covers the thicker holders.
Do Japanese Pokémon cards need Japanese-size sleeves?
Not by the makers’ figures. The label refers to a different group of card games.
- BCW calls its 62 by 89 mm small sleeves “Japanese-sized,” made for cards of 2 5/16 by 3 3/8 inches, and names Yu-Gi-Oh! among the card games they suit.
- Ultra PRO sizes its small sleeves at 62 by 89 mm for Yu-Gi-Oh! and similar card games, and its standard sleeves at 66 by 91 mm for Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon and many modern sports cards. Its standard PRO-Gloss and PRO-Matte packs carry a black label and the small ones a white label.
- Pokémon Center Online, Pokémon’s official store in Japan, sells its Pokémon card sleeves at about 9.2 by 6.6 cm, in polypropylene, 64 to a pack.
So Pokémon’s own sleeves, sold in Japan, sit in the standard class, not the small one. That suggests standard sleeves for Japanese and English Pokémon cards alike. If a pack says only “Japanese,” read the millimeter figure on it. Our guide to Japanese and English Pokémon cards covers how the two differ in packs and rarities.
Which sleeves fit a Pokémon card?
| Item | Size the maker gives | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Inner sleeve (BCW) | 64 by 89 mm | One standard card, slid inside a standard sleeve |
| Penny sleeve (BCW) | 2 5/8 by 3 5/8 inches outside | One standard card; fits a 3 by 4 inch toploader |
| Standard sleeve (BCW, Ultra PRO) | 66 by 91 mm | Standard cards, Pokémon named by both |
| Pokémon Center Online sleeve | About 6.6 by 9.2 cm | Pokémon cards, sold by Pokémon’s Japanese store |
| Small or “Japanese” sleeve (BCW, Ultra PRO) | 62 by 89 mm | Yu-Gi-Oh! and similar smaller cards |
| 3x4 toploader (BCW) | 3 by 4 1/16 inches outside, 2 3/4 by 3 7/8 inches inside | One standard card, up to 35pt |
Ultra PRO allows a tolerance of plus or minus 0.5 mm on its sleeves, and treats only sleeves outside that range as defective. BCW’s sideloading inner sleeve has the same 89 by 64 mm footprint, loads from the side, and is made of 2.5 mil polypropylene.
How much room does each layer leave?
| Layer | Inside | Room across | Room top to bottom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner sleeve, 64 by 89 mm | A card of about 63.5 by 88.9 mm | Under 1 mm | Under 1 mm |
| Standard sleeve, 66 by 91 mm | An inner sleeve, 64 by 89 mm | 2 mm | 2 mm |
| Toploader inside, about 69.9 by 98.4 mm | A penny sleeve, about 66.7 by 92.1 mm | About 3.2 mm | About 6.4 mm |
| Small sleeve, 62 by 89 mm | A card of about 63.5 by 88.9 mm | None: the card is about 1.5 mm wider | Under 1 mm |
A gap under a millimeter is close to the plus or minus 0.5 mm tolerance Ultra PRO allows on its own sleeves, so read those rows as snug. Three things follow. An inner sleeve is snug by design, which is why it goes on first. A small sleeve can’t take a Pokémon card at all. And a penny sleeve leaves a few millimeters of room inside a toploader, more in height than across.
Can a sleeved card go in a toploader?
A penny-sleeved card can: BCW’s standard sleeves are designed to fit inside standard 3 by 4 inch toploaders. By the measurements alone, a 66 by 91 mm standard sleeve is also smaller than the toploader’s inside. Each layer adds thickness against the 35pt limit, though, so try one double-sleeved card before you do a stack.
How do you double-sleeve a card?
Put the card in an inner sleeve first, then slide the pair into a standard sleeve. BCW’s 64 by 89 mm inner sleeves are designed to go inside standard card sleeves, and its penny sleeves, made for single-sleeving, can also be paired with inner sleeves.
With under a millimeter to spare, an inner sleeve grips the card, so slide the card in and out slowly and square to the opening. For a card you’ll take out often, a single penny sleeve is simpler.
What should go around a card sent for grading?
CGC calls its packing steps suggestions, and safe packing is the sender’s job. The steps start with a protective sleeve around each card, then a semi-rigid sleeve sturdy enough for CGC’s staff to take the card out safely. The cards then go between two cardboard pieces larger than the cards, in the order of your submission form, held by rubber bands that are not too tight. Our guide to checking a card before grading covers what to look at first.
Do sleeved cards fit in storage boxes?
Yes, with less room. BCW’s 500-count box holds sleeved cards, though capacity drops a little, and isn’t meant for toploaders or magnetic holders. BCW puts the same box at about 450 standard 20pt cards or about 720 TCG cards, so the number in a box’s name is only a rough guide to what fits.
Which size should you buy?
- A single card to protect: a standard penny sleeve, then a 3x4 toploader for a card you care about.
- Japanese Pokémon cards: standard sleeves, as Pokémon’s own listing suggests; check the millimeter figure before you buy a pack marked small.
- Two layers: a 64 by 89 mm inner sleeve, then a 66 by 91 mm standard sleeve.
- A card headed to CGC: a sleeve, then a semi-rigid sleeve.
Our sleeve and supplies finder lists the sleeve, toploader and page sizes the makers give for each kind of card, and counts the sleeves, pages and toploaders a number of cards needs.
A card that’s already graded sits in a sealed slab, and our guide to storing graded cards covers it. To see what a card is worth before you choose its holder, use the card price lookup. Our guide to organizing a card collection shows where the sleeved cards go next, and our toploader entry explains the holder.
Frequently asked questions
How thick are card sleeves?
At Ultra PRO, penny sleeves are 45 microns front and back, and premium sleeves 50. Its PRO-Matte, PRO-Gloss, Eclipse and art sleeves pair a 90 micron clear front with a 120 micron back.
Why does a Pokémon Center Online sleeve pack hold 64?
Its Japanese deck shields come as 60 sleeves plus 4 spares, and Pokémon gives each sleeve a thickness of about 0.02 cm.
How do I mark a box of cards sent to CGC for a faster tier?
Write WK on each side of the shipping box for the WalkThrough tier, or EX for Express, in large, bold letters. With several tiers in one box, mark the fastest, since a wrongly marked box is delayed.