Penny Sleeves, Toploaders and Card Savers: Sizes, Uses and Grading Rules

A penny sleeve is the thin, soft polypropylene sleeve a card goes into first: BCW's measures 2 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches (66.7 x 92.1 mm) outside and costs about a cent. A toploader is the rigid PVC holder the sleeved card goes into next, 3 x 4 inches outside and, at BCW, 2 3/4 x 3 7/8 inches inside, rated 35 pt for a regular card. A card saver is a semi-rigid holder with a half-inch lip; the Card Saver I measures 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 inches, the exact size PSA and TAG require for grading submissions, where both rule out toploaders.

So for a valuable Pokémon card: penny sleeve, toploader, team bag to store or mail it; clear penny sleeve and semi-rigid to send it to a grader; a magnetic one-touch to display it. Pokémon cards measure 63 x 88 mm in every language and take these standard 2.5 x 3.5 inch supplies; deck sleeves are a different product, covered in our card sleeve size guide. The makers' sizes and prices and the graders' rules below come from their own pages, read on October 13, 2026; Beckett's, the one exception, is dated in its table.

Penny sleeveSoft polypropylene, 2 5/8 x 3 5/8 in outsideToploaderRigid PVC, 2 3/4 x 3 7/8 in inside, cards up to 35 ptCard saverSemi-rigid, 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 in, half-inch lip: PSA's and TAG's sizeTeam bagResealable, 3 3/8 x 5 in: up to five toploadersMagnetic one-touchTwo-piece case closed by a magnet, sold by point sizeThick toploaderSame 3 x 4 in outside, a deeper opening: 2.75 mm for 108 pt

Which protector to use for what

Sizes and thicknesses, from the makers

As each maker publishes them on its own pages, October 13, 2026. A dash means the maker gives no figure.

Points are thousandths of an inch. One point is 0.001 inch (0.0254 mm), so a 35 pt holder takes a card up to 0.035 inch (0.89 mm) thick. A Pokémon card is about 12 pt (0.3 mm) and about 16 pt in a 45 µm penny sleeve, so a 35 pt toploader holds it with room to spare: a sleeved card does not need a 55 pt one. The rating is the thickest card a holder takes, not the holder's size. Every toploader in the table is a 3x4 outside, and BCW's thick ones, from 59 to 360 pt, keep the 2 3/4 x 3 7/8 inch inside and gain only depth (its 108 pt opening is 2.75 mm); Ultra PRO's thick range runs from 55 to 360 pt.

Measure anything that is not a regular game card, such as a metal card from an Ultra-Premium Collection, before buying its holder: BCW prints a point gauge on its toploader and magnetic-holder packs and sells a paper one for $0.99. And "3x4" is the outside size, which differs by brand: BCW's standard toploader is 4 1/16 inches tall, Ultra PRO's 4. That matters for a box built to the millimeter, and our card dimensions guide gives the margins to leave.

What protectors cost per card

Prices on each maker's own online store, October 13, 2026, before shipping, for the packs shown (Cardboard Gold sells by the case only):

Storing or mailing a card in a sleeve, a toploader and a team bag costs about 21 cents with BCW's packs and 32 cents with Ultra PRO's, whose bag for toploaders is its ONE-TOUCH resealable bag (100 for $3.99). A sleeve and a Card Saver I cost about 9 cents a card, bought by the case.

Penny sleeves

A penny sleeve is a pouch of thin polypropylene film, sealed on three sides and open at one end. The makers sell theirs as acid-free polypropylene, with no PVC; Ultra PRO's film is 45 µm on each face and Cardboard Gold's 2 mil (51 µm), and Ultra PRO rates its sleeves for cards up to 35 pt.

A sleeve keeps dust, dirt, scratches and the oils of your fingers off the card, and lets the card slide into a hard holder without rubbing against it. It does little against a bend, which is the holder's job, and it is a storage sleeve: a deck you shuffle every week needs deck sleeves. The trap is color. Use clear sleeves for anything that may go to a grader: PSA warns that solid or opaque sleeves can cause delays. Tabbed sleeves, such as Ultra PRO's Easy Grip, have a small half-circle tab that sticks up above the toploader for pulling the card out. PSA's own submission kit includes Easy Grip sleeves, yet its packing guide rules out "pull tabs": a plain clear sleeve avoids the question.

Toploaders

A toploader is two panels of rigid PVC sealed on three edges, open on a short side. The 3x4 for standard cards leaves a penny-sleeved card about 3 mm of play across and 6 mm along its length, by BCW's figures (2 3/4 x 3 7/8 inches inside, 2 5/8 x 3 5/8 for its sleeve). The panels are 12 mil (305 µm) thick at BCW and in Ultra PRO's Regular, 381 µm in Ultra PRO's Premium and 356 µm in its Platinum, whose cast frame needs no glue.

Sleeve the card first. BCW says its rigid PVC contains no plasticizers or stearates and will not migrate onto a card; Ultra PRO's own guide still tells collectors to sleeve the card so it never touches the PVC, which it calls acidic and says can rub against the card and yellow over time. Both makers sell toploaders as the layer over a penny sleeve. The trap is fit: BCW designs its 35 pt toploader to hold one standard card, so for a second card or a thicker one, take another holder or a higher rating instead of forcing it.

Card saver vs toploader

A card saver is not the tighter fit. BCW's #1 is 11 mm wider and 9.5 mm taller inside than BCW's toploader, and Cardboard Gold calls its Card Saver I "slightly oversized for easy insertion and removal". The graders give their own reasons: TAG says semi-rigid holders minimize the risk of card movement in transit, and CGC asks for one sturdy enough to let it remove the card safely.

Semi-rigid is a type, not a size. PSA and TAG name 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 inches, the size Cardboard Gold prints on the Card Saver I box. BCW's #2 is 3 x 4 1/2 inches, sold for raw-card inventory, and BCW's page for its #1, also sold for grading, gives two sizes: 3 5/16 x 4 15/16 inches in its specifications, 3 1/4 x 4 7/8 in its FAQ.

Team bags

A team bag is a clear, resealable polypropylene bag with an adhesive flap, made to hold a team set of cards. Over a toploader it closes the open end and keeps dust out. Its size is the trap. BCW's team set bag, 3 3/8 x 5 inches plus a 1-inch flap, holds up to 35 bare cards or five standard toploaders, or magnetic holders up to 180 pt, for $3.49 per 100. Ultra PRO's Team Bags measure 3 3/8 x 3 7/8 inches: made for a stack of bare cards, they are shorter than a 4-inch toploader. Ultra PRO's bag for toploaders and one-touch holders is its ONE-TOUCH resealable bag, about 3 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches. For grading, leave single cards out of team bags: TAG asks for that.

Magnetic one-touch holders

A one-touch is a two-piece rigid case that closes with a magnet around a recess shaped to the card. Ultra PRO sells its ONE-TOUCH from 23 to 360 pt, 35 pt for a standard card, made of non-PVC materials with UV-blocking additives; BCW's 35 pt holder costs $2.49. The regular 35 pt takes the card bare. Ultra PRO gives its recess as 64.3 x 89.7 mm, 1.3 mm wider and 1.7 mm taller than a 63 x 88 mm card and too small for a 66.7 x 92.1 mm penny sleeve, and BCW's recess is 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. To keep the sleeve on, Ultra PRO makes the ONE-TOUCH X, with a larger cavity for a sleeved 35 pt card. A one-touch is for display and storage, not grading: TAG rules out magnetic cases in submissions, and PSA asks for semi-rigids.

Binders and inner sleeves

Binder pages should be PVC-free polypropylene, as BCW's and Ultra PRO's are. BCW warns that flexible vinyl (PVC) contains plasticizers that can migrate. Side-loading pockets, which Ultra PRO says help keep cards from falling out in transit, suit a binder that travels. BCW's 9-pocket pages have pockets of 2 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches, the outside size of its penny sleeves. Perfect-fit inner sleeves, 64 x 89 mm, are for double-sleeving decks: the sleeve size guide has their sizes by maker.

How to sleeve and toploader a card, step by step

Clean hands, clean table. Wash and dry your hands and work on a clean, flat surface: finger oils are one of the things a sleeve keeps off.

Sleeve the card. Hold the penny sleeve open and slide the card in straight until it rests on the bottom seam. If a corner catches the seam, back the card out and start again rather than pushing.

Choose the toploader. A 35 pt for a regular card; for anything thicker, the first rating above its measured thickness. Look inside for dust or grit before you use it.

Slide it in. Lower the sleeved card into the toploader's open end without forcing it. Ultra PRO suggests a few gentle taps to settle it at the bottom.

Close it. Seal the toploader in a team bag to store or mail it, or stand it in a toploader box, somewhere dry and away from strong light, as Ultra PRO advises. Never put tape on the card or the sleeve.

Take it out by pinching. Squeeze the toploader's sides near the opening until it gapes into an eye shape, then draw the sleeve out by its edge. Ultra PRO's guide says never to use tweezers.

For a grader, change the holder. Same clear sleeve, then a 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 inch semi-rigid such as the Card Saver I, nothing taped, both faces visible.

What the graders ask for

Each grader's own packing instructions, read October 13, 2026.

The three graders that publish a method pack the same way: cards in the order of the submission form, between two pieces of cardboard held by rubber bands (TAG also accepts painter's tape), then cushioned in a box. PSA's terms, last updated April 22, 2026, list rigid toploaders, pull tabs and stickers as non-conforming packaging, which PSA can bill processing fees for; they let PSA reject and return a submission that does not follow its instructions, and exclude PSA's liability for damage caused by packing that departs from its guide, unpacking included. TAG warns of delays and handling fees for cards not in semi-rigids.

PSA's own submission kit, $19.99, holds 20 sleeves and 20 semi-rigid holders. PSA's European service prints the same packing rules; our Frankfurt guide covers its prices and address. To choose a grader, see how the four graders compare, and for the case your card comes back in, what a Pokémon slab is.

Mailing a card in a plain envelope

In the United States, a stamped First-Class letter costs $0.82 up to 1 ounce and $1.11 up to 2 ounces, on the USPS price list effective October 4, 2026. A toploader stiffens the envelope, and USPS charges rigid letters a $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge: $1.31 for a one-ounce letter. Weight is not the limit for one card: a card in a penny sleeve and a BCW toploader weighs under 11 g (0.4 oz) by BCW's own pack weights, though the sealed envelope is worth weighing.

Thickness can be. A letter may be no more than 1/4 inch thick, and a 35 pt magnetic holder is 5/16 inch thick by BCW's figure, so the envelope becomes a large envelope, which USPS charges at package prices when it is rigid. For a valuable card, ship a tracked package, with the toploader in a team bag between two pieces of cardboard.

Mistakes that damage cards

• A toploader in a grading submission. PSA can bill it as non-conforming packaging and TAG may add a handling fee; use a semi-rigid.
• Tape on the card or the sleeve, or on a holder sent to a grader. PSA's guide says no tape on the holders of a submission, and TAG asks for no tape or stickers on semi-rigids.
• A bare card in a toploader. It rubs against the PVC going in and out, which is why Ultra PRO tells collectors to sleeve it first.
• Forcing a card into a holder. If it resists, the rating is too thin or the holder too small: measure the card and go up a size.
• A sleeved card in a regular one-touch. The sleeve is wider than the recess: take the card out of the sleeve, or use a holder made for sleeved cards.
• Vinyl binder pages. Flexible PVC carries plasticizers that can migrate; choose polypropylene pages sold as PVC-free.
• Rubber bands pulled tight. PSA wants them tight enough to stop shifting and loose enough to avoid damage, and CGC warns that cards packed too tightly may be damaged.

FAQ

What size is a penny sleeve?

2 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches (66.7 x 92.1 mm) outside at BCW and Cardboard Gold; Gamegenic's soft sleeves are 67 x 94 mm. All take standard 63 x 88 mm cards, Pokémon cards of every language included.

Why are they called penny sleeves?

The name is usually traced to their price, about a cent each, which still roughly holds. As of October 13, 2026, BCW sells 100 for $1.09, and Ultra PRO sells its own under a registered PENNY SLEEVES trademark.

What is the difference between a penny sleeve and a toploader?

A penny sleeve is a soft polypropylene pouch that keeps dust, scratches and fingerprints off the card; a toploader is a rigid PVC holder that keeps it flat. The card goes into the sleeve, the sleeve into the toploader.

What size toploader do I need for Pokémon cards?

The standard 3 x 4 inch toploader rated 35 pt: a Pokémon card is about 12 pt, about 16 pt in a penny sleeve. Measure anything that is not a regular game card, such as a metal card, before choosing a higher rating.

Do you need a penny sleeve in a toploader?

Yes, for any card you care about. Both BCW and Ultra PRO sell toploaders as the layer over a penny sleeve, and Ultra PRO says the sleeve keeps the card from rubbing against the PVC. To take the card out, you pull the sleeve, not the card.

Can you send cards to PSA in toploaders?

No. PSA's shipping guide says not to use toploaders, tape, pull tabs or sticky notes, and its terms treat toploaders as non-conforming packaging: PSA can bill a processing fee for it, or reject the submission and return it. Use a clear penny sleeve inside a 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 inch semi-rigid.

Is a card saver better than a toploader?

For a grading submission, yes: PSA and TAG require a 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 inch semi-rigid such as the Card Saver I and rule out toploaders. For storage, the rigid toploader is the stiffer holder; both go over a penny sleeve.

Can you put a penny sleeve in a magnetic holder?

Not in a regular 35 pt one-touch: Ultra PRO gives its recess as 64.3 x 89.7 mm, smaller than a 66.7 x 92.1 mm penny sleeve. Its ONE-TOUCH X is made for a sleeved card.

What size team bag fits a toploader?

One longer than the toploader: BCW's team set bag, 3 3/8 x 5 inches plus a flap, takes up to five 3 x 4 toploaders. Ultra PRO's Team Bags, 3 3/8 x 3 7/8 inches, are made for bare cards and are shorter than a toploader.

Can you put two cards in one toploader?

BCW designs its 35 pt toploader to hold one standard card, so for two cards, use two toploaders.

What fits a jumbo Pokémon card?

Measure it first: jumbos are 6 x 8 inches until about 2020 and 5.75 x 8 since, with a few at 6 x 9, as our card dimensions guide shows. BCW suggests a 6 x 9 inch sleeve, since a 6 x 8 one leaves the top edge of an 8-inch card exposed, with a toploader over it.