Cardboard vs. Card — What's the Difference?

Commonly corrugated or thickened for additional protection.

Smaller and more versatile in design and usage.

Recyclable and often used in eco-friendly packaging solutions.

A piece of stiff paper used for writing, printing, or as a playing tool.

A heavy-duty paper stock or pulp material used mainly for packaging.

Used in various formats like greeting cards, credit cards, or playing cards.

Utilitarian in nature, prioritizing function over form.

Carries information, artistic designs, or monetary value.

Used extensively in industrial and commercial applications.

Often personalized and used for social or business interactions.

Cardboard is a generic term for heavy-duty paper-based products having greater thickness and superior durability or other specific mechanical attributes to paper; such as foldability, rigidity and impact resistance. The construction can range from a thick sheet known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple corrugated and flat layers.

A piece of thick, stiff paper or thin pasteboard, in particular one used for writing or printing on

A material similar to thick, stiff paper, that is made of pressed paper pulp or pasted sheets of paper. It is used for making cartons and signs, for example.

A small rectangular piece of plastic containing personal data in a machine-readable form and used to obtain cash or credit or to pay for a telephone call, gain entry to a room or building, etc.

Made of or consisting of cardboard.

A playing card

Flimsy; insubstantial.

Short for expansion card

Lacking depth; superficial

Documents relating to an employee, especially for tax and national insurance, held by the employer.

A wood-based material resembling heavy paper, used in the manufacture of boxes, cartons and signs.

A programme of events at a race meeting

Made of or resembling cardboard; (figurative) flat or flavorless.

A person regarded as odd or amusing

A stiff compact pasteboard of various qualities, for making cards, etc., often having a polished surface.

A toothed implement or machine for carding wool.

A stiff moderately thick paper

Write (something) on a card, especially for indexing.

Resembling cardboard especially in flimsiness;

Check the identity card of (someone), in particular as evidence of legal drinking age

Without substance;

(of an amateur athlete) be in receipt of government funding to pursue training

Comb and clean (raw wool, hemp fibres, or similar material) with a sharp-toothed instrument in order to disentangle the fibres before spinning

One of a set or pack bearing significant numbers, symbols, or figures, used in games and in divination.

A greeting card.

A postcard.

One bearing a person's name and other information, used for purposes of identification or classification.

One bearing the image and often the statistics of a sports figure.

A business card.

A credit card.

A magnetic card.

One used for recording information in a file

A game played with cards.

The playing of games with cards.

A program, especially for a sports event.

A menu, as in a restaurant.

A wine list.

A printed circuit board that plugs into a slot on a computer's motherboard or into a port on the outside of a device, and performs a particular function, such as data storage or converting and processing signals for communication with other devices.

A punch card.

A compass card.

(Informal) An eccentrically amusing person.

Something, such as an advantageous circumstance or tactical maneuver, that can be used to help gain an objective. Often used with play

An appeal to a specified issue or argument, usually one involving strong emotions. Often used with play

A wire-toothed brush or a machine fitted with rows of wire teeth, used to straighten and separate fibers, as of wool, prior to spinning.

A device used to raise the nap on a fabric.

To furnish with or attach to a card.

To list (something) on a card; catalog.

To check the identification of, especially in order to verify legal age.

(Sports) To warn or eject (a soccer player who has committed a flagrant foul) by showing a yellow card or a red card.

To comb out or brush with a card.

A playing card.

(in the plural) Any game using playing cards; a card game.

A resource or argument, used to achieve a purpose.

Any flat, normally rectangular piece of stiff paper, plastic, etc.

(obsolete) A map or chart.

(informal) An amusing or entertaining person, often slightly eccentric.

A list of scheduled events or of performers or contestants; chiefly used in professional wrestling.

(cricket) A tabular presentation of the key statistics of an innings or match: batsmen’s scores and how they were dismissed, extras, total score and bowling figures.

(computing) A removable electronic device that may be inserted into a powered electronic device to provide additional capability.

A greeting card.

A business card.

(television) A title card or intertitle: a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of the photographed action at various points, generally to convey character dialogue or descriptive narrative material related to the plot.

A test card.

(dated) A published note, containing a brief statement, explanation, request, expression of thanks, etc.

(dated) A printed programme.

An attraction or inducement.

A paper on which the points of the compass are marked; the dial or face of the mariner's compass.

(weaving) A perforated pasteboard or sheet-metal plate for warp threads, making part of the Jacquard apparatus of a loom.

An indicator card.

Material with embedded short wire bristles.

A comb- or brush-like device or tool to raise the nap on a fabric.

(textiles) A hand-held tool formed similarly to a hairbrush but with bristles of wire or other rigid material. It is used principally with raw cotton, wool, hair, or other natural fibers to prepare these materials for spinning into yarn or thread on a spinning wheel, with a whorl or other hand-held spindle. The card serves to untangle, clean, remove debris from, and lay the fibers straight.

A machine for disentangling the fibres of wool prior to spinning.

A roll or sliver of fibre (as of wool) delivered from a carding machine.

Obsolete form of chard

(US) To check IDs, especially against a minimum age requirement.

(dated) To play cards.

(golf) To make (a stated score), as recorded on a scoring card.

(textiles) To use a carding device to disentangle the fibres of wool prior to spinning.

To scrape or tear someone’s flesh using a metal comb, as a form of torture.

(transitive) To comb with a card; to cleanse or disentangle by carding.

To clean or clear, as if by using a card.

To mix or mingle, as with an inferior or weaker article.

A piece of pasteboard, or thick paper, blank or prepared for various uses; as, a playing card; a visiting card; a card of invitation; pl. a game played with cards.

A published note, containing a brief statement, explanation, request, expression of thanks, or the like; as, to put a card in the newspapers. Also, a printed programme, and (fig.), an attraction or inducement; as, this will be a good card for the last day of the fair.

A paper on which the points of the compass are marked; the dial or face of the mariner's compass.

A perforated pasteboard or sheet-metal plate for warp threads, making part of the Jacquard apparatus of a loom. See Jacquard.

An indicator card. See under Indicator.

An instrument for disentangling and arranging the fibers of cotton, wool, flax, etc.; or for cleaning and smoothing the hair of animals; - usually consisting of bent wire teeth set closely in rows in a thick piece of leather fastened to a back.

A roll or sliver of fiber (as of wool) delivered from a carding machine.

To play at cards; to game.

To comb with a card; to cleanse or disentangle by carding; as, to card wool; to card a horse.

To clean or clear, as if by using a card.

To mix or mingle, as with an inferior or weaker article.

One of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes;

A card certifying the identity of the bearer;

A rectangular piece of stiff paper used to send messages (may have printed greetings or pictures);

Thin cardboard, usually rectangular

A witty amusing person who makes jokes

A sign posted in a public place as an advertisement;

A printed or written greeting that is left to indicate that you have visited

(golf) a record of scores (as in golf);

A list of dishes available at a restaurant;

(baseball) a list of batters in the order in which they will bat;

A printed circuit that can be inserted into expansion slots in a computer to increase the computer's capabilities

Separate the fibers of;

Ask someone for identification to determine whether he or she is old enough to consume liquor;

Plastic cards are less eco-friendly due to their non-biodegradable nature and the complex processes involved in their recycling.

Cardboard is typically thicker and sturdier due to its multiple layers and corrugated core, while cards are usually much thinner, made from single or double layers.

Most types of cardboard are recyclable, but those with wax or plastic coatings can be exceptions.

Cardboard's lifespan depends on its use and exposure to elements; it can degrade quickly when wet but last for years if kept dry.

Depending on the type and thickness, some industrial-grade cardboards can support significant weight, often used for shipping heavy items.

Paper cards tend to be more flexible and have a matte finish, whereas plastic cards are stiffer and have a glossy finish.

Yes, some cards like smart cards contain microchips and magnetic stripes to store data electronically.

Cardboard is produced by pulping and pressing layers of paper, often with a corrugated middle layer to add strength and cushioning.

Cardboard can be treated with coatings or laminates to make it resistant to water, though it is generally not waterproof by default.

Reusing cardboard for food packaging is generally safe if the cardboard is clean and free from contaminants.

Cards, like trading cards or limited edition art cards, become collectibles due to their rarity, cultural significance, or unique designs.

Cardboard should be stored in a dry, cool environment away from direct sunlight to prevent degradation and maintain its structural integrity.

Common card sizes include business cards (3.5 x 2 inches), credit cards (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard), and postcards (various sizes).

Cards may have security features like holograms, watermarks, chips, and magnetic stripes to prevent fraud and unauthorized use.

Cards are personalized through printing, embossing, or encoding with personal details or digital information.