Trading Card Storage Calculator (Binders, Sleeves, Boxes & Shelf Space)

How it works

pages = display cards ÷ pockets per page; binders = pages ÷ pages per binder · bulk = total − binder − valuable − deck cards · 800-count boxes = bulk ÷ 800 (÷ 600 if sleeved) · shelf ≈ 6 cm per 20-page binder + 8 cm per 800-ct box + 8 cm per deck box · weight ≈ 1.85 g per card + containers

A card collection is really three collections with different storage needs: the cards worth showing, which go in binder pages at a known number per page; the cards worth protecting individually, which get a sleeve and a rigid holder each; and the bulk, which is stored by count in cardboard boxes sized in multiples of 800 or 5,000 — with built decks a fourth, in sleeves and deck boxes. Counting each category gives the materials list directly, and because a card weighs under two grams but a shelf of boxes adds up fast, the space and weight totals are worth knowing before the collection outgrows a closet.

Worked example

A collection of 8,000 cards with 1,200 in 9-pocket binders (134 pages → 7 twenty-page binders), 150 valuable cards in toploaders and six 75-card decks leaves 6,200 bulk cards — 8 boxes of 800 or 2 of 5,000. Sleeving only the binder and valuable cards takes 1,350 penny sleeves and 450 deck sleeves; the whole lot needs about 1.6 m of shelf, weighs roughly 22 kg and costs around $350 in supplies.

Frequently asked questions