Business card sizes by country
There are three sizes you will meet in almost every job: 90 × 54 mm (Malaysia, China, Singapore), 85 × 55 mm (UK and most of Europe) and 3.5 × 2 in (US and Canada). The differences are small but real — a card laid out at one size will look off at another.
| Region | Size (mm) | Size (in) | Pixels @300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia, China, Singapore | 90 × 54 | 3.54 × 2.13 | 1063 × 638 |
| UK, EU (most) | 85 × 55 | 3.35 × 2.17 | 1004 × 650 |
| US, Canada | 88.9 × 50.8 | 3.5 × 2.0 | 1050 × 600 |
| Japan | 91 × 55 | 3.58 × 2.17 | 1075 × 650 |
| Australia, NZ | 90 × 55 | 3.54 × 2.17 | 1063 × 650 |
| Credit-card reference (ID-1) | 85.6 × 53.98 | 3.37 × 2.13 | 1011 × 638 |
Why the three main sizes differ
The US and Canada keep the imperial 3.5 × 2 in card. The UK and most of Europe converged on 85 × 55 mm. Malaysia follows the Asian standard of 90 × 54 mm — noticeably wider than the UK card, which catches out templates designed overseas.
The ID-1 format is the plastic card you keep in your wallet (a credit card). It is the same size used for many plastic and PVC business cards, so a card that “feels like a credit card” is usually printed at 85.6 × 53.98 mm.
Bleed and safe area
Whatever the card size, the working artwork is larger than the trim: add 3 mm bleed on every edge, and keep text inside a safe area about 3–4 mm from the trim line. Type that sits outside the safe area is the most common reason a card comes back looking “off centre”.
Sources
- ISO/IEC 7810 (ID-1 card format)
- PaperSizes.guide — business card sizes by country