How are Casino Chips Made?

Most casino chips used in land-based casinos are known as clay chips even though they are not made of clay but rather could be called compression moulded chips. Despite this common appellation casino chips have not been made of clay since the 1950’s.

What are Casino Chips Made From?

Today casino chips are made from different materials that are more durable than clay. Part of the casino chips are made from a material such as chalk, sand or clay. The exact manufacturing process is kept a secret by the manufacturers themselves and varies from one to another. It can be a time consuming and expensive process in many cases. The outer parts of the casino chips are formed from removing part of the casino chip and replacing it with a different colour material rather than using simple paint. This can be done individually per chip or otherwise in a block before the material is divided into individual casino chips. Finally, the casino chips are placed into a mould and heated up to 149°C and densely compressed.

The inlays are made from paper covered with plastic and added before the compression process. These inlays are the graphics that appear on the casino chips. When the casino chips are moulded the inlays become part of the casino chips and can no longer be removed without breaking the casino chip.

Ceramic Casino Chips

In the last thirty years casinos have introduced ceramic casino chips as an alternative. These ceramic casino chips are sold to land-based casinos and are also for sale to the general public. This form of casino chips are easier to manufacture as designs and graphics may be printed directly on to the casino chips. These are made from a resin or form of plastic which is moulded by injection and gives the feel and touch of a ceramic casino chip. It is possible to purchase cheaper casino chips for private use that are made from various qualities of plastic.

The weight of Casino Chips

Though there are no rules regulating the weight of casino chips in the US, they generally weigh in at around 10g and may vary between 8-11g. There are a number of specialised casino chip manufacturers in the US such as Blue Chip Co. And Paulson. Although the casino chips are usually manufactured to an equivalent standard, those made for private use at home may be made of various materials and be of different sizes and styles.

Low Cost Casino Chips

Casino chips for home use are often of a lower quality and include images of dice or card suits on the front of the casino chip or on the edges. These are usually manufactured using mould injection techniques and are in plastic.