Card Body

What Is a Card Body?

The card bodycard bodyHardwarePlastic substrate forming the card physical structure.Click to view → is the physical plastic substrate that forms the structural foundation of a smart card. Manufactured to ISO 7810 ID-1 dimensions (85.6 x 54 mm x 0.76 mm), the card body houses the chip module, antenna coil (for contactless cards), and all printed or engraved visual elements including cardholder data, security features, and branding.

The card body is far more than a passive carrier -- its material composition, layer structure, and manufacturing quality directly affect card durability, chip protection, and security feature integrity throughout the card's operational lifetime of 5-10 years.

Materials

Different card applications demand different substrate materials:

Layer Structure

A typical smart card body consists of multiple laminated layers:

• Overlay layers (top and bottom) -- clear protective film with UV- resistant coating.
• Print layers -- offset or digital printing for card design, text, and security features.
• Core layers -- the structural substrate providing rigidity and housing the antenna coil for dual-interface cards.
• Inlay -- the layer containing the antenna wire or etched antenna pattern connected to the chip module.

Chip Cavity and Module Bonding

During chip embedding, a precision milling tool cuts a cavity in the card body matching the chip module footprint. The contact pad module is then bonded into the cavity using thermocompression or adhesive, sitting flush with the card surface to meet ISO 7816ISO 7816StandardPrimary standard for contact smart cards.Click to view →-1 mechanical specifications.

Environmental and Durability Requirements

ISO 10373 specifies testing procedures for card bodies including bending resistance (1000 cycles at 2 cm deflection), torsion resistance, surface abrasion, and chemical resistance. Cards must also survive temperature cycling from -35C to +50C without delamination or chip detachment.

Hot stamping and laser engraving are applied to the finished card body as final personalization and security steps.