Why Materials Matter in Board Game Manufacturing

When creating a board game, the excitement often centres on theme, mechanics, and artwork. However, the choice of materials plays an equally critical role in shaping the final product. 

From cards and game boards to punchboards, miniatures, and wooden meeples, materials determine how durable, immersive, and cost-effective your game will be. 

A high-quality production ensures players enjoy a seamless experience and that publishers maintain strong brand credibility in a competitive market.

At Eastar Game Manufacturing, we help designers and publishers to choose the most appropriate materials to assist them with their projects. By understanding the advantages and shortcomings of each material type, you can align your vision with your budget and provide players across the globe a high-end product.

Card Materials: Black Core, C2S, and Blue/Grey Core

Playing cards are among the most frequently handled components in a game. Their material impacts both playability and longevity.

Black-core paper is considered the gold standard in card stock. It is warp-resistant, highly durable, and ideal for premium games where sleeving or repeated shuffling is expected. High-end campaigns and luxury editions often choose black-core for its professional finish.

350gsm C2S (Coated Two Sides) strikes a balance between quality and affordability. With excellent rigidity and vibrant print quality, it is widely used in crowdfunding campaigns and mid-budget projects.

Blue-core or grey-core paper is the budget-friendly option. While not as robust as black-core, these stocks still provide decent durability for casual or family games where heavy card use is less frequent.

Selecting the correct card material will require a consideration between the long-term durability and the initial cost. Cutting-edge material: C2S or blue-core provides a good price-to-performance, whereas collectors editions profiteer on the sturdiness of black-core.

Game Boards: Layers, Laminations, and Custom Finishes

The game board often serves as the centrepiece of a tabletop experience. Its construction involves multiple layers designed to withstand folding, unfolding, and extended use. Typical board construction uses 157gsm C2S + 1200gsm greyboard + 157gsm speciality paper, resulting in a sturdy and foldable surface. Boards can be configured into one, two, or three panels depending on the game’s size requirements.

Finish options elevate the board’s look and feel:

• Matte lamination reduces glare and gives a smooth, modern surface.
• Scratch-resistant films protect darker printed designs from wear.
• Linen texture adds a tactile, premium quality often found in deluxe editions.
• These finishing techniques not only extend durability but also enhance the immersive aesthetic of the game.
• Punchboards and Tokens: Greyboard Combinations for Sturdiness

Punchboards form the backbone of tokens, tiles, and resource markers in many games. Their sturdiness is essential to gameplay satisfaction.

Single-layer punchboards often consist of 250gsm CCNB + 900gsm greyboard + 250gsm CCNB. This construction provides excellent density and reliable punching for standard tokens.

Double-layer (recessed) punchboards introduce additional depth and sturdiness. They include an extra greyboard layer, allowing tokens to sit neatly inside recessed spaces. This deluxe treatment has become popular in premium titles such as Tainted Grail.

A well-designed punchboard ensures players can easily pop out and manipulate components without fraying edges or loss of detail.

Miniatures and Plastic Components: PVC, ABS, and Metal

Miniatures have transformed modern board games, creating immersive worlds through detailed figures. Selecting the right material balances cost, flexibility, and detail.

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride): The most cost-effective option, PVC delivers high detail and flexibility, making it the default material for mass-market miniatures.

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene): Tougher than PVC, ABS excels in creating bases, weapons, and parts requiring structural rigidity. It supports sharper molded definition for premium projects.

Zinc alloy metal:  The premium choice for collectors’ editions, offering weight, durability, and a luxurious feel. However, metal comes at a significantly higher cost.

For games with dozens of miniatures, PVC is generally the best choice. For limited high-detail figures, ABS or metal provides collectible appeal.

Wooden Components: Beech, Birch, and MDF

Meeples, cubes, and tokens are wooden pieces that have always been significant in Euro-style board games. Their environmental friendliness and their sensuousness are an absolute lucrative appeal. Some of the standard options in wood are beech, pine, birch and MDF (medium-density fiberboard). Such materials can be laser cut or CNC finished to achieve precision. Reinforcements that are used to enhance the surface, such as UV coating, heat transfer printing, or silk screening, may be added as additional features meant to attract longer life and increased interest. 

Wood is also a very economical option, even in games where sustainability is an important priority, and it possesses a classic handcrafted look as well.

Matching Material to Budget and Game Type

Every board game project must balance budget with design ambitions. Below is a quick guide:

• Component Ideal Material Budget Range Key Advantages
• Cards (Standard) C2S Low Affordable, strong print quality
• Cards (Premium) Black-core High Warp-resistant, professional finish
• Boards & Tokens Greyboard combinations Mid to High Sturdy, premium tactile feel
• Miniatures PVC / ABS / Metal Low to High Flexibility, sharp detail, or collectible weight
• Wooden Blocks Beech / Birch / MDF Low to Mid Eco-friendly, warm texture

This matrix helps designers quickly align their vision with budget realities, ensuring a consistent production outcome.

Practical Tips for Game Designers and Publishers

Eastar Game Manufacturing will equip the developers with resources to make the process easy in selecting the material to use and estimating their cost. We offer templates that can be used to design the products, and a material calculator to enable clients to budget the price of the products before manufacturing. 

Our German Heidelberg printers, as well as advanced inspection systems which ensure that they maintain accurate colour and cutting consistency, are used to achieve precision. Our hard-working quality control members ensure that every card, board, and component meets high international durability standards. 

To the publishers, this represents less risk, more predictable costs and final products that surpass the expectations of players.

Elevating the Player Experience Through Material Choice

The experience of a board game is both tactile and mechanical in nature, and players engage in fabricating narratives surrounding the experience. A proper selection of materials, whether high-quality black-core cards, durable greyboard punchboards, and collectable miniatures, or environmentally friendly wooden meeples, makes your game look and feel professional and endures extended gameplay.

By being thoughtful, and matching the materials to the type of game you have made, its budget, and its audience, you can elevate your project from prototype to masterpiece. Eastar Game Manufacturing is a highly skilled gaming manufacturer with years of experience and modern technologies to provide your game the professional boost it requires.