FactSentinel

United States paper money is not printed on wood-pulp paper. Federal Reserve notes are printed on a specialty substrate made of about 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen. This blend has been used for generations and is supplied to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing by Crane & Co., a Massachusetts company that has made U.S. currency paper since 1879. Because the material is a cloth-like fiber blend rather than pulped wood, the notes feel different from ordinary printer or newspaper paper.

The choice of cotton and linen is deliberate. These fibers are much stronger and more durable than wood fibers, which is why a bill can survive thousands of folds and even a trip through a washing machine. A typical $1 bill lasts about 6 to 7 years in circulation, while ordinary wood-pulp paper would fall apart far sooner. The material also resists fading and tearing, and it takes intaglio printing ink well. Small red and blue security fibers are embedded in the paper itself, and newer notes include security threads and watermarks. These features are difficult to replicate on standard commercial paper, so the unusual composition also helps deter counterfeiting.

The misconception likely arises because most paper people encounter daily is made from wood pulp, so it is easy to assume money is too. Another common belief is that bills are made of "paper" in the everyday sense, when they are technically closer to a fabric-fiber product. Even though the term "paper money" is standard, the material is quite different from typical paper.