FactSentinel

U.S. paper currency is not actually made from paper in the conventional sense, meaning wood pulp fibers used in items like printer paper or newspaper. Instead, American banknotes are produced from a specialized blend of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen fibers. This composition has been used for U.S. currency production since 1879, when the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began sourcing this distinctive material for banknote paper.

The cotton-linen blend serves several practical purposes that wood pulp paper cannot match. This fiber combination gives currency its distinctive texture, allowing it to remain crisp rather than becoming pulpy or falling apart, and provides significant durability advantages. Cotton-linen currency paper can withstand folding thousands of times without tearing, a critical feature since bills pass through countless hands, ATMs, and cash registers during their circulation lifespan. This material also allows for the embedding of tiny red and blue synthetic fibers throughout the paper, which serve as one of several built-in security features designed to deter counterfeiting.

A common misconception is that U.S. currency is printed on standard paper products, similar to what might be used for books or documents. In reality, Crane Currency, a private company with a centuries-long relationship with the U.S. government, manufactures this specialized cotton-linen substrate exclusively for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. This distinction explains why dollar bills feel notably different from regular paper and why they can survive an accidental trip through the washing machine far better than a sheet of notebook paper would.