Best Index Cards: Oxford, Exacompta Bristol & LIFE

Five index card sizes drawn to scale: Oxford 3 × 5 in, LIFE 5 × 3 in, Exacompta 125 × 200 mm, A6 and A7 bristol cards — Drawn to scale · 1 mm = 0.85 px

Products compared

No. 1Oxford Ruled Index Cards, 3 × 5 in, white, 100 pack$
No. 2Exacompta bristol record cards, 125 × 200 mm, lined, white, 100$$
No. 3LIFE index cards, 5 × 3 in, blank, 100 cards$$

Product	Brand origin	Made in	Price range
Oxford Ruled Index Cards, 3 × 5 in, white, 100 pack (31EE)Oxford	United States	United States^*	Price range: $under $5 per ream or pad
Exacompta bristol record cards, 125 × 200 mm, lined, white, 100 (13803X)Exacompta	France	France^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per ream or pad
LIFE index cards, 5 × 3 in, blank, 100 cardsLIFE	Japan	Not stated^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per ream or pad

Notes on these facts

Oxford Ruled Index Cards, 3 × 5 in, white, 100 pack (31EE): Made by TOPS Products (Oxford brand). Made in United States: WebstaurantStore's listing for the 31EE says the item was made in the United States of America. Source. Price: example listing.
Exacompta bristol record cards, 125 × 200 mm, lined, white, 100 (13803X): Made by Exacompta (Exacompta Clairefontaine group). Made in France: Exacompta's product page for the sky-blue 13813X carries a Made in France label, and Bruneau's listing for the white 13803X says Made in France: Yes. Source. Price: example listing.
LIFE index cards, 5 × 3 in, blank, 100 cards: Made by LIFE Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). Country of manufacture not stated: Yoseka Stationery's listing describes the cards as made with LIFE's own paper but doesn't state a country of manufacture; LIFE is a Tokyo paper maker. Price: example listing.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

Key takeaways

Oxford 31EE cards are 3 × 5 in, ruled, 100 to a pack, made in the USA with 10% post-consumer recycled content; WebstaurantStore lists the pack at about five cents a card.
Exacompta's bristol record cards are 205 g/m², PEFC-certified and made in France, 100 to a box, lined, squared or plain, in sizes from 74 × 105 mm (A7) up to 297 × 420 mm.
The 125 × 200 mm Exacompta card (white lined 13803X) is the classic French fiche bristol, a little larger than a US 4 × 6 in card.
LIFE's 5 × 3 in cards come 100 blank to a pack with a punched hole at the top; Yoseka Stationery says LIFE's own paper formula takes fountain pen ink.
A standard US index card is 3 × 5 in (76 × 127 mm), the same footprint as a Post-it 655 note; 4 × 6 in and 5 × 8 in are the larger sizes.

What are the best index cards?

On published specs, the best index cards are the Oxford 31EE for the standard 3 × 5 in ruled card, Exacompta’s bristol record cards for heavy stock in metric sizes, and LIFE’s 5 × 3 in cards for paper that takes a fountain pen. The Oxford is #1 because it’s the standard size at the lowest cost per card. An index card is a stiff card you write on one side and file, sort or flip: flashcards, recipes, a Zettelkasten, a speech.

Best overall: Oxford 31EE. Why it’s here: the standard 3 × 5 in ruled card at about five cents each, the cheapest per card here; 100 to a pack, made in the USA.
Best heavy card: Exacompta bristol record cards. Why it’s here: the heaviest card here, 205 g/m², about twice copy paper, so it stays flat and takes ink on both sides; made in France in six sizes.
Best for fountain pens: LIFE index cards. Why it’s here: the smoothest of the three, so it takes fountain pen ink; 5 × 3 in, blank, punched for a ring.

How did we choose these picks?

We compiled these picks from published sources, not hands-on testing: makers’ and retailers’ specs (size, weight, ruling, origin), US availability, price per card and price band. We chose one card for each common need: cheap standard cards, heavy stock and paper for fountain pens.

How do the index cards compare?

Oxford is the cheapest per card, Exacompta the heaviest, LIFE the smoothest, by their makers’ and retailers’ figures.

Card	Size	Paper	Ruling	Count	Made in	Band (per pack)
Oxford 31EE	3 × 5 in (76 × 127 mm)	Not published; 10% post-consumer recycled	Ruled, one side	100	USA	$ (under $5)
Exacompta bristol 13803X	125 × 200 mm	205 g/m² bristol, PEFC	Lined; also squared, plain, perforated	100	France	$$ ($5–20)
Exacompta bristol, other sizes	74 × 105, 75 × 125, 100 × 150, 105 × 148, 148 × 210, 210 × 297, 297 × 420 mm	205 g/m²	Lined, squared or plain	100	France	$ to $$
LIFE index cards	5 × 3 in (127 × 76 mm)	LIFE paper	Blank, punched hole	100	Not stated	$$

Exacompta’s cards come in white, sky blue, pink, green, yellow and assorted packs, per its product page. Oxford’s 31EE is white; the same card in canary is the 7321 CAN at Staples.

Which index card size do you need?

3 × 5 in for flashcards and a pocket, 4 × 6 in or A6 for notes with a few lines each, and 125 × 200 mm or 5 × 8 in for a recipe or a full paragraph. The 3 × 5 in card takes about five ruled lines, which is a question on one side and an answer on the other. A6 at 105 × 148 mm is a little taller and fits an A6 card box.

Exacompta’s range runs from A7 at 74 × 105 mm, which is business-card height, to A3 at 297 × 420 mm for a poster-size sheet of bristol. The 125 × 200 mm fiche is the size French students learn on.

Why does card weight matter?

A heavier card stays flat after a hundred shuffles and takes ink on both sides without showing through. Exacompta’s 205 g/m² is about twice the weight of 80 g/m² copy paper and in the range of a business card. Oxford doesn’t publish a weight for the 31EE; a retailer lists 8 point thickness, roughly 0.2 mm, which we couldn’t confirm with the maker.

For a fountain pen, smoothness and sizing matter more than weight. Yoseka Stationery says LIFE developed its own paper formula and that it works with fountain pen ink; The Pen Addict’s 2016 review called the cards smooth and sturdy. LIFE’s notebooks on the same paper are in our LIFE Noble Note guide.

What do you file index cards in?

A card box, a ring or a rubber band. LIFE punches its cards for a book ring, and Yoseka sells a leather ring holder for them. Exacompta’s perforated cards are made for a two-ring card binder. For a card you stick rather than file, the Post-it 655 is the same 3 × 5 in footprint; see our sticky notes roundup.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a standard index card?

3 × 5 in (76 × 127 mm) in the US, with 4 × 6 in and 5 × 8 in as the larger sizes. France's classic fiche bristol is 125 × 200 mm; Exacompta also cuts A7 (74 × 105 mm), A6 and A5 cards.

Which index cards are best for flashcards?

Oxford's 3 × 5 in ruled cards: 100 to a pack at about five cents each, ruled on one side so the answer side stays blank. For cards that get handled daily, Exacompta's 205 g/m² bristol is stiffer.

Which index cards work with fountain pens?

LIFE's 5 × 3 in cards, which Yoseka Stationery says use LIFE's own fountain-pen-friendly paper, and Exacompta's bristol, a smooth coated board. Oxford doesn't publish a paper weight for the 31EE.

What is bristol board?

A smooth, stiff uncoated board made by pasting or pressing sheets together, named after Bristol in England. Exacompta's record cards are 205 g/m² bristol, about twice the weight of copy paper.

What are index cards called in the UK and France?

Record cards in the UK, fiches bristol in France. Exacompta's English site uses record cards; the French packs say fiches bristol.

How thick is an index card?

Exacompta publishes 205 g/m² for its bristol cards. Oxford doesn't publish a weight for the 31EE on the pages we read; one retailer gives 8 point thickness and an 85 lb basis weight, which we couldn't confirm with the maker.

Are index cards made in the USA?

Oxford's 31EE is, per WebstaurantStore, with 10% post-consumer recycled content. Exacompta's cards are made in France, and LIFE's retailer page doesn't state a country.

Sources (8)

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