--- title: "Decomposition Book: Size, Recycled Paper & Bindings" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/decomposition-book/" description: "Decomposition Book explained: 7.5 × 9.75 in, 80 college-ruled sheets of 100% recycled paper, composition vs spiral binding, pocket size and where it's made." category: "Notebooks" type: "Composition notebook" published: 2026-10-20 updated: 2026-10-20 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 19 products: - name: "Decomposition Book, Composition Binding, College Ruled, 80 Sheets (7.5 × 9.75 in)" brand: "Decomposition" brand_origin: "United States" made_in: "United States" material: "100% post-consumer recycled paper, soy-ink-printed cover" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Michael Roger (Brooklyn, New York)" model: "Parsley" gtin: "9781401540180" url: "https://decomposition.com/products/parsley-decomposition-book-1" --- # Decomposition Book: Size, Recycled Paper & Bindings > The Decomposition Book is a recycled-paper take on the composition notebook, sold by Brooklyn's Michael Roger. The large book measures 7.5 × 9.75 in (191 × 248 mm) and holds 80 college-ruled sheets (160 pages) of 100% post-consumer recycled paper, with a soy-ink-printed cover. It is made in the USA. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/decomposition-book/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-20 - Updated: 2026-10-20 ![Drawing of a large Decomposition Book to scale: closed in the white-and-green Parsley design with a dark green spine, 9.75 × 7.5 in (248 × 191 mm), and opened flat on two college-ruled pages](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/decomposition-book-16x9.png) *A large Decomposition Book, closed and opened to its college-ruled pages (1 mm = 0.8 px).* Original drawing (SVG): https://stationerytimes.com/images/decomposition-book-cover.svg. Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Decomposition Book, Composition Binding, College Ruled, 80 Sheets (7.5 × 9.75 in) | Decomposition (by Michael Roger (Brooklyn, New York)) | United States | United States | 100% post-consumer recycled paper, soy-ink-printed cover | – | $$: $5–20 per notebook | - Made in (Decomposition Book, Composition Binding, College Ruled, 80 Sheets (7.5 × 9.75 in)): United States. Decomposition's product pages give the country of origin as US, and Michael Roger says it manufactures its products in the USA whenever possible. Retailer listings (Amazon, Labyrinth Books, Firestorm Books) also say made in the USA; we found none that names another country. Source: https://decomposition.com/products/parsley-decomposition-book-1 ## Key takeaways - Size: 7.5 × 9.75 in (191 × 248 mm), the same footprint as a standard composition book, and about 0.4–0.5 in thick. - Pages: 80 college-ruled sheets (160 pages), 20 sheets fewer than a 100-sheet Mead composition book. - Paper: 100% post-consumer waste recycled, made without bleach; covers are printed with soy ink, and Decomposition's notebook collection lists 134 products. - Bindings: composition (the classic), spiral, topbound, and a pocket size that Decomposition lists at 4 × 6¼ in with 60 sheets. - Decomposition Books are made in the USA, per the maker's site and retailer listings. ## What is a Decomposition Book? **A Decomposition Book is a composition-style notebook made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, with an illustrated cover instead of the usual black marble.** It is sold under the Decomposition name by Michael Roger, Inc., which lists a Brooklyn, New York, address. Michael Roger says it has been family-owned and operated since 1949. A March 2023 Ethos profile dates the recycled-notebook idea to a 2006 landfill visit, and Decomposition's notebook collection lists 134 products in October 2026. ## Decomposition Book specs | Spec | Large, composition binding | Large, spiral | Pocket | |---|---|---|---| | Size | 7.5 × 9.75 in (191 × 248 mm) | 7.5 × 9.75 in | 4 × 6¼ in (102 × 159 mm) | | Sheets | 80 (160 pages) | 80 (160 pages) | 60 (120 pages) | | Ruling | College ruled | College ruled | College ruled | | Paper | 100% post-consumer recycled, no bleach | Same | Same | | Weight | 0.9 lb (408 g) | 0.9 lb | 0.35 lb (159 g) | | Price at Decomposition | US$12 | US$12 | US$6 | | Cover | Printed with soy ink | Same | Same | | Thickness | 0.4–0.5 in (retailers) | Not listed | 0.25 in | | Made in | USA | USA | USA | Size, sheets, binding, weight, price and the US country of origin come from Decomposition's product pages, including the pocket size. Thickness comes from retailer listings; one UK seller lists the pocket at 15.5 × 10 cm with 80 sheets instead. ![To-scale drawing: the large Decomposition Book at 7.5 × 9.75 in and the pocket size at about 4 × 6 in, next to a dashed 8.5 × 11 in US Letter outline](https://stationerytimes.com/images/decomposition-book-sizes.svg) *The large book fits inside a sheet of US Letter; the pocket size is about a quarter of its area.* ## Is the Decomposition Book sewn or glued? **Our sources don't agree, so we can't say for certain.** Decomposition's own pages list the binding only as "Composition". EarthHero describes the book as sewn bound, while Amazon's listing for the Parsley design says "thermal binding", which usually means glued. If you want pages that tear out cleanly, buy the spiral version. Retailers describe its 80 sheets as micro-perforated for easy removal. ## How does it compare to a Mead composition book? **The two are the same size, but the Decomposition Book has 20 fewer sheets, recycled paper and a printed cover.** | | Decomposition Book (large) | [Mead Composition 09910](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/mead-composition-notebook/) | |---|---|---| | Size | 7.5 × 9.75 in | 7.5 × 9.75 in | | Sheets | 80 (160 pages) | 100 (200 pages) | | Ruling | College | Wide (college: 09932) | | Paper | 100% post-consumer recycled | 15 lb bond | | Binding | Composition (sewn or glued, see above) | Sewn | | Price band | $$ | $ | | Made in | USA | Vietnam (most listings) | For a smaller book, the pocket Decomposition is larger than the 4.5 × 3.25 in [mini composition books](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/mini-composition-books/). For more pages per notebook, a spiral like the [Five Star 5 Subject](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/five-star-5-subject-notebook/) holds 200 sheets, while the [Oxford 1-Subject spiral notebook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/oxford-1-subject-spiral-notebook/) has 70 perforated, 3-hole-punched sheets. ## Which Decomposition Book should you buy? **Buy the composition-bound book for class or journal notes you want to keep together, and the spiral for pages you plan to tear out.** Both are 7.5 × 9.75 in with 80 college-ruled sheets. - **Composition binding:** the classic, with no wire to snag in a bag. - **Spiral:** folds back on itself and has micro-perforated sheets. - **Pocket:** 4 × 6¼ in, 60 sheets, in composition, spiral or topbound versions, for lists and field notes. Decomposition's site also offers a topbound version. The cover design is the main choice; the paper inside is the same college-ruled recycled stock. ## How much does a Decomposition Book cost? **A large Decomposition Book falls in our $$ band ($5–20 per notebook).** That makes it more than a basic composition book, which is usually in our lowest band ($, under $5). Staples, Amazon and many campus and museum shops stock it. ## Where are Decomposition Books made? **Decomposition Books are made in the USA.** Decomposition's product pages give the country of origin as US, and Michael Roger says it manufactures in the USA whenever possible; retailer listings including Amazon, Labyrinth Books and Firestorm Books agree. The company lists a Brooklyn, New York, address. If you write in a Japanese-style notebook instead, the [KOKUYO Campus](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/kokuyo-campus-notebook/) is a thinner, cheaper alternative at a similar page size. ## Frequently asked questions ### What size is a Decomposition Book? The large Decomposition Book measures 7.5 × 9.75 inches (191 × 248 mm), the same as a standard composition book. Decomposition lists the pocket version at 4 × 6¼ inches (102 × 159 mm). ### How many pages are in a Decomposition Book? The large composition-bound and spiral books have 80 sheets, which is 160 pages because both sides are ruled. Decomposition lists the pocket size with 60 sheets (120 pages), though one UK seller lists 80. ### Is a Decomposition Book college ruled or wide ruled? The standard large books are college ruled, according to Decomposition's product pages. The maker doesn't publish the exact line spacing in the sources we found. ### Is the Decomposition Book sewn or glued? Sources disagree. Decomposition's site lists the binding simply as "Composition", one retailer describes it as sewn bound, and an Amazon listing for the Parsley design says thermal binding. Check the spine of the copy you buy. ### What is the Decomposition Book made of? The pages are 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, processed chlorine-free, and the cover is printed with soy ink, according to the maker and its retailers. ### Who makes the Decomposition Book? Michael Roger, Inc., a company in Brooklyn, New York, that says it has been family-owned and operated since 1949. The notebooks are sold under its Decomposition brand. ### Where are Decomposition Books made? In the USA. Decomposition's own site and every retailer listing we checked say the notebooks are made in the USA. ### Can you tear pages out of a Decomposition Book? The spiral version is designed for it: retailers describe its sheets as micro-perforated for easy removal. The composition-bound book has no perforations, so tearing a page out can loosen its partner page. ## Sources - [Decomposition: Parsley Decomposition Book (7.5 × 9.75 in, composition binding, 80 sheets, country of origin US, 0.9 lb, UPC 9781401540180, US$12)](https://decomposition.com/products/parsley-decomposition-book-1) - [Decomposition: Mountain Lake Pocket Sized Decomposition Book (4 × 6¼ in, 60 sheets, country of origin US, 0.35 lb, US$6)](https://decomposition.com/products/pocket-4x6-decomposition-book-mountain-lake-lined-pages) - [Decomposition: About (Michael Roger, family-owned since 1949, manufactures in the USA whenever possible)](https://decomposition.com/pages/about) - [Decomposition: The power of PCW (100% post-consumer-waste paper, no bleach)](https://decomposition.com/pages/the-power-of-pcw) - [Decomposition: Brownstone Composition Book, College Ruled, 9.75 × 7.5 in (80 sheets, 160 pages, composition binding, 0.9 lb)](https://decomposition.com/products/brownstone-decomposition-book-college-ruled-pages) - [Decomposition: Notebooks collection (134 products, October 2026)](https://decomposition.com/collections/recycled-notebooks) - [Decomposition: Big Sur Spiral Bound, College Ruled, 9.75 × 7.5 in](https://decomposition.com/products/big-sur-decomposition-book) - [Decomposition: Woodgrain Decomposition Book (composition, spiral and topbound bindings)](https://decomposition.com/product/decomposition-book-woodgrain-lined-pages/) - [Amazon: Decomposition Parsley College Ruled Composition Notebook, 9.75 × 7.5, 160 pages (thermal binding, made in USA)](https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Roger-Parsley-Decomposition-Book/dp/140154018X) - [Amazon: Decomposition Everglades College Ruled Spiral Notebook, 9.75 × 7.5, 160 pages](https://www.amazon.com/Everglades-Coilbound-Decomposition-Book-Ruled/dp/1412416256) - [Labyrinth Books: Michael Roger Parsley Decomposition Book, white cover with green printing, 7.5 × 9.75 in, college ruled](https://www.labyrinthbooks.com/parsley-decomposition-book/) - [Firestorm Books: Woodgrain Decomposition Book (80 college-ruled sheets, 0.5 × 7.5 × 9.8 in, ISBN 9781401519254)](https://www.firestorm.coop/products/6329-woodgrain-decomposition-book.html) - [EarthHero: Ruled Decomposition Notebook (sewn bound)](https://earthhero.com/products/decomposition-ruled-decomposition-notebook) - [Tenement Museum Shop: Brownstone Decomposition Notebook (0.4 in thick)](https://shop.tenement.org/product/brownstone-decomposition-notebook/) - [Tenement Museum Shop: Topographical Map Pocket Size Decomposition Book (6 × 4 × 0.25 in, 60 sheets)](https://shop.tenement.org/product/topographical-map-pocket-size-decomposition-book/) - [Methodist Bookshop: Decomposition Book Pocket Notebook (about 15.5 × 10 cm, 80 sheets)](https://www.methodistnottinghamtrent.co.uk/product/2870542/decomposition-book-pocket-notebook) - [Staples: Decomposition Jellyfish 1-Subject Composition Notebook, College Ruled, 80 Sheets](https://www.staples.com/decomposition-jellyfish-1-subject-composition-notebooks-college-ruled-80-sheets-multicolored-15606/product_24636715) - [Ethos: How the Decomposition Notebook Is Writing a New Chapter for Responsible Paper Production (March 5, 2023; 2006 landfill visit)](https://the-ethos.co/the-decomposition-notebook-responsible-paper-production/) - [ARTnews: The Best Composition Notebooks](https://www.artnews.com/art-news/product-recommendations/best-composition-notebooks-1202692487/)