Decomposition Book: Size, Recycled Paper & Bindings

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 — A large Decomposition Book, closed and opened to its college-ruled pages (1 mm = 0.8 px).

Product facts

Product: 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 range: $$$5–20 per notebook

Notes on these facts

Made by Michael Roger (Brooklyn, New York). Made 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. Price: example listing.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

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 — 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
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. For more pages per notebook, a spiral like the Five Star 5 Subject holds 200 sheets, while the 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 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 (19)

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