What Material Is a Dollar Bill Made Out Of?

If you have ever found a dollar bill in your pocket when you take it out of the dryer, you probably suspected that it was not made of paper and wondered exactly what material the dollar bill is made from.

The percentages have changed over the years, but most dollar bills are 25% linen fibers and 75% cotton fibers.
The small red and blue fibers used to be silk and are now synthetic.
Synthetic fibers are replacing the linen; the composition is now 80% cotton and 20% synthetic fibers.

Rag Fibers in a Dollar Bill

The material a dollar bill is made of is called rag.

Rag fibers bond together better and are stronger than paper. That’s why they can be washed whereas a cellulose-based paper would disintegrate.
There is a watermark and thread incorporated into the process of forming the material to protect against counterfeiting.
A special, secret blend of ink is used in the making of money.
After the dollar bill is printed and overprinted with symbols, it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to make it crisp.

In summary, the dollar bill is made out of cotton, linen and synthetic fibers, it has red and blue fibers added, and has a thread and watermarks to prevent counterfeiting. Then it is printed twice using a secret blend of ink, starched, and pressed.

History of the Dollar Bill

The first one dollar bills were issued in 1862 and were called Greenbacks. These replaced the Demand Notes issued the previous year.

They continued being made until 1971.
The paper had red and blue fibers and the bill had the Treasury seal and a picture of Salmon P. Chase, who was the Treasury Secretary.
The National Banking Act was passed in 1863, which established the national banking system and a uniform currency.

Gold and Silver Certificates

Gold certificates were issued by the Treasury against gold coins and bullion deposits and were circulated from 1865 to 1933.
In 1877, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was formed and it took over the job of printing currency.
Silver certificates were issued in exchanges for silver coins in 1878 and this continued until 1957.
Congress eliminated silver certificates in the early 1960s and also stopped the use of silver in coins.

Federal Reserve Act

The Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913 which created the Federal Reserve System as the nation’s bank.
The system issues Federal Reserve Notes which are now 99% of the currency in circulation.
Major changes came to dollar bills in 1929 when the size was reduced by 25% and the symbols on the back were standardized.

Changes to the Dollar Bill

You may also be curious about some changes to the dollar that have been made over time.

In 1934, the words under Washington’s portrait were changed from ONE SILVER DOLLAR to ONE DOLLAR.
The Treasury seal went to the right and was superimposed over the ONE and a blue numeral 1 was put on the left.
In 1935, the blue numeral 1 was changed to a gray color, the seal was smaller and put by WASHINGTON DC, and the words ONE DOLLAR was placed over the seal.
On the back, all the changes made can be seen on the dollar bill today, except for the words IN GOD WE TRUST.

Current Appearance of the Dollar Bill

Starting in 1957, the words IN GOD WE TRUST were added to the one dollar bill and have appeared on all currency since 1963.
Also in 1963, the Federal Reserve Notes began replacing one dollar Silver Certificates.
Other changes were the border design on the front being completely redone and the Treasury seal and serial numbers were printed in green ink.
As of 1969, the Treasury seal has all the words in English instead of Latin. A security thread and microprinting both started in 1990 to prevent counterfeiting.

The current one dollar bill’s most notable feature is a portrait of George Washington drawn by Gilbert Stuart.

Also on the front are:

The seal
The scales
A carpenter’s square
The key to the US Treasury

The back has:

The Great Seal of the U.S.
A pyramid with an all seeing eye
The words IN GOD WE TRUST

Above the pyramid is the Latin inscription "ANNUIT COEPTIS" which translates as "God has favored our undertaking" and below the pyramid is "NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM," which means "a new order has begun." At the bottom of the pyramid are the Roman numerals for 1776.