A lot of people love the durability of PSA slabs. So much so that people often wonder what the slabs are made of.
So, what are PSA slabs made of? They are made of a thick acrylic plastic that is then laser sealed to ensure that the card inside of the slab is protected. Well, protected as much as possible.
We will give you a slightly more in-depth answer to this question on this page. We are 100% positive you want to know more about how PSA slabs work and where they are manufactured.
What Are PSA Slabs Made Of?
PSA slabs are made with thick acrylic plastic.
PSA doesn’t go into a huge amount of depth on what their slabs are made from. This is because their slabs are known for providing some of the best protection for the cards inside.
For example, PSA slabs are manufactured with materials that help to protect the cards inside from UV rays, which can help to protect the cards from fading, even when they are left on display.
Do bear in mind that while the PSA slabs have been manufactured from thick plastic, they do not protect the cards 100%. This is because the PSA slabs are not manufactured to be airtight.
This means that they can condense up on this inside, and water can get inside of them. Still, the PSA slabs are going to provide far better protection than putting your cards inside an average set of card sleeves.
You should remember that PSA are always working incredibly hard to shake up the way in which they manufacture their slabs. This means that the grade of acrylic that they use may change up over time.
PSA Recommends using Card Saver 1’s when submitting cards for grading. To check the current price and availability of Card Saver 1 Sleeves, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
Where Does PSA Manufacture Their Slabs?
PSA slabs are manufactured in China/Taiwan.
If you have a PSA slab, then you will notice that there is a mark on it that says the country of manufacture. Although, PSA doesn’t go into too much depth in the exact place of manufacture. Chances are PSA doesn’t have a factory themselves but instead pays a variety of factories to produce the slabs for them.
As near as we can tell, all of the slabs from the card grading companies, including Beckett, are also manufactured in China/Taiwan. To be honest, it doesn’t really matter where these slabs are manufactured. They are just pieces of plastic.
Are There Fake PSA Slabs?
Of course. Cards that are in a PSA slab tend to be worth a lot more. After all, people will pay a huge amount of cash for cards that have been graded. This means that many people will put cards in fake PSA slabs. The cards inside of these slabs may be real, but the grading is going to be fake.
The slabs will not be to the same standard too, which means that there is an even greater chance that your cards could end up getting damaged while they are in the sleeves.
Thankfully, fake PSA slabs are not especially common. This is because the bulk of people that are looking to buy graded cards will be able to spot a fake PSA slab a mile off.
What to Look Out for in a Fake PSA Slab
The thing is that fake PSA slabs are often real PSA slabs that have been resealed. This makes it ridiculously difficult to know when you are dealing with a fake and when you are dealing with a real PSA slab.
First and foremost, you should always look at the sticker on the slab. This will list the name of the card and a barcode. You can tap the number into the PSA site and it will tell you if it is a real grade. You can also look at the sticker to make sure that the PSA security features are there i.e. the PSA logo appears as a holographic.
Secondly, you will need to look at the seal on the PSA slab. If you notice clouding on the seal, then there is a good chance that you are dealing with something that has been resealed.
Beyond this, there is not a whole lot that you can do. If you are concerned as to whether you are dealing with a fake PSA slab, then avoid purchasing it. It is going to be great of a risk.
Final Thoughts
PSA slabs have been manufactured from a thick acrylic. They follow PSA’s patented design.
PSA slabs are manufactured in China/Taiwan. This is the same place that the vast majority of slabs from the major grading companies are.
There are fake PSA slabs out there, but they are rarer. The bulk of fake slabs are actually just resealed real slabs. This can make them very difficult to spot. If you are unsure as to whether something is real, don’t buy it.