i know that US currency is actually a textile, not paper-- it’s 25% linen and 75% cotton. not sure about social security cards, but there is precedent for using fabric and other textiles in the creation of government documents, and it’s specifically to make them more durable.
It just feels like very sturdy paper. There may be denim involved in the making of it but you absolutely can easily tear them. I’ve had to replace one before when it got torn accidently
A DMV employee told me they’re made of denim and very hard to tear. Is that not true then?
i know that US currency is actually a textile, not paper-- it’s 25% linen and 75% cotton. not sure about social security cards, but there is precedent for using fabric and other textiles in the creation of government documents, and it’s specifically to make them more durable.
https://www.bep.gov/currency/how-money-is-made
they are actually made to quickly degrade when exposed to the elements so if you drop it in public it will not stay around forever for someone to find
Is that why they tell you not to laminate it?
yes, among other reasons pertaining to security features that are affected by lamination
It just feels like very sturdy paper. There may be denim involved in the making of it but you absolutely can easily tear them. I’ve had to replace one before when it got torn accidently
I just tested it on mine and it was surprisingly easy to tear it to shreds. I don’t think there’s any denim in there.
Mine from 1983 is just paper.