Polymer Banknotes Outperform Paper on Strength and Security

As an anti-forgery expert with the Egyptian Ministry of Justice, I have spent decades investigating the strength and security of various banknote substrates. My work has involved analysis of the technical specifications of banknotes, through extensive mechanical and chemical testing, as well as an assessment of data published by central banks. I’d like to share my findings here.

There is no longer any doubt that polymer banknotes offer superior security and durability when compared to those printed on cotton-paper substrate. They typically last four or more times longer, and consistently reduce counterfeit rates. This article will explore the main reasons why.

Data shows polymer banknotes reduce counterfeit rates

The superior security against counterfeits can be ascertained via data from central banks.

To take one example, El Banco Central de Costa Rica launched a new banknote family in 2011; they printed three denominations on paper, while a fourth, the 1,000 colones, was printed on polymer. It was revealed that between 2011 and 2021, for an entire decade no fake ₡1,000 was detected, despite being a very high volume of banknotes back in 2009 and 2010, immediately prior to polymerisation.