Rubber Band Sizes Explained: #33 vs. #64 vs. Large Jumbo Rubber Bands

Posted by Emily Collins on Nov 04, 2026

We get one question more than any other: why is it called a #33 band or a #64 band? Is the number some kind of code, or does it actually mean something? It does mean something, and we'll get to it in a second. After that we'll go through what we sell: #33 rubber bands for the office supplies drawer, #64s when you need thick rubber bands, and large rubber bands for trash cans.

How rubber band sizes work

It's not a code. It's not a measurement either, at least not directly. Rubber band numbers are grouped by width. The 30s are all 1/8 inch wide. Ours in the 60s are 1/4 inch. Inside each group, the bigger the number, the longer the band. A #33 and a #64 are both 3 1/2 inches long, which surprises a lot of people. The #64 is just wider, so it's thicker and stronger and gets the heavier jobs.

Latex is the other thing to watch, and it comes down to color. Black EPDM and every solid #33 color except brown are synthetic rubber, so they're latex-free. Brown is natural rubber, and because our multicolor mix includes brown, the mix isn't latex-free. For #64s, blue, black, white and orange are latex-free, and the other colors are natural rubber.

Size 33 rubber bands: the everyday office band

A #33 rubber band is 3 1/2" long and 1/8" wide. When a supply list says rubber bands size 33, this is what it means. It's the plain band you'd find in almost any desk drawer, good for produce, a stack of folders, cash, mail, flowers or craft supplies. It stretches to 3x and snaps back hard, so a bundle stays tight even after you've opened it and put the band back a few times. On a thin stack, just loop it twice.

We sell #33s three ways. For one desk, a classroom caddy or a craft table, the 100-count bag is plenty. Offices, classrooms and warehouses usually want the 1 lb pack of 500. And if bands go fast where you are, at home, at work or somewhere industrial, the 1,000-count bag is the better buy.

There are more #33 colors than any other band we sell: black, white, natural, red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, brown, green, dark green, light green, purple, lavender and argyle purple. The 1 lb pack also comes in forest green and a multicolor mix. Colored rubber bands are handy for color-coding. Put red rubber bands on one team's mail, black rubber bands on another's and white rubber bands on a third, and anyone can tell whose bundle is whose from across the room.

#64 rubber bands: thick, wide bands for heavy-duty jobs

#64 rubber bands are the same 3 1/2 inches long as a #33 but 1/4 inch wide. Wide rubber bands like these are made for heavy-duty bundling in warehouses and industrial settings and for large items, and they have the same 3x stretch. When we're wrapping a fat stack of files around here, we grab a #64.

The 1 lb pack of 250 comes in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, white or yellow. There's also a small 100-count box on Amazon, about 4 x 4 x 1 inches and a quarter pound, in black, blue, brown, green, natural, orange, red, white or yellow. People use #64s on files, cords, papers, mail, produce and cash, and for tie dye and balloon arches.

Large rubber bands: 23" and 30" jumbo garbage can bands

Our jumbo garbage can rubber bands go around the rim of a trash can and hold an oversized bag in place, so the liner doesn't slide down into the can. If you've ever fished a bag out of the bottom of a bin, you'll see the point. They also work as moving rubber bands for furniture and for bundling large items, indoors or out.

The 23" jumbo bands (measured unstretched) are blue and UV-rated. They fit 48-gallon and 64-gallon Toter carts and all 65-gallon carts, and come in packs of 5 or 25.

The 30" bands, also measured unstretched, fit 64-gallon and 95-gallon Toter carts and Rubbermaid 95-gallon carts. You can get them in UV-rated orange in packs of 5 or 25, or in natural as a 5-pack.

Black EPDM rubber bands for outdoor use

Sunlight dries regular rubber out until it cracks and loses its stretch, so a band that's going to stay outside should be UV-rated. Our black UV-rated #33 bands are made from EPDM, which is made to resist sun exposure. They're a good fit for mailboxes, garden stakes, gutters and outdoor bins, and they come in 100-count, 1 lb (500) and 1,000-count packs. For #64 there's one UV option, black EPDM, sold as a 1 lb pack of 250 on plasticmill.com or a 100-count box on Amazon.

Quick rubber band size guide

Mail, papers, cash, produce and everyday bundling: #33 rubber bands
Thick stacks, cords and heavy-duty work: #64 rubber bands
Anything that lives outside: UV-rated black EPDM, in #33 or #64
Latex-free (synthetic rubber) office bands: any solid-color #33 except brown (not the multicolor mix); blue, black, white or orange #64; black EPDM
48- to 65-gallon trash cans: 23" jumbo rubber bands
64- and 95-gallon carts: 30" jumbo rubber bands

Find your size

If you're not sure where to start, get a 1 lb pack of #33s. It covers most everyday jobs, and you can add #64s or jumbo bands once you know what else you need. Every size and color is in the PlasticMill rubber band shop and the PlasticMill store on Amazon.