Mead Composition Notebook: Size, Sheets & Ruling
The Mead Composition Notebook (09910) is ACCO Brands' classic black marble composition book. It measures 9.75 × 7.5 in (24.8 × 19.1 cm) and holds 100 sewn sheets (200 pages) of wide-ruled white paper, with a class schedule and reference tables inside the covers. A college-ruled version (09932) is the same size.
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Mead Composition Notebook, Wide Ruled, 100 Sheets, Black Marble (09910)
- Brand
- Mead
- Brand origin
- United States
- Made in
- Vietnam*
- Material
- Marbled cardboard cover, 15 lb (56 g/m²) bond paper
- Price range
- $under $5 per notebook
Notes on these facts
- Made by ACCO Brands Corporation. Made in Vietnam: per office-supply distributor spec sheets (BSC Source and PFSTAR, which lists the 12-book carton). Mead's own site doesn't state a country. PFSTAR and PartsSource list the college-ruled 09932 as made in China, so origin can differ by item; check the label. Source. Price: example listing.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Size: 9.75 × 7.5 in (24.8 × 19.1 cm), the standard full-size composition book, about five times the page area of a 4.5 × 3.25 in mini.
- Pages: 100 sheets (200 pages), sewn rather than glued or spiral-bound.
- Ruling: the 09910 is wide (legal) ruled with 25 blue lines per page, listed at 11/32 in (8.7 mm) by one dealer and 3/8 in (9.5 mm) by another; the 09932 is college ruled.
- Paper is listed as 15 lb bond (about 56 g/m²), lighter than typical 20 lb (75 g/m²) copy paper.
- Distributors BSC Source and PFSTAR list Vietnam as the country of origin for the 09910; the college-ruled 09932 is listed as made in China.
What is the Mead Composition Notebook?
The Mead Composition Notebook is the classic black-and-white marbled school notebook made by Mead, a brand of ACCO Brands. The best-known version is item 09910: 100 sewn sheets of wide-ruled paper in a 9.75 × 7.5 in (24.8 × 19.1 cm) book. Distributors also list it under Mead’s “Square Deal” line, with UPC 043100099109.
It’s one of the best-selling notebooks on Amazon. ASINsight estimated about 20,000 sales of its Amazon listing (ASIN B00006IDM7) in July 2026, the second-highest in its “composition book” report.
Inside, Mead prints a class schedule on the inside front cover and multiplication tables, conversion tables and grammar rules on the inside back cover.
Mead Composition Notebook specs
| Spec | Wide ruled (09910) | College ruled (09932) |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | ACCO Brands (Mead) | ACCO Brands (Mead) |
| Size | 9.75 × 7.5 in (24.8 × 19.1 cm) | 9.75 × 7.5 in (24.8 × 19.1 cm) |
| Sheets | 100 sheets (200 pages) | 100 sheets (200 pages) |
| Line spacing | 11/32 in (8.7 mm) per one dealer; 3/8 in (9.5 mm) per BSC Source | College ruled; Mead gives no figure |
| Lines per page | 25 | Not listed |
| Paper | White, 15 lb bond (about 56 g/m²) | White |
| Binding | Sewn | Sewn |
| Cover | Black marble; 33-pt chipboard back cover | Black marble |
| Inside covers | Class schedule; multiplication, conversion and grammar tables | Same |
| Made in | Vietnam, per BSC Source and PFSTAR | China, per PFSTAR and PartsSource |
Size, sheet count, sewn binding and the inside-cover tables come from Mead’s own pages for the 09932 and the 12-pack of the wide-ruled book. Line spacing, lines per page, paper weight and cover board come from office-supply distributor spec sheets, not from a Mead page; the two dealers we found disagree on the wide-rule spacing.
The g/m² figure is our conversion from 15 lb bond. Prices vary widely by retailer and pack size, and Mead doesn’t publish a list price, so we’ve left price out.
How big is a full-size composition book?
A full-size composition book like the Mead is 9.75 × 7.5 in (24.8 × 19.1 cm), a little smaller than a sheet of US letter paper (11 × 8.5 in).
If you want something for a pocket, see our guide to mini composition books, which measure 4.5 × 3.25 in (11.4 × 8.3 cm). For the same 7.5 × 9.75 in size on recycled paper, see the Decomposition Book.
Wide ruled or college ruled: which should you choose?
Choose wide ruled (09910) for large handwriting or when a school list asks for it, and college ruled (09932) to fit more on each page. The two books are otherwise the same size, sheet count and cover.
- Wide (legal) ruled: 25 lines per page; dealers list the spacing as 11/32 in (8.7 mm) or 3/8 in (9.5 mm).
- College (medium) ruled: narrower lines, which Mead says gives more lines per page. College rule is usually 9/32 in (7.1 mm), but Mead doesn’t publish a figure for the 09932.
Check the item number or the ruling printed on the cover. Both versions use the same black marble design, so they look nearly identical on a shelf.
Is the Mead Composition Notebook sewn, and can you tear pages out?
Yes, it’s sewn, and tearing pages out isn’t recommended. Mead says the sewn binding keeps pages securely in place and lets the book lie flat, and none of the spec sheets we found list perforated pages.
In a sewn book, each page is one half of a sheet folded at the spine. If you tear a page out, its partner page on the other side of the stitching usually comes loose too. If you need tear-out pages, a spiral notebook with perforations is the better fit; see our Five Star 5-subject notebook guide.
What is the paper like?
Distributors list the paper as 15 lb bond, about 56 g/m², which is thin by notebook standards. Typical 20 lb copy paper is about 75 g/m².
Thin paper is light and keeps a 200-page book slim, but wet inks are more likely to show through. With gel pens or rollerballs, a fine tip such as 0.38 or 0.5 mm puts down less ink. See our Pilot G2 and uni-ball ZENTO Signature guides for tip sizes.
Why do composition notebooks have a marble cover?
The black-and-white pattern is a printed imitation of marbled paper, a decoration that’s centuries old. Mental Floss traces paper marbling to 10th-century China and 12th-century Japan, and says marbled notebooks appeared in France and Germany in the mid-19th century before reaching America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Format magazine reports that the composition book pattern descends from a German “agate” design produced by industrial methods rather than by hand, and that it was never copyrighted. That’s why Mead and many other brands all sell nearly identical black marble books.
Where is the Mead Composition Notebook made?
Office-supply distributors BSC Source and PFSTAR list the Mead 09910 as made in Vietnam. Listings for the college-ruled 09932 (PFSTAR, PartsSource) give China. Mead’s own site and its Amazon listing don’t state a country of origin.
Because listings differ by item and batch, check the country printed on the back cover or the shrink-wrap of the book you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Mead composition notebook?
The full-size Mead Composition Notebook measures 9.75 × 7.5 inches (24.8 × 19.1 cm). Retailers list both the wide-ruled 09910 and the college-ruled 09932 at that size.
How many pages are in a Mead composition notebook?
The standard Mead Composition Notebook has 100 sheets, which is 200 pages because both sides are ruled. Amazon's listing for the 09910 gives the page count as 200.
Is the Mead composition notebook wide ruled or college ruled?
Both exist. The Mead 09910 is wide ruled (also called legal ruled), with 25 lines per page, and the 09932 is college ruled, which Mead says gives more lines per page. Check the item number on the cover.
Is the Mead composition notebook sewn?
Yes. Mead says the sewn binding keeps pages securely in place and lets the book lie flat when open. It is not perforated, and the book has no spiral.
Can you tear pages out of a composition notebook?
You can, but it isn't designed for it. In a sewn book each page is half of a folded sheet, so tearing one out usually loosens its partner page on the other side of the stitching. Spec sheets for the Mead 09910 list no perforations.
What paper weight is a Mead composition notebook?
Distributor spec sheets list the 09910's paper as 15 lb bond, which is about 56 g/m². That's lighter than common 20 lb (75 g/m²) copy paper. Mead doesn't publish a gsm figure in the sources we found.
Why do composition notebooks have a marble cover?
The black-and-white pattern comes from paper marbling. Mental Floss traces marbled notebooks to France and Germany in the mid-1800s, and Format magazine reports the German "agate" pattern was made industrially and never copyrighted, so any maker can use it.
Where is the Mead composition notebook made?
Office-supply distributors BSC Source and PFSTAR list the Mead 09910 as made in Vietnam, while the college-ruled 09932 is listed as made in China. Mead's own site doesn't state a country, so check the label.
Sources
- Mead: Composition Book, College Ruled, 100 Sheets, 7 1/2 x 9 3/4 in, Black Marble (09932)
- Mead: Black Marble Composition Books, Wide Ruled, 12-pack (72936; 100 sheets, sewn, lays flat, 7 1/2 x 9 3/4 in)
- Amazon: Mead Composition Notebook, Wide Ruled, 7.5 × 9.75 in, 100 Sheets, Black Marble (09910), ASIN B00006IDM7
- Staples: Mead 1-Subject Composition Notebook, 9.75 × 7.5 in, Wide Ruled, 100 Sheets (09910)
- Walmart: Mead Composition Book, Wide Ruled, 100 Sheets, 9 3/4 × 7 1/2, Black Marble
- Quill: Mead Composition Notebook, 9.75 × 7.5 in, Wide Ruled, 100 Sheets (09910)
- Dealer spec sheet: Mead MEA09910 (11/32 in ruling, 25 lines per sheet, blue rule)
- PFSTAR: Mead 09910, 12-book carton (UPC 043100099109, sewn, country of origin Vietnam)
- BSC Source: Mead MEA09910 (15 lb paper, 25 lines, 3/8 in ruling, 33-pt chipboard back, country of origin Vietnam)
- Office Supply Inc: Mead Wide Ruled Composition Notebook, 1 each (country of origin)
- PartsSource: Mead 09932, college ruled, sewn (country of origin China)
- PFSTAR: Mead 09932 (lists China as country of origin)
- On Time Supplies: Mead 09932 Square Deal Composition Book, college rule, 100 sheets
- Mental Floss: The Long History of the Marbled Composition Book
- Format magazine: Who Designed the Composition Notebook?
- ASINsight: Best-selling composition books on Amazon US, July 2026 (sales estimates)