What do the three digits in the numeric codes of exercise books mean?

What the 512 or 465 exercise book means: numeric codes made easy

When we buy school exercise books, we instinctively say “a little slim one with thick lines” or “a large one with squares.” However, teachers’ demands tend to be much more specific. So we need to get to know some codes, e.g. 624, 512, or 445. The first digit indicates the format of the exercise book, the second one indicates the number of sheets, and the third one is the code for the ruling. Let’s look at it in more detail. And you will definitely find the complete overview of the notebooks with codes at the end of the article helpful, too.

The entire labelling/numbering system was introduced by Papírny Brno, and it is used by all Czech and Slovak manufacturers of notebooks and exercise books The aim was to unify and simplify the range of school books and to prevent misunderstanding between teachers and parents when it comes to purchasing notebooks or exercise books due to vague wording.

The first digit: the exercise book format/size

The first digit of the usually three-digit code indicates the exercise book size based on standard A4, A5, and A6 formats.

4xx – an A4 exercise book, also called a large exercise book of the 210 x 297 mm size

5xx – an A5 exercise book, also called a typical small exercise book of the 210 x 148 mm size

6xx – an A6 exercise book is used as a vocabulary book or diary, it has the 148 x 105 mm size

The second digit: the number of sheets

The second digit reveals how many sheets there are in the exercise book – i.e. how “thick” and therefore heavy it is. Especially for the youngest schoolchildren, every saved gram is good because it takes some weight off their backs. That is why most exercise for the first and second grade contain only ten sheets.

AN INTERESTING FACT: The number of sheets excludes the cover.

x1x – an exercise book with 10 sheets of paper

x2x – an exercise book with 20 sheets of paper

x4x – an exercise book with 40 sheets of paper

x6x – an exercise book with 60 sheets of paper

x8x – an exercise book with 80 sheets of paper

In higher grades, and particularly at secondary schools (and sometimes at universities as well) even exercise books containing 80 sheets of paper may not be enough. If this is the case, search the notepads section where products with 96, 144, 176, and 192 sheets of paper are available. They are sometimes called record books.

Another possibility is to look for the so-called karis notepads, i.e. notepads with loose-leaf binders. They can contain even more than 250 sheets of paper that are added gradually. The sheets are available as:

• replacement inserts with punched holes for loose-leaf binders

• College notepads with perforated sheets to tear them off easily – and there are punched holes for loose-leaf binders on them as well

• or tear-off OFFICE notepads.

The third digit: Ruling

The youngest schoolchildren are just learning to write, and they need enough space for letters to accomplish that task. On the other hand, older children with a more qualified hand appreciate if they have more space for written text on each page. In some subjects, typically in physics, they need squared paper, in other subjects there is a need for completely blank paper. Ruling is revealed by the code as well.

xx0 – an unlined exercise book with blank pages

xx1 – a lined exercise book with pre-printed lines with the height of 20 mm on the sheets of paper, i.e. it is ideal for initial writing exercises

xx1 pl – the “pl” letters in the name of the exercise book point at a guiding line that helps children with how high the lower-case letters should be

xx2 – a lined exercise book with pre-printed lined with the height of 16 mm

xx2 pl – there are two guiding lines on each line in this exercise book – the lower one indicates the height of lower-case letters, and the upper one indicates the height of upper-case letters – and the rest of the line should be left blank

xx3 – a lined exercise book with pre-printed lines with the height of 12 mm

xx4 – a lined exercise book with classic lines with the height of 8 mm

xx5 – a squared exercise book with squares of 5 × 5 mm

xx10 – a squared exercise book with squares of 10 × 10 mm

The designation of exercise books sometimes includes the letter “e” or “r”after the numerical code (e.g. 464 E; 524 R). This letter means that the exercise book is made out of recycled or environmentally friendly paper.

Review: How would you describe the 464 E exercise book?

An A4 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper containing pre-printed lines with the height of 8 mm on environmentally friendly paper.

There are also several notebooks where you can find special ruling. These include music manuscript books or vocabulary books with columns for language classes. There are also exercise books where the lines are only on 2/3 of each page and the last third is left blank, for example, for pictures. They are suitable for elementary science or natural history.

An overview of exercise books designation on the Czech market

This section introduces designation of exercise book on the Czech market. When making a purchase, it is always desirable to use lists by teachers as they know what kind of ruling is suitable for individual grades and subjects. They are also aware:

• how the classes will be taught,

• if and how often there will be a need to refer to previous notes during the classes,

• if the children will need not only to write down notes but to draw pictures as well.

Diaries or notebooks: 

624 – an A6 notebook with 20 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

644 – an A6 notebook with 40 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

Small exercise books:

510 – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper, blank

511 – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 20 mm

511 with PL – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 20 mm, and a guiding line that helps children with how high the lower-case letters should be – it makes writing easier

512 – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 16 mm

512 with PL – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 16 mm, two guiding lines are added to lines – they indicate the height of lower-case and upper-case letter – it makes writing easier and teaches children to leave some blank space between the upper-case letter and the previous line

513 – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 12 mm

5110 – a small, slim A5 exercise book with 10 sheets of paper and squared paper with 10 x 10mm squares

Exercise books with 10 sheets of paper are used in the first three grades where children need more space for writing letters and numbers. From the fourth grade on, teachers usually recommend using exercise books with classic 8mm lines. Children are more skilled in handwriting, and they write smaller letters so narrower lines are quite enough.

520 – a small A5 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper, blank

523 – a small A5 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 12 mm

524 – a small A5 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

525 – a small A5 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and squared paper with 5 x 5mm squares

534 – a small A5 exercise book with 30 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm with pages divided into 3 columns for foreign language vocabulary – the columns are used for original words, their Czech translation, and pronunciation or a similar note

540 – a small A5 exercise book with 40 sheets of paper, blank

544 – a small A5 exercise book with 40 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

545 – a small A5 exercise book with 40 sheets of paper and squared paper with 5 x 5mm squares

560 – a small, thick A5 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper, blank

564 – a small, thick A5 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

565 – a small, thick A5 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper and squared paper with 5 x 5mm squares

Large exercise books:

420 – a large, slim A4 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper, blank

423x – a large, slim A4 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 12 mm, with special ruling. Lines are in the top 2/3 of the page and the bottom 1/3 is left blank, e.g. for drawings or pictures in subjects like elementary science or natural history. It can also be used as a reading journal.

424 – a large, slim A4 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

425 – a large, slim A4 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and squared paper with 5 x 5mm squares

4210 – a large A4 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and squared paper with 10 x 10mm squares, to be used for math classes at basic school

440 – a large A4 exercise book with 40 sheets of paper, blank

444 – a large A4 exercise book with 40 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

445 – a large A4 exercise book with 40 sheets of paper and squared paper with 5 x 5mm squares

460 – a large, thick A4 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper, blank

464 – a large, thick A4 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm

465 – a large, thick A4 exercise book with 60 sheets of paper and squared paper with 5 x 5mm squares

Special music manuscript books

ML1 – a slim A5 music manuscript book with a stave with 8 sheets of paper and 2-mm-high lines

ML2 – an A5 music manuscript book with a stave with 16 sheets of paper and 2-mm-high lines

ML3 – an A4 music manuscript book with a stave with 20 sheets of paper and 4-mm-high lines

Special vocabulary books

534 – a small A5 exercise book with 30 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 8 mm; each page is divided into 3 columns for foreign language vocabulary – the columns are used for original words, their Czech translation, and pronunciation or a similar note

Special exercise book with lines and space for drawings of pictures

423x – a large, slim A4 exercise book with 20 sheets of paper and lines with the height of 12 mm, with special ruling. Lines are in the top 2/3 of the page and the bottom 1/3 is left blank, e.g. for drawings or pictures in subjects like elementary science or natural history. It can also be used as a reading journal