Where Are Vinyl Records Made

Cnet photographer and resident music aficionado josh miller walks you through the steps it takes to make one.

Where are vinyl records made.

Vinyl records are made with polyvinyl chloride commonly known as pvc. Biscuits come in different weights ranging from 140 grams at the low end to more than 200 grams at the high end. This is how a vinyl record is made. At the time the lp was introduced nearly all phonograph records for home use were made of an abrasive and therefore noisy shellac compound employed a much larger groove and played at approximately 78 revolutions per minute rpm limiting the playing time of a 12 inch diameter record to less than five minutes per side.

However as from the beginning of the decade a new material called vinyl became the new way to make a record come to life hence the fact they were originally called shellac records then vinyl records. One factor that can affect vinyl records value is if the record in question is a promotional issue as opposed to a commercial or stock copy of the record. The new product was a 12 or 10 inch 30 or 25 cm. Vinyl records are making a big scratch again.

You ll often see vinyl records weighing 180g or more marketed on sleeves and promotional descriptions due to the perceived improved quality. Custom made 10 inch vinyl record available in black white and transparent 20 minutes of music 10 min per side design your own cover labels quantity discount available free insured worldwide shipping. In fact when you investigate how records are manufactured it s a minor miracle the format even works let alone looks appealing. Before the fifties records were often made of a specific material called shellac which is a resin produced by a female lac bug.

Unlike a cd which while a remarkable piece of technology in its own right can hardly be called charming a well made vinyl record is a beauty to behold. Promotional or promo copies of a record are often identified in some way and they often have a special label that indicates that the particular records was made for. In the mid 2000s gradually records made of any material began to be called vinyl records or simply vinyl. The vinyl and the sleeve or cover will have clearly visible defects lower grades like poor or fair may well not play through every time without skipping and will display noticeable cosmetic damage like cracks on the vinyl or tears on the sleeve vinyl records will sometimes be given a play grade and a visual grade.