Use the Google Cardboard open-source specifications in this Help Center to create your own Cardboard-inspired viewer. The sections below explain the various specs and product tolerances for each part of the Cardboard viewer.
For easier distribution within manufacturing teams, you may also find it useful to download the full Cardboard Manufacturers Kit of specifications and tolerances.
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Cardboard lenses enable the users to focus their vision on the smartphone screen and allows the smartphone to be placed at short focal distances (2-5 cm). They are critical to providing a great VR experience for users.
Lens design optical parameter specifications
| Parameters | Value | Unit | Comments |
| Designed FOV | 80 | ° | Circular total field of view |
| Pupil diameter | 15 | mm | Also known as the “eyebox” |
| Eye relief | 18 | mm | From the designed eye pupil to lens surface vertex |
| Nominal virtual image distance | -667 | mm | |
| Lens diameter | 34 | mm | |
| Lens material | PMMA | nd =1.492, v = 57.4 |
The Google Cardboard mechanical body consists of three distinct parts: chassis, t-shirt, and button. Each of these parts is made from E-flute, 1.7mm thickness corrugated cardboard.
Sleeve specifications
Google Cardboard is delivered to users inserted into a kraft bending chip, 18 mil thickness sleeve, with the side flaps folder over.
Cardboard Sleeve
Oleophobic coating
The oleophobic coating should provide water and grease resistance. It should be skin safe and compliant with the food contact regulations. The coating should be applied on the user-facing part of viewer’s chassis. For best performance, it should be applied via a rod coater, not via flexo press.
The button on a Google Cardboard viewer consists of two conductive parts (“pillow” and “strip”), glued to a cardboard-based “hammer”.
Cardboard button parts: (1) - "pillow", (2) - "hammer", (3) - "conductive strip
Conductive strip specifications
| Parameters | Value | Unit |
| Material | Metallized fabric (polyester Ni/Cu) | |
| Surface resistivity | < 0.03 | Ω/sq. |
| Z-axis resistance | < 0.03 | Ω |
Conductive pillow specifications
| Parameters | Value | Unit |
| Surface material | Metallized fabric (polyester Ni/Cu) | |
| Core material | Soft urethane foam | |
| Core surface resistivity | < 0.07 | Ω/sq. |
| PSA type | Conductive | |
| PSA Z-axis resistance | < 0.05 | Ω |
Google Cardboard uses two round hook and loop fasteners for the side flaps, and an oval hook and loop fastener for the top flap.
Hook and loop fasteners as used in Google Cardboard: (1) - oval “loop” fastener, (2) - oval “hook” fastener, (3) - round “loop” fastener, (4) - round “hook” fastener
Oval hook and loop fastener specifications
| Parameters | Value |
| Material | Woven nylon |
| PSA type | Acrylic-based adhesive |
| Color | Black |
Round hook and loop fastener specifications
| Parameters | Value | Tolerance | Unit |
| Material | Woven nylon | ||
| Diameter | 19.25 | +/- 0.25 | mm |
| PSA type | Acrylic-based adhesive | ||
| Color | Black |
The back flap of a Google Cardboard contains a rubber band. The rubber band increases the friction between the phone’s bottom surface and the back flap, thereby reducing the chance of the phone’s slippage.
(1) - rubber band location on Google Cardboard
Rubber band specifications
| Parameters | Value | Unit |
| Dimensions | 76.2 x 6.35 x 1 | mm |
Google Cardboard contains three printed pieces of artwork: an isometric viewer diagram placed on the sleeve, the isometric assembly instructions placed on the back flap of the chassis and the QR viewer profile placed on the chassis bottom.
Cardboard artwork placement: left - an isometric viewer diagram on the sleeve, center - the assembly instructions on the chassis, right - QR viewer profile.