Board Book and Hardcover: How Do They Differ?

Though both the terms board book and hardcover are commonly used while referring to types of books, the terms are hardly interchangeable. Board books and hardcovers can be easily differentiated from one another when you consider the material used in the making of the book.

Hence, to help you see the differences between both, here is our take on board book vs hardcover, where we compare them and define them for your understanding.

Board Book vs. Hardcover: An Overview

The board books usually have every single page, including the cover made of sturdy boards. On the other hand, hardcover books only have a sturdy exterior as cover, while the rest of the pages are standard pages.

Board books tend to have fewer pages as every page is made of thick boards, making it harder to bind them together. Usually, they have 32 pages at most, but the number can go up higher than 32 and up to 48 pages.

The sturdy material costs more than the average page, so that makes the board books more expensive.

Hardcovers, on the other hand, have standard pages, so they can have up to 1000 pages and more. While board books are mostly used while creating books for children, hardcovers cover everything starting from textbooks, novels, etc.

What Is a Board Book?

Board books usually have every single page made of durable, hard boards. The majority of the board books are picture books as board books have fewer pages compared to other books. Also, children’s books need to be strong enough to withstand kids throwing, chomping, or even tightly grasping the pages.

Though every board book does not necessarily have to be a children’s book, sometimes the contents of some books can be explained easily using 3D structure. And board book’s material makes it essential for 3D structures on pages.

What Is a Hardcover?

Hardcover books usually are protected with a hard cover, while every other page inside is made of traditional yet high-quality papers. These high-quality papers might cost you more than investing in paperbacks, but it is comparatively less costly than purchasing board books.

You can use hardcover books to publish any genre of work or literature on them as they are one of the most popular sorts of books when it comes down to it.

Key Differences Between Novel and Book

Main Differences Between a Board Book and a Hardcover

Board books are made of sturdy boards, while only the cover is made of sturdy material for hardcover books.
The board books have fewer pages as the pages are thicker and harder to bind, while hardcovers are easy to bind due to having standard pages.
Board books are comparatively more costly, while hardcovers are relatively cheaper.
The majority of the board books are children’s’ books, while hardcovers can be a wide range of books.

Some of Our Articles You May Want to Read:

Board Book vs. Hardcover: The Comparison Table

Below is a comparison table that will help you compare board book with hardcover at a glance.

Parameters of Comparison	Board Book	Hardcover
Page Number	Usually has less than 50 pages	Can have up to 1000 pages
Material	Hard board	Standard pages
Cost	Comparatively higher cost	Comparatively lower cost
Common Usage	Children’s book	Wide variety

Final Words

As both sorts of books require specific occasions and purposes for use, you will be able to easily remember which situation requires for which with the help of our thorough guide on board book vs hardcover.

And when in confusion, you can never go wrong with hardcover books until kids are the target audience for your book.