Acrylic vs Resin Dice: What's the Difference?

Walk into any game store and you'll see two kinds of colorful polyhedral dice side by side: acrylic and resin. At a glance they can look similar, but they're made very differently, and that changes how they look, feel, and hold up at the table. Here's what sets them apart, and how to choose.

How each is made

Acrylic dice are the standard dice most players start with. They're injection-molded by the thousands: melted plastic is forced into steel molds, cooled, and then tumbled in big drums to smooth away the seams. Tumbling is what gives most acrylic dice their soft, rounded edges. The numbers are then filled with paint.

Resin dice are cast instead. A liquid two-part resin is mixed, colored, and poured into silicone molds, often under pressure to squeeze out bubbles, then left to cure for hours. Because the resin starts as a liquid, makers can swirl colors together and suspend things inside it before it hardens. After curing, each die is sanded and polished, and the numbers are inked. Resin dice are made in factories too, not just by hand, and factory sets may be tumbled like acrylic ones. (If you want to see what that involves, our Ultimate Guide to Making Dice at Home walks through every step.)

Look and inclusions

This is where resin really shines. Acrylic dice come in solid colors, simple swirls, glitter, and translucent "gem" styles, and they look great, but the injection process limits what can go inside them.

Resin can hold almost anything: layered color swirls, mica shimmer, glitter, metallic foil, even tiny flowers or charms. Every pour also comes out a little differently, so no two resin sets are exactly alike. Our own Town of Click Clack sets show the range: the purple and pink smokey swirl of the Mysterious Stranger, the black and white tendrils of the Shadow Clan, and the blue and silver foil of the Widow's Wraith.

Weight and feel

Resin dice often feel a little heavier in the hand than acrylic dice of the same size, though the formula and anything cast inside them make a difference. Many players love that extra heft. It makes each roll feel more deliberate. Handmade resin dice are also often sharper-edged, since they're sanded flat rather than tumbled round, which gives them a crisper roll that settles faster.

Acrylic dice are lighter and tend to tumble farther, which some players prefer for big, dramatic rolls (just keep a dice tray handy).

Durability

Both are tough enough for years of play, but they wear differently. Acrylic is hard and slick, so it shrugs off most knocks. Resin, especially with sharp edges, can chip if it's dropped on tile or rattled in a bag with heavier dice. A few simple habits keep resin dice looking new:

• Store them in a soft bag or padded case, apart from metal dice.
• Roll them on a mat or in a dice tray, not on glass or stone.
• Keep them out of hot cars and direct sunlight.
• Clean with mild soap and water; skip alcohol and solvents.

Fairness

Both kinds can roll fair, and both can have flaws. With acrylic dice, heavy tumbling can round edges unevenly. With resin dice, a trapped air bubble can make one side lighter. If you're curious about a particular set, the saltwater float test in How to Check the Balance of Your Acrylic Dice works on many resin dice too, though some are too dense to float, and passing it doesn't prove a die is perfectly fair.

Price

Acrylic dice are the budget option, often just a few dollars a set, because they're mass-produced. Handmade resin dice can run anywhere from $30 to well over $100 a set, mostly because of the hours of hand work involved (we dig into that in Are Handmade Dice Worth the Cost?). Factory-cast resin sets from custom molds sit in between, giving you resin's look and feel at a much friendlier price.

Which should you choose?

• Choose acrylic if you're just starting out, need a lot of dice for a group, or want something you won't worry about losing.
• Choose resin if you want a set with real personality, like a little extra weight in your hand, and plan to take good care of your dice.

Honestly, most players end up with both: a pile of acrylic dice for the table and one special resin set that's theirs. That's exactly why we made the Town of Click Clack dice, so every adventurer can find the set that feels like their character.