How many bills are in a strap of money?
Short answer: a standard US currency strap holds 100 bills. A strap of $20 bills is worth $2,000, and a strap of $100 bills is worth $10,000.
A strap is the paper band banks wrap around a stack of bills. The color of the band tells you the value at a glance, so you don't have to read the bills.
Strap values and colors
| Bill | Bills in a strap | Strap value | Band color |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | 100 | $100 | Blue |
| $2 | 100 | $200 | Green |
| $5 | 100 | $500 | Red |
| $10 | 100 | $1,000 | Yellow |
| $20 | 100 | $2,000 | Violet |
| $50 | 100 | $5,000 | Brown |
| $100 | 100 | $10,000 | Mustard |
These colors are the common American Bankers Association standard. You may see small differences, because some banks and band makers also sell straps for smaller amounts, like $25 or $50 in ones.
Strap, bundle: what's the difference?
- Strap: 100 bills
- Bundle: 10 straps, so 1,000 bills
A bundle of $20 bills is $20,000. A bundle of $100 bills is $100,000.
Counting straps and loose bills together
Multiply the straps by 100, then add the loose bills. Say you have 3 straps of $20 bills and 17 loose ones:
- 3 straps × 100 = 300 bills
- 300 + 17 = 317 bills
- 317 × $20 = $6,340
In our money counter, just type 317 in the $20 row. You can do the same for each bill, and it adds up the whole lot.
Should you trust the number on the band?
A sealed strap straight from the bank is usually right. A strap someone made up in the back office is a different story, so count those yourself before they go into a deposit. Each bill weighs about one gram, so a full strap weighs about 100 grams. A kitchen scale can tell you quickly if one looks thin.
Outside the US, bundle sizes and band colors can differ. In India, for example, notes are usually bundled in packets of 100, and our cash calculator for India handles those rupee counts.
