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The Different Types of Vinyl

The Different Types of Vinyl

Vinyl records are an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed, a diameter, use of the "microgroove" groove specification, and a vinyl composition disk.


Image by Jack Hamilton
Image by Jack Hamilton

12 inch Album/12 inch Single
(LP or Long Playing/EP or Extended Playing)
The 12" vinyl format is often referred to as an LP as it can play much longer than the Single or Extended Play 7". LPs were 10" records at first, but soon the 12" size became by far the most common. While the 12" format is most commonly used for LP purposes, it is also quite common to see Singles and EPs pressed on 12" vinyl.

The recording time available on 12" records depends very much on the frequency spectrum, the dynamic range, the width of the stereophonic signal and other characteristics of the recording. Recommend 12" records playing times are 14.0 – 15.5 minutes at 45 RPM and 20.0 – 22.5 minutes at 33 1/3 RPM.

The 12" format is available on standard weight, 140g or Heavy weight 180 – 220g vinyl.


Image by Oleg Sergeichik
Image by Oleg Sergeichik

10 inch Album
Before the early 1950s the 33 1/3 RPM LP was most commonly found in a 10" format. The 10" format disappeared from United States stores around 1950, but remained common in some markets until the mid-1960s. The 10" vinyl format was resurrected in the 1970s for marketing some popular recordings as collectible.

The recording time available on 10" records depends very much on the frequency spectrum, the dynamic range, the width of the stereophonic signal and other characteristics of the recording. Recommend 10" records playing times are 10.5 – 11.5 minutes at 45 RPM and 14.0 – 15.5 minutes at 33 1/3 RPM.

The 10" standard weight, 110g only.


Image by Nik
Image by Nik

7 inch Single
Traditionally, the 7″ 45 RPM format has been used for Singles and would contain one item per side, but they are also great for Extended Play (EP) releases, multi-track records that play longer than the single-item-per-side records. Since the 7″ can be cut at either 45 RPM or 33 1/3 RPM, longer recording times can be achieved at the expense of attenuating and compressing the sound to reduce the width required by the groove.

The recording time available on 7″ records depends very much on the frequency spectrum, the dynamic range, the width of the stereophonic signal and other characteristics of the recording. Recommend 7″ records playing times are 6.0 – 6.5 minutes at 45 RPM and 8.0 – 8.5 minutes at 33 1/3 RPM.

The 7″ format is available on standard weight, 42g or Heavy weight, 70g vinyl.


Flexi Discs/Vinyl
The Flexi is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl (or paper) sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. Developed in communist Russia through the pressing and distribution of illegal pop music on old X-Rays called Bones, flexis have since come to embody a variety of products thinner than a normal vinyl record. A flexi can be molded with speech or music and used for a huge variety of purposes. While they are certainly used as standalone promotion tools, collectibles, gifts and invitations, most find themselves bound into the magazines and books with a perforated seam.


For custom vinyl manufacturing, for independent musicians, artists and entrepreneurs visit:
Pirates Press Inc


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