The number of dollar bills in a bundle can vary greatly depending on the denomination of the bills and how the bundle is packaged. Bundles of currency are typically wrapped with a paper band and come in standard configurations used by banks, businesses, and cash handlers.
Standard Dollar Bill Bundles
There are a few common ways that standard paper currency is bundled and distributed in the United States:
- Straps – A strap of bills contains 100 notes of the same denomination. So a $1 strap has 100 $1 bills, a $5 strap has 100 $5 bills, etc.
- Bricks – A brick contains 10 straps of 100 bills each, so 1,000 notes total. Bricks are commonly prepared for larger denomination bills like $20s, $50s, and $100s.
- Bundles – A bundle contains 10 bricks of currency straps, so a total of 10,000 bills. Bundles are most often used for $1 bills.
Based on this, here is how many bills you would find in standard bundles and packs of U.S. currency:
| Denomination | Number of Bills in a Strap | Number of Bills in a Brick | Number of Bills in a Bundle |
| $1 | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| $5 | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| $10 | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| $20 | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| $50 | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| $100 | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
So a bundle of $20 bills, which is the typical configuration for larger denominations, would contain 10,000 bills totalling $200,000.
Bundles of Smaller Denominations
For lower denominations like $1 bills, bundles may contain more than 10,000 bills. Some common configurations include:
- 25,000 – Contains 25 straps of 100 $1 bills each, totalling 25,000 bills.
- 50,000 – Contains 50 straps of 100 $1 bills each, totalling 50,000 bills.
- 100,000 – Contains 100 straps of 100 $1 bills each, totalling 100,000 bills.
Banks and businesses that handle high volumes of cash may bundle $1 bills into packs of up to 200,000 notes, contained in 200 straps of 100 bills each.
Bundles of Large Denominations
For very large denominations like $500 or $1,000 bills, bundles typically contain fewer bills due to the high total value. Packages may contain:
- 250 bills – A bundle of 25 straps with 10 $500 bills per strap.
- 500 bills – A bundle of 50 straps with 10 $1,000 bills per strap.
However, $500 and higher denomination notes are now only used internally by federal banks and are no longer circulated publicly.
Non-Standard and Mixed Bundles
In some cases, banks or businesses may prepare non-standard bundles that contain a mix of denominations or fewer total bills for convenience or to meet specific needs. For example:
- A bundle prepared with 5,000 $20 bills and 5,000 $50 bills, to total a 10,000 bill bundle worth $500,000.
- A smaller bundle containing just 5 straps of $100 bills, totalling 500 bills worth $50,000.
- A bundle containing 50 straps of $1 bills and 10 straps each of $5s, $10s, and $20s.
So in summary, while most currency bundles contain 10,000 bills of a single denomination, the exact quantity can vary greatly based on the value and purpose of the bundled cash.
Conclusion
The number of dollar bills contained in a bundle or pack can range from just a few hundred bills up to 200,000 bills or more. Standard configurations used by banks and cash handlers contain the following numbers of bills:
- Strap – 100 bills
- Brick – 1,000 bills (10 straps)
- Bundle – 10,000 bills (10 bricks)
For lower denominations, especially $1 bills, larger bundles are common containing 25,000 to 200,000 notes. Bundles can also be non-standard, containing mixed or partial denominations. But in most cases, bundles will contain 10,000 bills or more for convenience in larger cash transactions and transfers.
