A5 Leather Journals

A5 Leather Journal Covers: the Size Most People Mean by “a Journal”

A5 is the default. It is the size Leuchtturm, Moleskine, Hobonichi and almost everyone else builds their flagship notebook around, and it is the one that works for both a desk and a bag. Every cover here is full-grain Crazy Horse leather, measures 6.3" × 9.1" (16.0 × 23 cm) closed, and holds the notebook on elastic bands so the cover outlasts the paper. These are A5 journal covers rather than A5 journals: the paper is yours to choose and to replace.

What Is an A5 Journal? Size in Inches, Centimeters and Millimeters

• A5 page — 5.8" × 8.3", 14.8 × 21 cm, 148 × 210 mm.
• Asperaria A5 cover, closed — 6.3" × 9.1", 16.0 × 23 cm, 160 × 230 mm.
• A4, for comparison — 8.3" × 11.7", 21 × 29.7 cm. Exactly twice the A5 page.
• A6, for comparison — 4.1" × 5.8", 10.5 × 14.8 cm. Exactly half the A5 page.

A5 is half a sheet of printer paper. That is the quickest way to picture it: fold an A4 page in half along its long edge and you have A5. An A5 journal cover has to be cut a little larger than that: ours is 16.0 × 23 cm closed, so the paper never stands proud of the leather.

A5 Notebooks That Fit This Cover

• Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 — 145 × 210 mm, 3 mm narrower than true A5.
• Moleskine Large — sold as Large rather than A5, 130 × 210 mm. It sits here with room at the sides; the Cahier cover is cut for it.
• Hobonichi Cousin, Midori MD A5, Rhodia A5, Clairefontaine A5 — true A5 at 148 × 210 mm.
• A5 sketchbooks and watercolor pads up to roughly 150 × 215 mm.
• Does not fit: A5 ring binders and disc-bound A5, the rings stand proud of the spine and will not run under an elastic band.

Two or three booklets run at once on the bands. If the notebook came from a brand you do not recognize, measure it rather than trusting the letter on the cover.

A5 Next to the Sizes Either Side

• A6 — 10.5 × 14.8 cm, half the page, the pocket version. See A6 leather journals.
• B6 — 12.5 × 17.6 cm, between A6 and A5. See B6 leather journals.
• A5 — 14.8 × 21 cm. This collection.
• Sketchbook — 15.2 × 22.9 cm, the 6" × 9" format, one step up from A5 for drawing. See Sketchbook size.
• B5 — 17.6 × 25 cm, about 40% more page. See B5 leather journals.
• A4 — 21 × 29.7 cm, twice A5 and the size of printer paper. See A4 leather journals.
• Regular — 11 × 21 cm, the traveler’s notebook format. Same page height as A5, 3.8 cm narrower. See Regular size.
• Cahier — 12.7 × 21 cm, the Moleskine Large size. Same page height as A5, 2.1 cm narrower. See Cahier size.

Shape is the other choice. An A5 bifold is two panels and a spine, the lighter way to carry it; browse bifold leather journals. An A5 trifold adds a third panel over the front for cards and loose paper; browse trifold leather journals.

A5 Leather Notebook Cover, Refillable Rather Than Bound

The elastic-band spine is what makes this refillable rather than bound: when a booklet is full you take it off and put the next one on. The cover is the thing you keep. A refillable A5 journal cover only has to outlast the paper. That is the traveler’s notebook principle at A5 width instead of the narrow Regular size.

• Notebook refills — A5 paper in lined, plain, colored and 250 gsm watercolor.
• Journal inserts and organizers — zip pouches, card wallets and folders on the same bands.
• Pen cases and pen holders — a holder attaches to the cover, a case travels on its own.
• Journal charms and bookmark clips for the closure elastic and the page.

A5 in Six Leather Colors

This A5 leather notebook cover is cut in all six of our colors, one hide, six finishes: Black Onyx, Chestnut brown, Forest Green, Bordeaux burgundy, Cognac and Caramel. Crazy Horse is wax-impregnated, so the shade lifts where the cover bends and settles again flat. Every size we make is on the leather journal covers hub. An A5 can also be personalized — engraved, heat stamped or foiled in gold or silver. That is chosen before checkout and cannot be taken off afterwards.