Updated on October 16, 2025
Conservation Mat Board is an excellent archival mat board. It is a less expensive alternative to our wide range of 100% Cotton Museum Boards. Our Conservation Mat Board is made from a highly refined alpha-cellulose pulp that is made from purified wood fiber. Therefore, it is more economical to manufacture than Museum Board. Many museums and archives prefer mat board made using 100% cotton which is why it has become known as Museum Board. Cotton is naturally acid-free so it requires less chemical processing than wood. Both types of mat board are used to mat and frame art for longterm preservation.
Purified Wood Pulp
Purified wood pulp paper has a long history of being safe to use with paper artwork, photographs, documents and collectibles.
This high-quality board is acid-free and lignin-free, and is buffered with calcium carbonate. This ensures protection from the destructive effects of potential “acid migration” from the matted work or from environmental pollutants that might cause the pH of the mat board to decrease – become more acidic, that is – with age.
Optical brighteners are not used to manufacture any Archival Methods’ Mat Board, so the mats will not discolor over time.
Conservation Mat Board Colors and Plies
We offer the conservation board in two colors. Our Gallery White Conservation Board, available in 4-ply, is similar in tone to our Bright White Museum Board. Pearl White Conservation Mat Board, available in 2-ply and 4-ply, is slightly warmer and has a tone somewhere in between our Warm White Museum Board and our Antique White Museum Board. The look and feel are similar to mat boards made from cotton pulp.
Conservation Mat Board: Package Quantities
Archival Methods’ Conservation Mat Board comes in many standard pre-cut sizes from 5 x 7″ to 32 x 40.” All the sizes of 2-ply Pearl come in packages of 25. The 4-ply sizes up through 16 x 20″ come in packages of 25 and the 17 x 22″ and larger come in packages of 15.
If you don’t see the board size that you need listed, we can cut it for you. Order the next size up and, upon request, we’ll cut the package down at no extra charge. During check out you can specify that you want board, paper, or UV-filtering acrylic sheets cut to a custom size under Special Instructions in the Payment section. Please note, we will only cut an entire package down to one size, not multiple sizes.
Conservation Mat Board: Specifications
In a nutshell, here’s what our Conservation Mat Board is all about:
• it is made from high-quality alpha-cellulose pulp from purified wood fiber
• 2-ply board measures in at a 30-point thickness (approximately 1/32’’)
• 4-ply board measures in at a 60-point thickness (approximately 1/16’’)
• the single ply sheets are laminated together using an all-natural starch adhesive
• all boards are acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered with a 2-3% calcium carbonate alkaline reserve with a pH of 9 ±0.5
• alkaline sizing is used for both internal and external sizing / no alum is used in the manufacturing process
• all color dyes are light-fast and non-bleeding
• this high-quality mat board will not degrade or cause harm to mounted or matted artwork
Matting Art
If you’re looking for a high-quality acid-free mat board with similar archival characteristics of 100% Cotton Museum Board, please consider Archival Methods’ fine Conservation Mat Board. It can be ordered in packages of uncut board or selected when ordering Custom Cut Window Mats.
The best way to determine if our Conservation Mat Board is right for you is to order our Board & Paper Sample Pack. It will help you select the best option when it comes to the color, thickness, and material for your particular needs. It is ideal to evaluate a mat board sample and your artwork together under the same lighting conditions.
Updated: April 2022
Contact Us
If you have any additional questions on preserving your collections, or would you like more information on any of our museum-quality archival storage and presentation materials, please contact us here at Archival Methods. We’re always there to help with any archiving, storage, or presentation questions you may have.
