Without cards, of course, you can't do a reading at all — but is a tarot cloth actually necessary for divination?

We'll explain everything about tarot cloths.

First, let's look at what makes a tarot cloth popular.

✦Popular Tarot Cloths

A tarot cloth exists purely to support readings done with tarot cards, oracle cards, Lenormand cards, and the like.

Cloths with bold patterns or dense embroidery can make it harder to read the artwork on your cards clearly. Of course, the right look depends on the deck you use, but if you work with several different decks, simple designs tend to be the most popular choice.

Any color is fine as a matter of personal taste, but darker shades tend to be more popular — likely because cards stand out more clearly against a dark background.

Cloths with a non-slip backing also tend to stay flatter and won't bunch up or shift when you mix the cards on top.

A decorative border isn't just for looks either — it helps the cloth keep its shape, so you can shuffle and lay out cards without the fabric sliding around and causing stress.

The ideal size depends on which spread (card layout) you plan to use, but a cloth with enough room to comfortably lay out your cards is generally the easiest to work with.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at the tarot cloth rankings.

✧Tarot Cloth Rankings

Here, in order, are the highest-rated tarot cloths.

1. MARDUK Tarot Cloth

A tarot cloth recommended by professional fortune tellers, made from a luxurious velvet material with no pattern — just clean simplicity.

A plain cloth makes the imagery on your cards easy to read and can help your intuition flow more freely. It's said to work well for actual readings too.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, it can accommodate not just tarot cards but larger oracle cards, and even a Grand Tableau spread with Lenormand cards.

A matching pouch with a decorative gem accent is a nice touch — though note that the pouch is for storing cards only, not the tarot cloth itself.

2. BLESSUME Tarot Card Tablecloth

A velvet tarot cloth with a cross and pentagram motif in each corner as its standout feature. At a generous 62cm × 62cm, it can handle spreads that use a large number of cards.

Some reviews mention slight size inconsistencies, but nothing that affects usability.

It comes with a matching pouch that can hold your cards.

It also has just the right thickness for shuffling cards, so you may not even need a separate non-slip mat.

3. RELIGHT Tarot Cloth

A simple tarot cloth with a non-slip backing. It's made from thick velvet fabric for a luxurious feel.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, it offers plenty of room to lay out even larger oracle cards.

A nice bonus: it comes as a 3-piece set with a storage pouch for the cloth itself plus a separate pouch for tarot cards. Handy if you plan to carry your set around.

Some reviews mention that the color looks slightly different from the product photos, but the texture and overall usability were rated very highly.

4. Kuai Tarot Cloth

A rare find among tarot cloths — this one comes in pastel tones.

Most tarot cloths favor darker colors that make cards stand out, but a softer pastel cloth may have the added benefit of helping put a querent at ease.

It's a simple, unpatterned cloth in a velvet-like material, with a border featuring a Victorian-era floral motif that's proven popular.

You can choose between a 2-piece set (cloth plus card pouch) or a 3-piece set that adds a pouch for the cloth itself.

At 68cm × 68cm, this is larger than the others featured here. If you're using oversized cards — like Inner Child Cards — for something like a year-ahead reading, it may be worth prioritizing size when choosing a cloth.

5. MARDUK Tarot Cloth (Zodiac Border)

A simple non-slip tarot cloth with a zodiac motif bordering the edge.

Made from thick velvet, it's praised for its elegant sheen and near-silk texture. Reviewers noted that the non-slip backing keeps the cloth from shifting, making for smooth, easy shuffling.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, it comfortably handles spreads with a larger number of cards.

Comes with a matching card pouch.

6. goges All-in-One Non-Slip Tarot Cloth

A tarot cloth made using a proprietary non-slip composite material.

Typical non-slip tarot cloths have a non-slip backing sewn together with a top fabric only at the edges — leaving a gap between the two layers, so while the backing stays put, the top layer can still bunch up under hand movement. This cloth solves that problem.

Reviewers noted that it truly doesn't shift at all during use.

Since cloth slippage is a real annoyance, a cloth that stays perfectly still is a genuine plus for staying focused during a reading.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, it comes as a 3-piece set with a card pouch and a pouch for the cloth itself.

Silver-thread embroidery accents the cloth's border and the storage pouch, and the pouch features a gemstone in a matching color — giving the whole set a mystical feel.

7. AVIL Tarot Cloth

A luxurious, thick velvet-style tarot cloth with silver embroidery along the border.

At 66cm × 66cm, it's plenty large, though it has no non-slip backing, so it's best used with a separate non-slip mat underneath.

Reviewers described the color as calm and understated, with sturdy fabric and careful stitching.

Comes with a slightly larger matching card pouch.

8. MARDUK Tarot Cloth with Zodiac Motif

A star and the twelve zodiac signs are embroidered in gold thread at the center of this cloth, with a matching gold arabesque pattern along the border — giving it a truly dazzling finish.

The fabric is a luxurious thick velvet with a non-slip backing.

Reviewers praised the beautiful contrast between the cloth and its embroidery, noting how it enhances the mood of a reading.

Some readers also use the zodiac motif itself as a guide for laying out a circular spread — for certain reading styles, this may actually be more useful than a plain cloth.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, the matching card pouch also features the same arabesque accent.

9. RainbowOcean Tarot Cloth

A tarot cloth made from a soft, velvet-like fabric.

Instead of a pouch, it comes with a charm for rolling and securing the cloth for storage. Folding a cloth flat can leave visible crease marks, so rolling it up is a nice alternative — though some reviewers noted that once rolled up small, the charm doesn't quite reach all the way around.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, care has also been put into the stitching on the reverse side.

Reviewers noted that the matching card storage pouch is sized to fit a standard Rider-Waite-style tarot deck.

10. VIEAURA Tarot Cloth

A high-quality, thick velvet tarot cloth. Its vivid sheen creates a mystical atmosphere.

At a generous 65cm × 65cm, it comes with a matching card pouch.

Reviewers praised how beautiful the color looks.

Finally, here are a few tarot cloths from our own company, Luna Factory.

Reading Support Cloth — Dreaming Cat Edition (Blue)

The Reading Support Cloth is made from a premium velvet with an exceptionally soft feel. The surface is smooth to the touch, while the back has a non-slip finish, giving you solid support for everyday readings.

It features a stylish, adorable design based on our popular Dreaming Cat Tarot deck.

It comes with a cute pouch that can hold your tarot cards, so you can bring your reading practice with you wherever you go.

Backed by Luna Factory's deep expertise in tarot and oracle cards, this cloth is designed to help draw out your intuition to its fullest when used as a reading surface.

Recommended for beginners just starting out with readings, for those who want a different atmosphere from their usual practice, and for anyone still undecided on which tarot cloth to choose.

Reading Support Cloth — Dreaming Cat Edition (Pink)

This is the pink version of the product above.

☾Tarot Cloths for Beginners

The tarot cloths featured in the ranking above are, of course, perfectly usable by beginners too. That said, if you've just started reading cards and don't feel ready to invest in a full tarot cloth yet, a large felt cloth from a dollar store can work as a substitute.

It has just the right thickness, won't wrinkle easily, and makes it easy to flip cards.

Felt also comes in plenty of colors, so it can be a good way to lay out your cards and experiment with which color works best for you.

You can also buy velvet fabric from a craft store and make your own cloth.

Unfinished raw-edge fabric works fine too, but it may be easier to use if you place a non-slip mat underneath and weigh down or secure the four corners to keep the fabric stable. Left as-is, it can bunch up and become awkward to use while mixing or flipping cards.

For those just starting out with tarot, there are also sets that include a tarot deck, a cloth, a pouch, and a guidebook all together.

Note that in these starter sets, the cards and cloth are usually smaller than standard size. Still, they can be a good option if you don't have any cards yet and just want to try things out.

♡What Does a Tarot Cloth Mean to a Professional Reader?

For a professional fortune teller, the tarot, oracle, or Lenormand cards they use are like a trusted partner.

It's only natural not to want to damage such an important tool. Using a tarot cloth helps prevent your nails from catching on the cards as you flip them.

A tarot cloth also lets you shuffle cards smoothly when mixing them on a table.

Before any card reading, you always shuffle the deck first. There are generally two common shuffling methods: holding the cards in one hand like a deck of playing cards and cutting from the bottom to restack them on top, or spreading the cards out on a table and mixing them by hand.

With the table-mixing method in particular, shuffling without a tarot cloth is much more likely to damage the cards.

Protecting the cards from damage is probably the single biggest reason to use a tarot cloth.

Another major reason is about setting the mood and preparing the mind.

Doing a card reading and receiving some kind of insight is, in a sense, an act of connecting with the spiritual world and drawing on intuition and inspiration.

That requires mentally separating yourself from the everyday world.

For some readers, the tarot cloth serves as a kind of gateway into that spiritual mindset.

Laying out a tarot cloth on the table to set the mood and prepare mentally, versus doing no preparation at all, may genuinely change what you receive from the cards.

For a professional reader, a tarot cloth serves two roles: protecting a precious set of cards, and acting as a key that helps them fully engage with the reading.

⚖How to Use a Tarot Cloth

Here are a few things to keep in mind once you've purchased a tarot cloth.

New tarot cloths often arrive with fold lines or creases from embroidery still visible in the fabric. Start by steam-ironing the cloth to smooth these out.

Set the iron to a medium temperature and always use a pressing cloth between the iron and the fabric. Iron from the edges inward, checking as you go that the fabric isn't reacting badly to the heat. If you're unsure, it's safer to keep the iron temperature on the low side.

Once your tarot cloth is clean and pressed, cleanse it with a crystal. Simply placing a crystal on top of the cloth is enough to cleanse it.

Cleansing with a crystal after a reading is also said to help prevent lingering traces of the querent's emotions, or keep you from continuing to dwell on the reading afterward.

That said, some say there's no need to be too strict about cleansing — doing it only when needed, without overthinking it, is perfectly fine. For example, cleansing when you're feeling off or your mood hasn't lifted may be enough. Try out different approaches and find what works best for you.

☀Summary

We've covered everything about tarot cloths in this article.

A tarot cloth is used to care for your cards and to set the right atmosphere for a better reading.

It's not an absolute necessity, but using a tarot cloth for card readings helps create a special sense of time and place — which may help you receive the messages from the cards with a more genuine, focused mindset.

Use the rankings above as a reference, and find a cloth that you love.