LidThe clear front of the case. It swings open on two hinge pins and holds the booklet.
TrayThe plastic insert that holds the disc. It snaps into the back of the case, over the inlay card.
BookletThe folded paper insert in the lid. Its front page is the cover you see through the closed case.
HubA ring of sprung teeth in the center of the tray. It grips the disc by the hole.
Inlay cardThe printed card under the tray. It shows through the clear back of the case. Also called the back card or tray card.
Disc 4
Label sideThe printed top face of the disc. The player reads the disc from the other side.
Center holeThe hole at the disc's center. The hub of the case and the spindle of the player both go through it.
Clamping areaThe plain ring around the center hole. The player clamps the disc here to spin it. Also called the hub of the disc.
Mirror bandA narrow, shiny ring outside the clamping area. No data is recorded on it.
How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-10-01; a name is kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, English edition, Optical disc packaging and Compact disc, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_packaging and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc (A jewel case is a three-piece plastic case: two hinged halves and a media tray; the front lid has tabs for the liner notes or booklet; the back card under the tray is folded so its sides show along the spine; a central hub of sprung teeth grips the disc by its hole. On the disc, from the center out: spindle hole, clamping area, mirror band, program area.) (2) Fred R. Byers, Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs, Council on Library and Information Resources and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2003: section 5 and glossary, https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec5/ and https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/glossary/ and https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec3/ (A jewel case is a clear plastic hinged case with a lid, a plastic tray, an inlay card and often a booklet; the disc sits on the hub of the case. On the disc: label side, the hub or clamping area around the central hole, the mirror band.) No maker is named. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; own work, no maker's model copied. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a CD jewel case, the hinged clear plastic case most music CDs come in, and of the disc inside. The case lies open; the booklet and the inlay card are slid part of the way out so each shows.
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The case
A jewel case is three plastic pieces: the lid, the back, and the tray that snaps into the back. The lid holds the booklet behind small tabs. The tray has a hub in its middle, a ring of sprung teeth that grips the disc by its hole. Under the tray lies the inlay card, the printed back; its two folded ends show through the edges of the case.
The disc
The printed top of a CD is its label side; the player reads the disc from the other side. Around the center hole is the clamping area, where the player grips the disc. The narrow shiny ring just outside it is the mirror band. No music is stored in either.
The folded ends of the inlay card are what you read when cases stand on a shelf like books.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a CD jewel case called?
A lid, a tray and a back, hinged together. The tray has a hub of teeth that holds the disc. Two paper parts go with them: the booklet in the lid and the inlay card under the tray.
What is the middle of a CD case called?
The hub. It is a small circle of sprung plastic teeth in the center of the tray. The teeth grip the disc by its center hole and hold it just above the tray, so the playing side touches nothing.
What is the paper in the back of a CD case called?
The inlay card, also called the back card or tray card. It lies under the tray and usually lists the tracks. Its two ends are folded up so the title can be read on the edges of the case.
What is the clear ring in the middle of a CD?
The clamping area, sometimes called the hub of the disc. It is the plain ring around the center hole that the player's spindle clamps. The thin shiny ring outside it is the mirror band.