- While there are several design exceptions, most cases for Compact Discs, also known as "jewel cases," are manufactured to a standard specification and made out of hard shell polystyrene plastic designed to protect the disk inside.
- The jewel case we know today, designed to protect and package music on Compact Disc, remains virtually unchanged from what was originally produced when CDs were introduced to the market in the early 1980s. It is a three-piece structure measuring 142 mm by 125 mm and 10 mm thick, with a cover, a back into which the CD clips and space to hold liner notes.
- Like most hard plastic items, the CD jewel case is manufactured by injecting melted plastic (polystyrene) into a mold, then letting the plastic cool into a solid form. Once the pieces are cool, they are assembled into a single case.
- Some companies have taken to using what they claim is a more earth-friendly design made mainly from paper or cardboard. The main box of this case has a fold-over cover that opens to reveal the disc inside sitting in the same type of center clip utilized by the plastic jewel case.
- The very feature that makes the jewel case protective and economical is the same feature most often criticized. Since it is made of hard and often brittle plastic, the jewel case can break under heavy used or when dropped. Usually, the disc inside is protected when a case is dropped, but, once the case is broken, it is often inconvenient to be used for storage in the future.
