Unusual types of gramophone records

The overwhelming majority of records manufactured have been of certain sizes (7, 10, or 12 inches), playback speeds (331⁄3, 45, or 78 rpm), and appearance (round black discs). However, since the commercial adoption of the gramophone record (called a phonograph record in the U.S., where both cylinder records and disc records were invented), a wide variety of records have also been produced that do not fall into these categories, and they have served a variety of purposes.

Common variances from standard records include pigmented vinyl, disks filled with a substance such as oil, or unusually shaped records. These can alter the appearance and sometimes playability of a record. This is done for a variety of reasons, including as a method of promotion for limited-release albums.

Unusual sizes

The most common diameter sizes for gramophone records are 12-inch, 10-inch, and 7-inch (300 mm, 250 mm, and 180 mm). Early American shellac records were all 7-inch until 1901, when 10-inch records were introduced. Twelve-inch records joined them in 1903. By 1910, other sizes were retired and nearly all discs were either 10-inch or 12-inch, although both sizes were normally a bit smaller than their official diameter. In Europe, early 10-inch and 12-inch shellac records were produced in the first three decades of the twentieth century.