The makers of banknotes use a high quality of paper made from a mixture of cotton and linen. It will withstand much abuse and has a life expectancy of 15-18 months.
Most European countries use a different mixture of cotton and linen.
Some countries are beginning to use plastic in the production of banknotes, increasing durability and counterfeit resistance. The series were printed on Tyvek. The Australian Printing Plant, a division of the Reserve Bank Of Australia is the leader in this new technology. They produce a polypropylene film that is subjected to a four step process to make a substrate suitable for printing their notes. The first plastic note produced by Australia, for general circulation, was in 1988 to celebrate the Bicentennial of Australia.