Mahjong Rack Accessories: What Each One Does at the Table

A rack holds your tiles. Everything on it or beside it is optional, so it pays to know what each piece does before you buy. This guide covers the common mahjong rack accessories, what each does during play, and which of our tile sizes fit the racks we sell.

Short answer: Mahjong rack accessories are the small pieces that go on or around a player's rack. Rack birds and trinkets sit on the flat top of a rack, as decor and as prizes for a win. Line finders help a player read one line of the card at a time. Scoring chips keep score without paper. A rack bag protects the racks on the way to the game. None of them are required to play, and each one solves a specific small problem at the table.

Start with the rack itself

In American mahjong each player has a rack. Your hand stands in a groove facing you, groups you call go face up on top of the rack for the table to see, and a pusher, if your rack has one, moves your part of the wall toward the center.

At Invitanda, racks are sold on their own. Our tile set pages list racks, pushers, a mat and the card as not included, and no set tier adds racks, the Host Set included. If you already own racks, skip ahead to the accessories. If you need them, our mahjong racks come in three styles, each as a set of four, one rack per player:

Acrylic racks with a scalloped edge: 5 mm acrylic with polished edges, in 10 colors: 4 tortoise, 5 shell and clear. Each rack is about 19.9 in long, 3 in deep and 1.2 in tall. Tortoise and shell patterns vary, so the four racks of one order do not match exactly.
Rattan look racks: clear acrylic with a woven cane pattern in honey cane on clear, with a scalloped or a straight edge. Each rack is about 20 in long, 3 in deep and 1.2 in tall.
Wooden racks with hinged pushers: solid wood in a smooth reddish-brown finish. The pusher arm stays pinned at one end. Lift it by the gold-tone knob, push the wall out, then lay it back down. A curved groove along the front holds the tiles.

Which of our tile sizes fit our racks

Each wall is 19 tiles long, so the width of one tile times 19 gives the length of the wall. The 24, 30 and 36 mm in our size names are tile heights. By width, a Mini tile is 0.63 in, a Classic 0.87 in and a Large 1.10 in, so their walls run about 12 in, 16.5 in and 20.9 in. Our acrylic and rattan look racks are about 20 in long. That leaves room for a wall of 19 stacks of 24 mm Mini or 30 mm Classic tiles. A wall of 36 mm Large tiles runs longer than these racks, so a Large set needs racks made for large tiles.

Pearl tiles are 0.98 in wide, which puts a wall of 19 at about 18.6 in, shorter than these racks. For the groove check and the hand check, see our mahjong tile size guide. Pairing the wooden racks with a set? Ask us and we will check the fit against your tile size before you order.

Accessories that sit on the rack

The flat top of a rack is shared space. Called groups land there during play, so anything you park on it should be small and easy to slide to one end.

Rack birds

Rack birds are tiny figures that perch on a rack. Our Mahjong Rack Birds come as four birds in one color, one for each player, with a pink velvet drawstring pouch to keep them in between games.

Clear resin with stone or shell chips inside. The chips fall differently in every bird, so no two look alike.
10 colors: Confetti, Turquoise, Purple, Blue, Pink, Green, Terracotta, Yellow, Black and Golden Brown.
Set one on the flat top of a rack or beside your tiles.

A bird is a finishing touch rather than a tool. Four matching birds make four racks look like one set. Choose a color that plays off your tile backs or stands out against your racks.

Trinkets

Trinkets are tiny prizes. A simple way to use them: when a player calls mahjong and wins the hand, they pick a trinket and set it on their rack. By the end of the night, the row of little figures shows who won how many hands, and nobody has to keep a tally.

Our trinkets come two ways:

Themed sets of 20 in a zip pouch: twelve themes, including Garden, Beach, Tennis, Wine, Cocktail Party, Ski, Autumn, Zodiac, Tropical, Valentine, Halloween and Vintage Christmas. Each set holds 2 each of 10 designs in a pouch about 5.3 x 4.3 x 2.4 in. If a design runs out, another design from the same theme takes its place, so you still get 20. The Beach set is see-through resin that glows in the dark after time in the light.
The Trinkets Mini Purse: 20 trinkets, among them ducks, flamingos, balloon dogs, bears and a gold-tone trophy, in a faux leather mini purse that clips onto a bag. The purse comes in 10 colors, with an organza drawstring pouch for the trinkets tucked inside. The mix can vary, and the count is always 20.

Keep the pouch in the middle of the table, and the winner of each hand reaches in for one.

A note for family tables: rack birds and trinkets are small parts, not toys, and are meant for ages 14 and up.

Getting birds and trinkets with a tile set

If you are buying tiles anyway, the Host Set tier on any Invitanda tile set adds the rack decor for you: the tiles, a knit name bag, trinkets, rack birds and dice chosen to go with that design. It is the easiest way to get decor that matches the tiles without picking each piece. Racks are still a separate purchase.

Accessories that work beside the rack

Line finders

Every American mahjong hand is played from the card, which lists the hands in rows. For a newer player, the hard part is often just keeping their eyes on the right row while the game moves. A line finder is a strip you lay on the card so one line shows through an open window, while the tinted strip sets that line apart from the rows around it.

Our Line Finders come as a set of 4, one for each seat, in Pink or Blue. Each is a tinted acrylic strip about 6.3 x 1 in (16 x 2.5 cm) with an open window. To use one:

Pick the hand you are aiming for on the card.
Lay the strip over that line so the window frames it.
Check your rack against the line tile by tile, and move the strip if you switch hands.

Line finders help most at a table of beginners. The card itself is a separate purchase, and each player needs one from the same year.

Scoring chips

Many groups keep score with chips instead of paper. Everyone starts with the same stack, and after each hand the other players pay the winner in chips, based on the value printed next to that hand on the card. Under the common payout, the player who discarded the winning tile pays double and the other two pay the hand's value. If the winner drew the tile from the wall, all three pay double. House rules vary, so agree on yours before the first deal.

Our Scoring Chips set has 68 plastic chips in three colors, 40 green, 16 yellow and 12 red, each 1.26 in (32 mm) across, in a clear tube. Split evenly at a table of four, that is 10 green, 4 yellow and 3 red per player.

Chip values are up to your group. For example, green at 5 points, yellow at 25 and red at 50 gives each player 300 points to start. Decide in advance what happens when someone runs low.

The rack bag: carrying racks between games

Loose in a tote, racks knock together, scuff along the top edge and lose pushers on the way. A rack bag gives them a space of their own.

Our Velvet Mahjong Rack Bag is a divided sleeve about 22 x 9.5 in (56 x 24 cm). Two long sleeves are sewn side by side, two racks slide into each, and each sleeve closes with its own drawstring. The two cords tie together in one bow. It comes in six velvet colors: Lavender, Cream, Brick Red, Navy, Blush Pink and Emerald.

It is sized for four racks, not for tiles, a rolled mat or a tile case. Measure your racks first.
Spot clean with a damp cloth and let it air dry. Do not machine wash or tumble dry.

Which mahjong rack accessories to start with

A table of new players: line finders, one per seat.
A group that keeps score: scoring chips, with values agreed before the first hand.
The host who sets the table: rack birds in one color for all four racks and a pouch of trinkets for the winners, or the Host Set when you are buying tiles too.
Players who bring their own racks to games: a rack bag.
A small gift for a player: trinkets in a theme they love, from Tennis to Wine to Garden, or rack birds in a favorite color.

See every piece in one place in our bags and accessories collection.

Questions about mahjong rack accessories

Do I need rack accessories to play mahjong?

No. You need tiles, dice and a card for each player, and racks make play much easier. Birds, trinkets, line finders, chips and a rack bag add comfort or fun, but none are required.

Do Invitanda tile sets come with racks?

No. Racks are sold on their own, and no set tier includes them. The Host Set adds a name bag, trinkets, rack birds and dice, but not racks.

Will 36 mm Large tiles fit your racks?

Not our acrylic or rattan look racks. They are about 20 in long, which fits a wall of 19 Mini or Classic tiles, while a wall of 19 Large tiles runs about 20.9 in. For the wooden racks, ask us and we will check the fit.