Although yu (fiber of kozo (paper mulberry)) was formerly used, most shide today are made of paper (usually hoshogami (thick Japanese paper of the best quality), Mino-gami (paper made in Mino), or hanshi (standard-size Japanese writing paper)).
古くはコウゾ（ゆう）を用いていたが、現在では紙（通常は奉書紙・美濃紙・半紙）を用いるのが一般的である。