The paper density of a type of paper or paperboard is the mass of the product per unit of area. The term density here is not used in its traditional sense of mass per unit volume. "Paper density", rather, is a measure of the area density. Paper products that let little or no light pass through (e.g. poster board) are considered dense or heavy. Paper products that allow some light to pass through (e.g. tissue paper) are considered lightweight.
Two ways of expressing paper density are commonly used:
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In the metric system, the mass per unit area of all types of paper and paperboard is expressed in terms of grams per square metre (g/m²). This quantity is commonly called grammage in both English and French (ISO 536), though printers in most English-speaking countries still refer to the "weight" of paper.
Typical office paper has 80 g/m², therefore a typical A4 sheet (1⁄16 m²) weighs 5 g.
The unofficial unit symbol "gsm" instead of the standard "g/m²" is also widely encountered in English speaking countries.
While paper is measured by weight, card is measured by thickness in micrometres.
Typically grammage is measured in paper mill on-line by Quality Control System (QCS) and verified by laboratory measurement.
In countries that use United States paper sizes, a less direct measure known as basis weight is used in addition to or instead of grammage. The basis weight of paper is the density of the number of sheets in that ream, and the dimensions of an "uncut" sheet in that ream.
The standard dimensions and sheet count of a ream vary according to the type of paper. These "uncut" basis sizes are not normally labelled on the product, are not formally standardized, and therefore have to be guessed or inferred somehow from trading practice. Historically, this convention is the product of pragmatic considerations such as the size of a sheet mold.
By using the same basis sheet size for the same type of paper, consumers can easily compare papers of differing brands. Twenty pound bond paper is always lighter and thinner than 32 pound bond, no matter what its cut size. And 20 pound bond letter size and 20 pound bond legal size papers are the same weight paper having different cut size.
However, a sheet of common copy paper that has a basis weight of 20 pounds (9.1 kg) does not have the same mass as the same size sheet of coarse paper (newsprint). In the former case, the standard ream is 500 sheets of 17-by-22-inch (432 by 559 mm) paper, and in the latter, 500 sheets of 24-by-36-inch (610 by 914 mm) paper. Here are some basic ream sizes for various types of paper. Units are inches except where noted.
| Paper Type | Paper Size | - Number of sheets | |
| Bond, writing, ledger | 17 | × 22 | - 500 sheets |
| Manuscript cover | 18 | × 31 | - 500 sheets |
| Blotting | 19 | × 24 | - 500 sheets |
| Box cover | 20 | × 24 | - 500 sheets |
| Cover | 20 | × 26 | - 500 or 1000 sheets |
| Bristol and tag | 22½ | × 28½ | - 500 sheets |
| Tissue | 24 | × 36 | - 480 sheets |
| Newsprint | 24 | × 36 | - 500 sheets |
| Hanging, waxing, bag, etc. | 24 | × 36 | - 500 sheets |
| Book, Text, Offset | 25 | × 38 | - 500 sheets |
| Index bristol | 25½ | × 30½ | - 500 sheets |
| Paperboard (all types) | 12 | × 12 | - 1000 sheets (1,000 square feet per ream) |
Sheets 17 by 22 inches (432 by 559 mm) can be cut into four 8.5-by-11-inch (216 by 279 mm) sheets, a standard for business stationery known conventionally as letter sized paper. So, the 17-by-22-inch (432 by 559 mm) ream became commonly used. The 25-by-38-inch (635 by 965 mm) book-paper ream developed because such a size can easily be cut into sixteen 6 by 9-inch (229 mm) book-sized sheets without significant waste.
Early newsprint presses printed sheets 2 by 3 feet (0.610 by 0.914 m) in size, and so the ream dimensions for newsprint became 24 by 36 inches (610 by 914 mm), with 500 sheets to a ream. Newsprint was made from ground wood pulp, and ground wood hanging paper (wallpaper) was made on newsprint machines. Newsprint was used as wrapping paper, and the first paper bags were made from newsprint. The newsprint ream standard also became the standard for packaging papers, even though in packaging papers kraft pulp rather than ground wood was used for greater strength.
Paper weight is sometimes stated using the "#" symbol. For example, "20#" means "20 pounds per basis ream of 500 sheets".
When the density of a ream of paper is given in pounds, it is often accompanied by its "M weight". The M weight is the weight (in pounds) of 1000 cut sheets. Paper suppliers will often charge by M weight, since it is always consistent within a specific paper size, and because it allows a simple weight calculation for shipping charges.
For example, a 500-sheet ream of 20# 8.5-by-11-inch (216 by 279 mm)copy paper may be specified "10 M". 1000 cut sheets (or two reams) will weigh 10 lb (4.5 kg), half of the four reams of cut paper resulting from the 20# basis ream of 17-by-22-inch (432 by 559 mm) paper.
The following chart[2] shows standard conversions for bond/writing/ledger size paper (17" x 22"). These are a guide only, and are not necessarily always accurate.
| Basis Weight (lb) |
Caliper (inches) |
Thickness (mm) |
Grammage (g/m²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | .0032 | 0.081 | 60.20 |
| 18 | .0036 | 0.092 | 67.72 |
| 20 | .0038 | 0.097 | 75.20 |
| 24 | .0048 | 0.120 | 90.30 |
| 28 | .0058 | 0.147 | 105.35 |
| 29 | .0060 | 0.152 | 109.11 |
| 31 | .0061 | 0.155 | 116.63 |
| 35 | .0062 | 0.157 | 131.68 |
| 36 | .0068 | 0.173 | 135.45 |
| 39 | .0072 | 0.183 | 146.73 |
| 40 | .0073 | 0.185 | 150.50 |
| 43 | .0074 | 0.188 | 161.78 |
| 44 | .0076 | 0.193 | 165.55 |
| 47 | .0078 | 0.198 | 176.83 |
| 53 | .0085 | 0.216 | 199.41 |
| 54 | .009 | 0.229 | 203.17 |
| 58 | .0092 | 0.234 | 218.22 |
| 65 | .0095 | 0.241 | 244.56 |
| 67 | .010 | 0.250 | 252.08 |
| 72 | .011 | 0.289 | 270.90 |
| 76 | .013 | 0.330 | 285.95 |
| 82 | .014 | 0.356 | 308.52 |
| 87 | .015 | 0.380 | 312.00 |
| 105 | .0175 | 0.445 | 385.06 |
Paper thickness, or caliper, is a common measurement specified and required for certain printing applications. Since a paper's density is typically not directly known or specified, the thickness of any sheet of paper cannot be calculated by any method. Instead, it is measured and specified separately as its caliper. However, paper thickness for most typical business papers might be similar across comparable brands. If thickness is not specified for a paper in question, it must be either measured or guessed based on a comparable paper's specification.
Caliper is usually measured in micrometres (1/1000 of a mm), or in the United States also in mils. (1 mil = 0.001 inch = 25.4 µm)
Typically grammage is measured in paper mill on-line by Quality Control System (QCS) and verified by laboratory measurement.
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