Paper Weights & Stock Cross Reference

If you're like most people, paper weight is whatever the side of the box your paper came in says. But that's only the measurement as expressed by bond. There are seven different methods of measuring paper producing wildly varying figures. Most manufacturers like to advertise their capacities in cover lbs which results in inflated numbers. For example, a product could be advertised as having a capacity of 80 lb. offset stock, but realistically it will only tolerate 31 lb bond paper!

This matrix will give you a good reference for decoding the manufacturer's specifications. But above all else, I would encourage you to contact a Whitaker Brothers sales representative and let them advise you on a good paper folder. In this day and age, it's easy to spend 30 minutes googling something and think you've made the right decision. I've stopped several people from making very expensive mistakes in the past. There is no replacement for the advice of someone who has used just about every paper folder on the market in just about every circumstance you could imagine. 

Weight and Thickness Equivalents for Paper Stocks

Bond (lbs)	Offset/Text (lbs)	Cover (lbs)	Tag (lbs)	Index (lbs)	Points	Caliper Thickness (inches)	Millimeters	Metric (grams per sq. meter)	Notes
16	40	22	37	33	3.2	.0032	0.081	60.2 gsm
18	45	24	41	37	3.6	.0036	.092	67.72 gsm
20	50	28	46	42	3.8	.0038	.097	75.2 gsm	Typical copy or printer paper.
24	60	33	56	50	4.8	.0048	.12	90.3 gsm
28	70	39	64	58	5.8	.0058	.147	105.35 gsm	Church bulletins, menus, comic books and brochures.
29	73	40	62	60	6	.0060	.152	109.11 gsm
31	81	45	73	66	6.1	.0061	.155	116.63 gsm
32	85	45	74	67	6.15	.00615	.156	120 gsm	Finer menus and brochures, magazines, wedding programs.
35	90	48	80	74	6.2	.0062	.157	131.68 gsm
36	90	50	82	75	6.8	.0068	.173	135.45 gsm
39	100	54	90	81	7.2	.0072	.183	146.73 gsm
40	105	56	93	83	7.3	.0073	.185	150.5 gsm	Children's books and art books.
43	110	60	100	90	7.4	.0074	.188	161.78 gsm
44	110	61	102	92	7.6	.0076	.193	165.55 gsm
47	120	65	108	97	8	.0078	.198	176.83 gsm
53	135	74	122	110	9	.0085	.216	199.41 gsm	Heavier children's books and coffee table books.
54	137	75	125	113	9	.009	.229	203.17 gsm
58	146	80	134	120	9.5	.0092	.234	218.22 gsm
65	165	90	150	135	10	.0095	.241	244.56 gsm
67	170	93	156	140	10.5	.010	.25	252.08 gsm
72	183	100	166	150	11	.011	.289	270.9 gsm
76	192	105	175	158	13	.013	.33	285.95 gsm
82	208	114	189	170	14	.014	.356	308.52 gsm
87	220	120	200	180	15	.015	.38	312 gsm
105	267	146	244	220	18	.0175	.445	385.06 gsm

 

Definitions

Pounds (lbs) - In the world of paper weights, Pounds refers to the weight of 500 sheets (a ream) of paper.

Ream (of paper) - A Ream of paper consists of 500 sheets of paper in its basic unit uncut size.

Coated Stock Paper - Coated stock papers are coated with materials to increase smoothness, ink holdout and opacity (visibility through the paper). Coated stocks consist of glossy, matte or dull surfaces.

Bond Paper - Bond paper is the typical uncoated copier/printer paper or stationary that you'd see around the office.

Text (or Offset) and Cover - These terms typically refer to how the paper is used. Text (or Offset) is usually used for "internal" pages. Cover is typically used for cover pages, and is typically thicker than Text.

Tag Paper - Tag paper is often used for price tags, door hangers, direct mail postcards, timecards, and retail signage.

Index Paper - Index paper examples are index cards, postcards, tabs and manila folders.

Caliper Thickness - The thickness of a piece of paper, usually as thousands of an inch.

Points - Points are simply Caliper Thickness, but multiplied by 1,000.