Paper Weight - Thickness Guide

Let's End the "Paper Weight" Confusion

In an effort to help eliminate the "Paper Weight" confusion problem, we have compiled the comprehensive table listed below. Now you can compare various types of paper and their "Equivalent Weights."

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Definitions:

Basis Weight

The basis weight of a paper is the designated fixed weight of 500 sheets, measured in pounds, in that paper's basic sheet size. It is important to note that the "basic sheet size" is not the same for all types of paper.

Caliper

Caliper refers to the thickness of a sheet of paper expressed in thousandths of an inch. This measurement is taken with a micrometer. Normally, paper caliper should not have more than a + or - 5% variance within a sheet. Generally, the relation between caliper and basis weight .... the greater the caliper (the thicker the paper), the greater the paper weight.

Equivalent Weight

While different paper types have different basic sizes, papers can still be compared by using equivalent weight.

Equivalent Weight Table / Caliper

The Values in the table below are intended to serve as a guide only. They should not be used as specifications since there are trade-offs between values of characteristics within the same basis weight which vary with paper manufacturers.

	-- Bond --	- Offset -	- Cover -	-- Tag --	- Index -	*Caliper(inches)	Metric(grams /sq meter)
Equivalent	16	40	22	37	33	.0032	60.2 gsm
Weight	18	45	24	41	37	.0036	67.72 gsm
	20	50	28	46	42	.0038	75.2 gsm
	24	60	33	56	50	.0048	90.3 gsm
	28	70	39	64	58	.0058	105.35 gsm
	29	73	40	62	60	.0060	109.11 gsm
	31	81	45	73	66	.0061	116.63 gsm
	35	90	48	80	74	.0062	131.68 gsm
	36	90	50	82	75	.0068	135.45 gsm
	39	100	54	90	81	.0072	146.73 gsm
	40	100	56	93	83	.0073	150.5 gsm
	43	110	60	100	90	.0074	161.78 gsm
	44	110	61	102	92	.0076	165.55 gsm
	47	120	65	108	97	.0078	176.83 gsm
	53	135	74	122	110	.0085	199.41 gsm
	54	137	75	125	113	.009	203.17 gsm
	58	146	80	134	120	.0092	218.22 gsm
	65	165	90	150	135	.0095	244.56 gsm
	67	170	93	156	140	.010	252.08 gsm
	72	183	100	166	150	.011	270.9 gsm
	76	192	105	175	158	.013	285.95 gsm
	82	208	114	189	170	.014	308.52 gsm
	105	267	146	244	220	.0175	385.06 gsm

* Normal paper manufacturing tolerance within a paper production run is + or - 5% to 7% caliper. The darker colored boxes above, represent the "most common paper weights" for that catagory.

This Table was compiled by Micro Format, Inc.
Copyright 1997-1999 Micro Format, Inc.
This table may be duplicated with permission from Micro Format, Inc.

International Metric Paper Sizes - ISO Standard

SIZE
WIDTH (mm)
HEIGHT (mm)
WIDTH (in.)
HEIGHT(in.)

A0 841 mm 1,189 mm 33.11 in. 46.81 in.

A1 594 mm 841 mm 23.39 in. 33.11 in.

A2 420 mm 594 mm 16.54 in. 23.39 in.

A3 297 mm 420 mm 11.69 in. 16.54 in.

A4 210 mm 297 mm 8.27 in. 11.69 in.

A5 148 mm 210 mm 5.83 in. 8.27 in.

A6 105 mm 148 mm 4.13 in. 5.83 in.

A7 74 mm 105 mm 2.91 in. 4.13 in.

B0 1,028 mm 1,456 mm 40.48 in. 57.32 in.

B1 728 mm 1,028 mm 28.66 in. 40.48 in.

B2 514 mm 728 mm 20.24 in. 28.66

B3 364 mm 514 mm 14.33 in. 20.24 in.

B4 257 mm 364 mm 10.12 in. 14.33 in.

B5 182 mm 257 mm 7.17 in. 10.12 in.

B6 128 mm 182 mm 5.04 in. 7.17 in.

HELPFUL GUIDELINES for PAPER USAGE

Prior to use, paper should be allowed to acclimate at least 48 Hours in the enviornment in which it will be used. Optimum storage facility would retain temperatures between 70-80 degrees F with 50% relative humidity.
Before loading paper, fan the sheets on all four sides. This creates a small layer of air between the sheets which should help printer feeding mechanisms.
Do Not Stack Materials such as Designer Gold, Designer Silver, Super Color Gloss, Super Color Photo, Super Color Photo Cards, Super Color Shrink. Feed into printer one sheet at a time.
Load Materials according to the instructions in the printer owner's manual. Recommended feeding is generally to use the manual feed tray, or the straightest path through the printer.
Upon Completion, the unused material should be stored in a closed package, re-sealed and stored flat.

ADDITIONAL CONVERSION INFORMATION

How to Convert to Metric

Length and Distance

When you know	Multiply by	To Find
inches	2.54	centimeters
feet	30.480	centimeters
miles	1.609	kilometers
centimeters	0.394	inches
meters	1.094	yards
kilometers	0.621	miles

Weight

When you know	Multiply by	To Find
pounds	0.454	kilograms
tons	0.907	metric tons
kilograms	2.205	pounds
metric tons	1.202	tons

Temperature

When you know	Do This	To Find
degrees Fahrenheit	Subtract 32 multiply by 5/9	degrees Celsius
degrees Celsius	Multiply by 9/5 then add 32	degrees Fahrenheit

Surface or Area

When you know	Multiply by	To Find
square feet	0.093	square meters
square miles	2.590	square kilometers
square centimeters	0.155	square inches
square kilometers	0.386	square miles

Decimal Equivalents

1/64 = 0.015625

1/16 = 0.0625

1/8 = 0.125

3/16 = 0.1875

1/4 = 0.25

5/16 = 0.3125
3/8 = 0.375
7/16 = 0.4375
1/2 = 0.5
9/16 = 0.5625
5/8 = 0.625
11/16 = 0.6875
3/4 = 0.75
13/16 = 0.8125
7/8 = 0.875
15/16 = 0.9375
1 = 1.0