How To Make - Paper weights and conversion tables

Paper weights and conversion tables

In an effort to help explain paper weights we have compiled the comprehensive table listed below.

Here is a list of common paper weights, measured in grams per square meter (gsm) and pounds (lbs):

60 gsm / 16 lbs: Very thin paper, often used for mass-produced books or newspapers.
70 gsm / 19 lbs: Thin paper, used for some magazines and booklets.
80 gsm / 21 lbs: Standard copy paper weight, often used for printing documents.
90 gsm / 24 lbs: Slightly heavier copy paper weight, sometimes used for important documents like resumes or certificates.
100 gsm / 27 lbs: Heavier weight paper, often used for business cards or some flyers.
120 gsm / 32 lbs: Thicker weight paper, commonly used for brochures, invitations, or some business cards.
150 gsm / 40 lbs: Heavyweight paper, often used for book covers or postcards.
200 gsm / 54 lbs: Very heavy paper, often used for high-quality art prints or posters.
300 gsm / 81 lbs: Extremely heavy paper, commonly used for premium business cards or some types of packaging.

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 thousandth of an inch. This measurement is taken with a micro meter.
Normally, paper caliper should not have more than a + or - 5% variance within a sheet.
Generally, the relation between caliper and basis weight is 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.

Basis Weight ("Category") Table

Type Paper	Basic Size - 500 Sheets
"Bond" Ledger Mimeo Duplicator Rag Paper	17" x 22"
"Offset" Book Text Coated Paper	25" x 38"
"Cover"	20" x 26"
"Tag Stock"	24" x 36"
"Index"	25-1/2" x 30-1/2"

Basis Weight ("Equivalent") Table

The Values in the table below are intended to serve as a guide only.
They should not be used as specifications because there are variances
within the same basis weight due to other characteristics of the papers.
Similar weight papers may vary between different paper manufacturers.

To use the chart read across to find the equivalent,
example 16 Lb. Bond paper weight is equivalent to 40 Lb. Offset paper weight

Bond	Offset Text	Cover	Tag	Index	Points	Caliper (inches)*	Millimeters	Metric (grams/sq meter)
16	40	22	37	33	3.2	.0032	0.081	60.2 gsm
18	45	24	41	37	3.6	.0036	0.092	67.72 gsm
20	50	28	46	42	3.8	.0038	0.097	75.2 gsm
24	60	33	56	50	4.8	.0048	0.12	90.3 gsm
28	70	39	64	58	5.8	.0058	0.147	105.35 gsm
29	73	40	62	60	6	.0060	0.152	109.11 gsm
31	81	45	73	66	6.1	.0061	0.155	116.63 gsm
35	90	48	80	74	6.2	.0062	0.157	131.68 gsm
36	90	50	82	75	6.8	.0068	0.173	135.45 gsm
39	100	54	90	81	7.2	.0072	0.183	146.73 gsm
40	100	56	93	83	7.3	.0073	0.185	150.5 gsm
43	110	60	100	90	7.4	.0074	0.188	161.78 gsm
44	110	61	102	92	7.6	.0076	0.193	165.55 gsm
47	120	65	108	97	8	.0078	0.198	176.83 gsm
53	135	74	122	110	9	.0085	0.216	199.41 gsm
54	137	75	125	113	9	.009	0.229	203.17 gsm
58	146	80	134	120	9.5	.0092	0.234	218.22 gsm
65	165	90	150	135	10	.0095	0.241	244.56 gsm
67	170	93	156	140	10.5	.010	0.25	252.08 gsm
72	183	100	166	150	11	.011	0.289	270.9 gsm
76	192	105	175	158	13	.013	0.33	285.95 gsm
82	208	114	189	170	14	.014	0.356	308.52 gsm
87	220	120	200	180	15	.015	0.38	312 gsm
105	267	146	244	220	18	.0175	0.445	385.06 gsm

* Normal paper manufacturing tolerance within a paper production run is + or - 5% to 7% caliper

International Metric Paper Sizes - ISO Standard

SIZE	WIDTH (mm)	HEIGHT (mm)	WIDTH (inches)	HEIGHT (inches)
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.

Reference Charts for Common Envelopes Size Chart

Commercial / Official Sizes ( Commercial Flap; unless noted )
No.	Inches	Millimeters
6 1/4	3 1/2 x 6	89 x 152
6 3/4	3 5/8 x 6 1/2	92 x 165
7	3 3/4 x 6 3/4	95 x 171
Monarch (pointed Flap)	3 7/8 x 7 1/2	98 x 191
8 5/8	3 5/8 x 8 5/8	92 x 219
9	3 7/8 x 8 7/8	98 x 225
10 (also Square Flap)	4 1/8 x 9 1/2	105 x 241
11 (also Square Flap)	4 1/2 x 10 3/8	114 x 264
12 (also Square Flap)	4 3/4 x 11	121 x 279
14 (also Square Flap)	5 x 11 1/2	127 x 292

Booklet (Wallet Flap)
No.	Inches	Millimeters
3	4 3/4 x 6 1/2	121 x 165
5	5 1/2 x 8 1/8	140 x 206
6	5 3/4 x 8 7/8	146 x 225
6 1/2	6 x 9	152 x 229
6 5/8	6 x 9 1/2	152 x 241
6 3/4	6 1/2 x 9 1/2	165 x 241
7 1/4	7 x 10	178 x 254
7 1/2	7 1/2 x 10 1/2	191 x 267
9	8 3/4 x 11 1/2	222 x 292
9 1/2	9 x 12	229 x 305
10	9 1/2 x 12 5/8	241 x 321
13	10 x 13	254 x 330

Window (Commercial Flap)
No.	Inches	Millimeters
6 1/4	3 1/2 x 6	89 x 152
6 3/4	3 5/8 x 6 1/2	92 x 165
7	3 3/4 x 6 3/4	95 x 171
Monarch	3 7/8 x 7 1/2	98 x 191
8 5/8	3 5/8 x 8 5/8	92 x 219
9	3 7/8 x 8 7/8	98 x 225
10	4 1/8 x 9 1/2	105 x 241
11	4 1/2 x 10 3/8	114 x 264
12	4 3/4 x 11	121 x 279
14	5 x 11 1/2	127 x 292

Announcement (Square Flap)
No.	Inches	Millimeters
A-2	4 3/8" x 5 3/4"	111 x 146
A-6	4 3/4 x 6 1/2	121 x 165
A-7	5 1/4 x 7 1/4	133 x 184
A-8	5 1/2 x 8 1/8	140 x 206
A-9	5 3/4" x 8 3/4"
A-10	6 x 9 1/2	152 x 241
Slimline	3 7/8 x 8 7/8	98 x 225

Baronial (Pointed Flap)
No.	Inches	Millimeters
4	3 5/8 x 5 1/8	92 x 130
5	4 1/8 x 5 1/2	105 x 140
5 1/2	4 3/8" x 5 3/4"	111 x 146
6	4 3/4 x 6 1/2	121 x 165
Lee	5 1/4 x 7 1/4	133 x 184

HELPFUL GUIDELINES for Inkjet Paper

Prior to use, paper should be allowed to acclimate at least 48 Hours in the environment 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. 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, resealed and stored flat.

ADDITIONAL CONVERSION TABLES

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