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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.