Paper & Board Weight Calculator
Work out the weight of paper or board for any print or packaging job. Enter the GSM, sheet size, and quantity to get the weight per sheet, per ream, and the total kilograms, useful for freight, costing and material planning.
Result
Weight of the paper/board only. It excludes ink, coating and lamination. 1 ream = 500 sheets.
How the calculation works
GSM means grams per square metre, the weight of a one-metre-by-one-metre sheet of the material. To get the weight of your actual sheet, multiply the GSM by the sheet's area in square metres:
Weight per sheet (g) = GSM × (width_cm ÷ 100) × (height_cm ÷ 100)
Multiply by your quantity for the total, and by 500 for a ream. The figure is the substrate weight only. Ink, coating and lamination add a little more. For a deeper explanation of how GSM affects quality and cost, see our guide on what GSM means and the materials guide.
Common questions
How do I convert GSM to kilograms?
Multiply the GSM by the sheet area in square metres to get grams per sheet, then multiply by the number of sheets and divide by 1000 for kilograms. For example, 300 GSM board at 50 × 70 cm is 300 × 0.35 = 105 g per sheet, so 5,000 sheets weigh about 525 kg.
Does this include ink and lamination weight?
No. It calculates the weight of the paper or board substrate only. Ink adds very little, but heavy coatings and film lamination add a small percentage. For precise dispatch weights on laminated jobs, we weigh a sample.
What is a ream?
A ream is 500 sheets. Paper is often sold and priced by the ream or by weight, so the per-ream figure helps you cross-check a supplier quote.
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Written by LeRoy Print Packs, a printing and packaging manufacturer making cartons, corrugated boxes and labels in-house. Get a quote