Choose white kraft when the design depends on accurate brand colours, brown kraft when it is built on dark colours and the natural paper look, and recycled kraft when a US state law or your own policy requires post-consumer content. The choice between kraft vs white kraft paper bags is as much a print decision as a material one: a brand red that looks right on screen often prints as a muted brick colour on brown paper. This guide compares the three main grades on strength, appearance, ink behaviour, cost position and compliance. It is part of the specification guide for custom printed paper carrier bags.
What is the difference between brown kraft, white kraft and recycled kraft?
Brown kraft is unbleached paper made mostly from virgin wood pulp by the kraft (sulphate) process; it is strong and naturally brown. White kraft is the same type of pulp bleached to a white shade, which costs more and slightly reduces strength but gives a far better print surface. Recycled kraft is made wholly or partly from recovered paper; it is typically greyer or more variable in shade and somewhat weaker per gram.
| Property | Brown (unbleached) kraft | White (bleached) kraft | Recycled kraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibre | Mostly virgin softwood pulp | Bleached virgin pulp | Recovered fibre, wholly or partly |
| Shade | Warm natural brown, fairly consistent | White, consistent | Brown to grey-brown, varies batch to batch, may show specks |
| Strength per gram | Highest | Slightly lower than unbleached | Lower; often needs a higher GSM for the same load |
| Print appearance | Colours shift darker and warmer; fine detail softened | Closest to brand colours; crisp detail | Similar to brown kraft but less predictable |
| Relative cost | Base reference | Higher | Varies with market; can be at or above brown virgin for certified high-recycled grades |
| Typical use | Natural-look retail, food-led brands, high volume | Fashion, cosmetics, colour-critical brands | US carryout bags under recycled-content laws, sustainability-led programmes |
Two further papers appear in carrier bag specifications. Ribbed (or striped) kraft has a fine parallel texture and is popular in the US for shopping bags. Coated art paper is a smooth, white, clay-coated sheet used for hand-finished premium bags, usually offset printed and often laminated. The wider family of packaging papers is explained in packaging paper grades explained.
How do inks look on brown kraft compared with white kraft?
On brown kraft, printed colours look darker, warmer and less saturated because most packaging inks are transparent and the brown shade shows through. On white kraft, colours print close to their intended values. Dark, strong colours such as black, navy, deep green and white (as an opaque ink) work best on brown; pale, bright and pastel colours need white paper.
What happens to typical colours on brown kraft:
- Black and very dark colours: print well and give strong contrast.
- Reds: shift towards brick or maroon.
- Blues: become darker and can lean towards green.
- Greens: darken and lose freshness.
- Yellows, oranges and pastels: largely disappear or turn muddy.
- White: possible as an opaque ink, but on porous, absorbent kraft its coverage is limited and it often looks off-white or slightly mottled rather than bright.
Printers can lay down a white underlay beneath colours on brown kraft to lift them, but on uncoated kraft the effect is partial and adds an extra print unit and cost. Fine halftones and small text also suffer on kraft because the absorbent surface spreads ink (dot gain), so designs with thin lines, small reversed text or photographic images reproduce better on white paper or coated sheets.
The practical rule for colour approval: approve a drawdown (a sample of the actual ink on the actual production paper) or a printed sample on that paper, not a proof on white paper or a screen. If a brand uses both brown and white bags, treat them as two separate colour standards. Colour referencing is covered in more depth in Pantone vs CMYK in packaging, and print method choices in flexo vs offset vs gravure vs digital printing.
Is brown kraft stronger than white kraft?
At the same grammage, unbleached brown kraft is usually slightly stronger than bleached white kraft, because bleaching removes some material and can shorten fibres. The difference is modest for most carrier bags and is easily covered by choosing a suitable GSM and construction. Recycled kraft shows a larger gap and generally needs a higher GSM.
For most retail bags, a white kraft one step heavier than the brown equivalent gives comparable performance. For heavy-duty bags, the difference matters more, and the base and handle construction should be reviewed alongside the paper. The relationship between grammage, fibre and load is set out in the paper bag GSM guide.
When is recycled kraft required, and what does it change?
Recycled kraft is legally required for paper carryout bags in some US states. California's SB 1053 requires recycled paper bags supplied at covered stores to contain at least 50 % post-consumer recycled content from 1 January 2028 (the text in force for 2026 and 2027 sets no interim percentage, though bags must state their post-consumer content); New Jersey's Recycled Content Law requires at least 40 % post-consumer recycled content in paper carryout bags (20 % for bags made to hold 8 lb or less) since 18 January 2024, while New York's state law sets no recycled-content minimum (check each state's current text). The EU and UK set no minimum recycled content for paper bags.
What switching to recycled kraft changes:
- Paper choice: the paper must be documented as containing the required share of post-consumer fibre, not just "recycled" fibre in general. Ask the supplier for a mill declaration stating post-consumer content.
- Shade and appearance: recycled kraft is typically greyer and varies between batches. Designs relying on a precise kraft tone, or on a large unprinted kraft area as part of the look, should allow for that variation.
- Strength: plan for a higher GSM or construction changes, and re-test the heaviest-load size.
- Printed markings: California and other states require specific markings on compliant bags; these are covered in paper bag regulations by market.
- Claims: a "recycled" or percentage claim printed on a bag must be accurate and substantiated under the FTC Green Guides in the US, the CMA Green Claims Code in the UK and Directive (EU) 2024/825 in the EU from 27 September 2026.
If you want to print a forest certification label (for example FSC or PEFC) on bags, every company in the supply chain that takes ownership of the material must hold the relevant chain-of-custody certification; confirm this with your supplier at quotation rather than assuming it.
Can a carrier bag in recycled kraft hold food?
A carrier bag that holds already-packed products is not a food-contact material, so recycled kraft is fine. If the bag will hold unwrapped food, such as loose bread or pastries, the inner surface becomes food contact, and recycled fibre raises questions about mineral oil and other contaminants that need to be addressed in the paper choice and documentation.
In the EU, paper and board food-contact materials fall under Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, with BfR Recommendation XXXVI used as the common benchmark; there is no binding EU limit for mineral oil in packaging, but recycled fibre and mineral-oil-based inks are recognised risk factors. For bags designed to hold food directly, see custom printed paper food bags and food-contact packaging compliance.
Which kraft grade suits which bag programme?
Choose by the colour-criticality of the design first, then by legal requirements, then by load. A design that depends on exact brand colours belongs on white kraft; a design built around dark colours and the natural paper look suits brown kraft; a programme supplying US states with recycled-content laws needs a compliant recycled kraft regardless.
| Situation | Recommended paper | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Brand colours are pale, bright or pastel | White kraft | Only white paper reproduces them faithfully |
| One- or two-colour dark logo, natural look | Brown kraft | Strong contrast, lowest cost per strength |
| US stores in California and New Jersey | Recycled kraft with documented post-consumer content | Legal requirement for paper carryout bags where paper is permitted (New Jersey bans paper bags at large grocery stores) |
| Photographic images, fine type | White kraft or coated paper (hand-finished) | Kraft spreads ink and dulls detail |
| Full flood colour (e.g. all-over black or brand colour) | White kraft, or brown kraft with dark colours only | Floods on brown can mottle and shift |
| Premium fashion, cosmetics, gift | Coated art paper (hand-finished) or heavy white kraft | Print quality, finishes, crisp structure |
| Chain operating in the US and Europe | Recycled kraft spec meeting the strictest US state; same artwork on white or brown for EU if preferred | One compliant base spec reduces SKUs |
Design tips for printing on brown kraft
If brown kraft is the right paper for the brand, design for it rather than against it. The best kraft bags use the paper as a colour in its own right.
- Build the design around one or two strong, dark spot colours, or black plus white.
- Use the kraft shade as a background rather than flooding it with a light colour.
- Avoid thin reversed text and fine halftones; keep lines and type heavy enough to survive ink spread, and agree minimum line weights with the printer.
- If a brand colour is essential, ask for drawdowns of several ink options on the production paper and choose the one that reads as the brand on kraft, even if it differs from the reference Pantone.
- Keep legal text (recycled-content statement, markings) in a dark colour for legibility.
Artwork set-up, dielines and proof stages are covered in the packaging artwork guide.
What to include about paper in your quotation request
State the grade, the fibre basis and any legal or policy requirement, along with the colours you need to reproduce. That lets the supplier propose the right paper and confirm the colour approach before printing plates are made.
- Preferred paper: brown kraft, white kraft, recycled kraft, ribbed kraft or coated paper
- Required post-consumer recycled content (and the markets driving it)
- GSM or target load
- Brand colour references and whether they must match on the chosen paper
- Whether any version will hold unwrapped food
- Any certification or claim you plan to print
The complete brief for a carrier bag quotation is listed on the custom printed paper carrier bags hub, and you can send it through the contact page.