You can order tissue paper in a handful of standard sheet sizes and still end up with the wrong one, because the size that looks right on a table is not the size that wraps a boxed jumper without tearing. Then comes the second question: a supplier quotes per kilogram, your packers use sheets, and nobody has written down how many sheets that is. Below are the standard sizes, a rule for sizing a sheet to a product, the conversion from kilograms to sheets and rolls, and a worked monthly example. Grades and print options are on the custom printed tissue paper hub.
What are the standard tissue paper sizes?
The sheet sizes used most often for wrapping tissue are 50 x 70 cm, 50 x 75 cm, 70 x 100 cm and 75 x 100 cm, plus half and quarter sheets cut from them. In the US, 20 x 30 in is a common sheet size. Custom cut sizes are typically possible, and the size is confirmed at quotation.
| Sheet size | Inches (approx.) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 25 x 37.5 cm (quarter of 50 x 75) | 10 x 15 | Jewellery, cosmetics, small accessories |
| 37.5 x 50 cm (half of 50 x 75) | 15 x 20 | Small boxes, candles, books, folded tops |
| 50 x 70 or 50 x 75 cm | 20 x 30 | Folded apparel, general e-commerce, gift retail |
| 70 x 100 cm | 28 x 39 | Bulky knitwear, boxed footwear, larger gifts |
| 75 x 100 cm | 30 x 39 | Large items; also a standard parent format for cutting down |
Mills make tissue in wide reels and converters cut those to the parent formats, so the formats above are standard because they are efficient to cut, not because they suit every product. A 50 x 75 cm sheet is the typical default for apparel; quarter and half sheets save paper when products are small. The numbers above are nominal: cut tolerance, and any trimming of reel edges, apply to the real sheet.
How big should the tissue sheet be for your product?
The sheet must cover the item all the way round plus an overlap in one direction, and its length plus the end folds in the other. As a working rule, one side should be at least 2 x (item width + item height) + 5 cm, and the other at least item length + 2 x (item height + 4 cm). Treat the result as a starting point and test it with real packs.
For a flat item of length L, width W and height H (all in cm), wrap it like a parcel: the sheet wraps round the item (needing a circumference plus overlap) and the ends are folded in (needing a flap equal to the height plus a margin).
| Item (L x W x H, folded) | Needed sheet (approx.) | Suggested standard size |
|---|---|---|
| Small gift or cosmetics box, 10 x 10 x 4 cm | 33 x 26 cm | Half sheet, 37.5 x 50 cm |
| Candle jar, about 8 x 8 x 10 cm | 41 x 36 cm | Half sheet, 37.5 x 50 cm (long side round the jar) |
| Folded T-shirt, 30 x 25 x 3 cm | 61 x 44 cm | 50 x 75 cm |
| Folded knit jumper, 35 x 28 x 8 cm | 77 x 59 cm | 70 x 100 cm |
| Shoe box, 33 x 20 x 12 cm | 69 x 65 cm | 70 x 100 cm |
If you do not fully wrap, but lay a sheet in the box and fold it over the product, the sheet needs to be about inner width + 2 x inner depth + 10 cm in one direction, and about inner length + 10 cm in the other, so that the sides meet over the product. A sheet that is too big for the product wastes paper and looks untidy; one that is too small cannot be tucked or sealed and gets re-wrapped. The folds themselves are shown in how to wrap products in tissue paper.
How many sheets are in a kilogram of tissue paper?
Divide 1,000 by the weight of one sheet in grams. A sheet's weight in grams is its area in square metres multiplied by the gsm, so a 50 x 75 cm sheet at 17 gsm weighs about 6.4 g and a kilogram holds about 157 sheets.
| Sheet size | Area | Sheets per kg at 17 gsm | At 20 gsm | At 22 gsm | At 25 gsm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 x 37.5 cm | 0.094 m² | About 627 | About 533 | About 485 | About 427 |
| 37.5 x 50 cm | 0.188 m² | About 314 | About 267 | About 242 | About 213 |
| 50 x 70 cm | 0.350 m² | About 168 | About 143 | About 130 | About 114 |
| 50 x 75 cm | 0.375 m² | About 157 | About 133 | About 121 | About 107 |
| 70 x 100 cm | 0.700 m² | About 84 | About 71 | About 65 | About 57 |
| 75 x 100 cm | 0.750 m² | About 78 | About 67 | About 61 | About 53 |
The table counts paper only. Printing adds a small amount of ink, moisture content changes weight a little, and nominal gsm is a target with tolerance, so real sheet counts differ slightly from the arithmetic. Treat the figures as planning numbers and let the supplier confirm a sheet count or weight per pack. The effect of weight on feel and opacity is in tissue paper GSM and grades; if you need to convert to US basis weight, use the paper weight converter.
This is why comparing offers on price per kilogram alone misleads. Two offers at the same price per kilogram are not equal if one is 17 gsm and the other 22 gsm: the heavier paper yields roughly a quarter fewer sheets from the same kilogram. Convert both to cost per sheet before comparing. More on how quotes differ is in packaging cost drivers.
How are tissue paper rolls sized and weighed?
A roll is defined by its width, its length and its core, and its weight is width x length x gsm. A 50 cm wide roll that is 100 m long at 17 gsm covers 50 m² and weighs about 0.85 kg before the core; at 20 gsm it weighs 1.0 kg.
Roll widths commonly follow the sheet formats (for example 50 or 70 cm) or a width set by your dispenser or cutter, and the length is limited by roll diameter and what your packer can handle. Rolls suit counters and workbenches where staff cut to length with a cutter bar, and they cut waste when product sizes vary. They are less suited to fast, repeatable wraps, because every cut is made by hand and sheet sizes drift. From a roll of 50 cm width and 100 m length, you can cut about 133 sheets of 50 x 75 cm (100 m divided by 0.75 m), which is a convenient way to compare a roll to a pack of sheets.
Core diameter and the dispenser or cutter you use must fit each other, and the printed repeat on a roll must suit the cut length, so share both with the printer.
How much tissue paper do you need per order?
Take the sheets used per order, multiply by monthly orders, add an allowance for misfolds and samples, and convert to kilograms using the table above. A typical e-commerce order uses one to two sheets of 50 x 75 cm or a half sheet, but measure it on your own packing bench.
Worked example, using planning assumptions rather than industry norms: a fashion brand ships 3,000 orders a month and uses one 50 x 75 cm sheet at 20 gsm per order.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Weight of one sheet | 0.375 m² x 20 g/m² | 7.5 g |
| Monthly sheets | 3,000 orders x 1 sheet | 3,000 sheets |
| Paper weight | 3,000 x 7.5 g | 22.5 kg |
| With 8 % allowance for misfolds and samples | 22.5 kg x 1.08 | About 24.3 kg |
| Annual requirement | 24.3 kg x 12 | About 292 kg |
An allowance of 5 to 10 percent is a planning assumption, not a standard; your packing team's own waste figure is better. The figures also change if a seasonal campaign needs a different print, so plan stock per design, not just per total kilograms. How minimum quantities, run configuration and lead time affect this are covered in what determines MOQ and packaging lead times.
What is a ream of tissue paper?
A ream of tissue is a counted pack of sheets, commonly 480 or 500 sheets depending on region and supplier, with the unit sometimes subdivided into quires of about 24 or 25 sheets. Because the number differs, always state the exact sheet count rather than relying on the word "ream".
Retail packs of a few dozen sheets are often sold as bundles or "packs", and wholesalers sometimes quote per ream of a given size and weight. When you compare offers, ask what a ream is for each supplier, the weight of the pack and the sheet size, and then calculate cost per sheet. In Germany, the format is usually given in centimetres (for example "50 x 75 cm"), while UK and US listings may use millimetres or inches; write both units in your specification. The same confusion between metric and imperial units appears in other products, as in paper cup sizes.
Tissue paper size and quantity checklist
Send these items with a request so the size and quantity can be quoted without a second round of questions:
- Item dimensions (L x W x H, folded) and the wrapping method (full wrap or fold-over).
- Preferred sheet size or roll width and length, in cm with inches if needed.
- Weight (gsm) and grade; see the tissue paper GSM and grades article.
- Packing format: flat sheets, folded sheets, packs of a stated sheet count, or rolls with core size.
- Annual and per-campaign volumes in sheets and in kilograms, per design.
- Delivery country, pallet limits and any carton weight limit for manual handling.
Request packaging details for a quotation through the contact page, and see the packaging RFQ guide for the full format. The parent page, custom printed tissue paper, links the rest of the cluster.