Tools
Paper roll length calculator
Enter the roll weight, the GSM and the width. The calculator returns the length in metres. A table of metres per kilogram and the reverse sum for weight sit below.
Calculator
Roll length from weight
The formula
Length in metres = roll weight in kg × 1,000,000 ÷ (GSM × width in mm).
Worked example
10 kg, 40 GSM, 450 mm gives 556 m.
01 / The method
How the formula works
GSM gives the weight of one square metre. Multiply GSM by the width in metres and you get the weight of one metre of roll.
Divide the roll weight by this figure and you get the length. Keep to the units the calculator asks for: kilograms, GSM and millimetres.
The formula counts the core as paper. Weigh the core on its own and subtract the core weight for a closer figure.
02 / In use
Check a quote before you order
Some quotes price by weight and some by length. Run each quote through the calculator to compare them on the same basis.
Our butter paper retail rolls run 25 to 100 m, and bulk butter paper reels 500 to 2,000 m. OGR reels run 1,000 to 3,000 m, and MG and MF reels 1,500 to 4,000 m.
03 / Reference
Metres in one kilogram of butter paper
| 300 mm wide | 95 m at 35 GSM · 67 m at 50 GSM |
|---|---|
| 380 mm wide | 75 m at 35 GSM · 53 m at 50 GSM |
| 450 mm wide | 63 m at 35 GSM · 44 m at 50 GSM |
| 600 mm wide | 48 m at 35 GSM · 33 m at 50 GSM |
| 900 mm wide | 32 m at 35 GSM · 22 m at 50 GSM |
| 1,200 mm wide | 24 m at 35 GSM · 17 m at 50 GSM |
04 / The reverse
Roll weight from length
To find the weight of a roll you know the length of, turn the formula round. Weight in kg is length in metres times GSM times width in mm, divided by 1,000,000.
A 100 m roll at 450 mm and 40 GSM weighs 1.8 kg of paper. A 25 m roll at 300 mm and 40 GSM weighs 0.3 kg.
Use the weight to plan freight, or to check a delivery against the length on the invoice.
05 / Limits
Why a real roll differs a little
Every figure here is nominal. Paper leaves the mill within a GSM tolerance, so a real roll runs a little long or short against the sum.
The core adds weight the formula reads as paper. Weigh an empty core and subtract the core weight before you calculate.
Questions
Before you specify
How many metres are in 1 kg of paper?
Divide 1,000,000 by GSM times the width in mm. At 450 mm and 40 GSM, 1 kg holds 56 m.
How do I find the weight of a paper roll?
Multiply the length in metres by the GSM and the width in mm, then divide by 1,000,000. The answer is in kilograms, core excluded.
Does the core count in the weight?
The formula treats the whole weight as paper. Subtract the weight of an empty core first for a closer length.