Roll paper
Roll paper is paper sold in continuous rolls rather than cut sheets — the standard form for containerboard, newsprint, kraft, and most large-volume paper purchases. Rolls are specified by width, diameter, weight, and grade.
A paper roll has four primary dimensions: width (face dimension, measured across the roll), outside diameter (OD), inside diameter (core ID, usually 3 or 6 inches), and weight. The basis weight and grade complete the spec.
Roll weights vary by product. A single linerboard roll runs 1,000 to 5,000 lb depending on diameter and width. Newsprint rolls reach similar weights. Specialty papers in narrower widths can be much lighter.
Slit rolls are narrower rolls cut from a parent roll on a slitter-rewinder. The slitter operation lets a mill produce a wide parent web (60-100 inches) and then cut it into customer-specific widths.
Each roll carries a roll tag — a barcoded or RFID tag with the roll number, dimensions, weight, and grade. The tag is the link between physical roll and the manifest line.
Related terms
- Basis weightBasis weight is the standard measure of paper weight in the U.S., expressed in pounds per 3,000 square feet of a grade's parent sheet. Elsewhere it is reported as grams per square metre (gsm).
- LinerboardLinerboard is the flat, smooth paper layer bonded to either side of a corrugated medium to form a corrugated board. It provides the strength, printability, and outer surface of a cardboard box.
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