# paper weights

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-weights/119201>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 16, 2002, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-weights/119201 "2002-07-16T06:24:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mhill007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mhill007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhill007)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-weights/119201/1 "2002-07-16T06:24:07Z")

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does anyone know where the paper weight value comes from… I have gone into a Kinkos and seen 20# paper, 60#paper, 80# paper, and 110# paper and some times the 60# is thicker than the 80#, it doesn’t seem to always make sense…what do the values really mean and how can some some be thicker than others even though their weights are less…any ideas?..thanks

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**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-weights/119201/2 "2002-07-16T06:32:51Z")

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It’s the “basis weight”

In US measurements for letter size paper its the weight of 500 sheets of uncut ‘C’ size (17"x22") - but each type of paper has different basis sizes too, so the basis weights are not universal across different paper types.

In metric, it’s the “gms” weight - or grams / sq meter, or one A0 sheet.

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**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-weights/119201/3 "2002-07-17T00:57:23Z")

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[Here](http://glossary.ippaper.com/ipaper/content/Default.asp?glossary=1&term=Weight) and [here](http://www.oreilly.com/reference/dictionary/terms/P/Paper.htm).