Paper Weight Calculator - GSM to Total Weight
Calculate the total weight of a stack of paper from GSM, sheet dimensions, and number of sheets, with common paper size presets.
Weight per Sheet
4.99 g
Total Weight
2,494.8 g
2.495 kg | 5.5 lb
How to Calculate Paper Weight
GSM (grams per square meter) tells you the weight of a single square meter of paper, regardless of sheet size. To find the total weight of a stack, multiply the GSM by the paper's area in square meters to get the weight of one sheet, then multiply by the number of sheets.
Example
A ream of 500 sheets of A4 paper (210 × 297 mm, area 0.0623 m²) at 80 GSM weighs 80 × 0.0623 × 500 ≈ 2,494 grams, or about 2.49 kg — close to the roughly 2.5 kg you'd expect from a typical office paper ream.
Common Use Cases
- Estimating shipping weight for a box of printed documents or paper stock.
- Comparing the weight of different paper sizes or GSM grades for a print job.
- Checking postage costs based on the total weight of a paper document or booklet.
FAQs
What GSM should I use for typical office paper?
Standard copy/printer paper is usually 70-90 GSM. Cardstock and cover stock run from around 150 to 300+ GSM, while lightweight paper like newsprint can be as low as 45-52 GSM.
Why does paper size matter if GSM already measures weight?
GSM is a weight-per-area measure, not a fixed sheet weight — a larger sheet at the same GSM weighs more because it has more area. That's why this calculator needs both the GSM and the exact paper dimensions to compute the actual weight of each sheet.
Can I use this for non-standard paper sizes?
Yes — select "Custom" from the size dropdown and enter your own width and height in millimeters; the same GSM formula applies to any rectangular sheet size.