Sheet Weights

Our Sheet Weights Calculator lets you easily determine the M Weight, ream weight, and weight for a given number of sheets of paper in the specific size you enter. Simply fill in your individual data below, then click "Calculate".

Note: specify all dimensions in inches (using decimal fractions) and weight in pounds.

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More Information

M Weight is the weight of 1,000 sheets (2 reams) of paper. Note that W Weight is the weight of any size paper. Unlike basis weight (which is measured for a paper type-specific reference size (basis size), M Weight is simply the weight of 1,000 sheets of any particular cut-sheet size. Larger dimensions result in higher M Weights, and smaller dimensions result in smaller M Weights.

Example

Find the M Weight for a sheet of 11" × 14" Cover paper with a basis weight of 60 lbs.

Formula:

(Area of Your Sheet) × (Basis Weight) = Rounded Ream Weight × 2 = M Weight
(Area of Basis Size)          

Equation:

(11 × 14) × 60 = 17.77 × 2 = 35.54 lbs
20 × 26        

 
Note that in this example, the area of the given sheet size (11 × 14 = 154 in2) is less than 336 in2.
According to the M Weight rounding rules (see below), the ream weight should be rounded to the nearest hundredth of a pound.

Rounding Rules
Sheet Size Ream Weights
864 in2 or larger Ream Weight calculated to nearest pound
(e.g. 148 lbs)
336 in2 to 864 in2 Ream Weight calculated to nearest half pound
(e.g. 148.5 lbs)
Less than 336 in2 Ream Weight calculated to nearest one hundredth of a pound
(e.g. 148.57 lbs)

Basis Sizes
Paper Type Basis Size Area of Basis Size
(1 Sheet)
Book / Offset25" x 38"950 in²
Cover20" x 26"520 in²
Bond17" x 22"374 in²
Tag / Newsprint24" x 36"864 in²
Bristol22.5" x 28.5"641.25 in²
Index25.5" x 30.5"777.75 in²


Terms & Definitions

Ream:
500 sheets of paper cut to a given size.
Ream Weight:
The weight of 500 sheets of paper.
M-weight:
The weight of 1,000 sheets of paper (or two reams).
Basis Weight:
The weight of a ream, measured in pounds.
Basis Size:
The standard sheet size from which the basis weight of a given grade of paper is determined.


Other Formulas:

Weight for a given number of sheets:

(M Weight) × (number of sheets) = Total Weight
1,000    

Ream Weight:

(Area of Your Sheet) × (Basis Weight) = Ream Weight¹
(Area of Basis Size)    

¹Remember to apply the rounding rules when calculating ream weight



Fun Facts

Ream sizes were originally defined as a set of 480 sheets of paper, or 20 quires. The term quire originates from the early days of bookbinding, a derivative of the Latin quarterni, meaning "four each". A quire refers to four sheets of paper folded once to form a section of 8 leaves / 16 pages (a signature) - therefore a ream of paper could produce up to twenty 16-page signatures in a book.