Indian Paper Grades: GSM, BF, BS Specifications Reference Guide
Complete reference of paper grades made in India — GSM ranges, BF requirements, end uses, customer expectations.
Indian paper mills produce a remarkable variety of paper grades, each with its own specifications, market expectations, and operational requirements. This is a reference guide to the major grades — useful for sales teams quoting, planners scheduling, and quality teams setting specs.
Writing & Printing papers
The "office paper" category. Used for printing, copying, books, notebooks.
| Grade | GSM | Brightness | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maplitho | 50–80 | 80–85% | Notebooks, textbooks |
| Cream wove | 50–80 | 70–75% (cream) | Notebooks, cheap printing |
| Bond paper | 60–100 | 90–95% | Office copying, letterhead |
| Offset printing | 60–120 | 85–90% | Books, magazines |
| Coated art | 70–200 | 95%+ | Premium printing, magazines |
Key specs: GSM, brightness, opacity, smoothness, formation. Most made on Fourdrinier machines with hardwood pulp.
Kraft papers
The "packaging paper" category. Brown, strong, primarily for corrugation.
| Grade | GSM | BF | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test liner | 90–200 | 16–22 | Corrugation outer liner |
| Fluting medium | 100–180 | 14–18 | Corrugation middle (fluted) |
| Kraft sack | 70–120 | 20–28 | Cement sacks, food sacks |
| Recycled kraft | 90–200 | 14–20 | Lower-cost corrugation |
| Virgin kraft | 80–250 | 22–32 | Premium corrugation, food |
Key specs: GSM, BF (burst factor), BS (bursting strength), RCT, ring crush, cobb (water resistance). Made on kraft machines with hardwood/softwood pulp or recycled OCC.
Tissue & Towel papers
Lightweight, soft, absorbent. For hygiene and household.
| Grade | GSM | Brightness | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet tissue | 13–25 | 80–90% | Bathroom rolls |
| Facial tissue | 15–25 | 85–92% | Boxed tissues |
| Kitchen towel | 22–40 | 75–85% | Paper towels |
| Industrial wipe | 30–50 | 70–80% | Wipes, napkins |
| Napkin | 18–25 | 85% | Restaurant napkins |
Key specs: GSM, softness (handle), absorbency, brightness, dust. Made on tissue machines with Yankee dryers + crepe.
Paperboard
Multi-ply, heavy. For packaging.
| Grade | GSM | Brightness | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplex board | 200–500 | 75–85% (top) | Cartons, packaging |
| Triplex board | 250–600 | 80–90% (top) | Premium packaging |
| Folding box board | 200–450 | 85–92% | Cosmetics, pharma boxes |
| Solid bleached sulfate (SBS) | 200–400 | 90%+ | Food contact, premium |
| Cup stock | 170–350 | 85%+ | Paper cups |
| Recycled board | 250–600 | 60–75% (top) | Lower-cost packaging |
Key specs: GSM, ply construction, brightness per layer, smoothness, IGT printability, food-contact compliance (FSSAI/FDA). Made on multi-ply machines.
Newsprint
Low-cost, mechanical pulp content. For newspapers.
| Grade | GSM | Brightness | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard newsprint | 42–48 | 56–60% | Newspapers |
| Upgraded newsprint | 45–55 | 60–70% | Premium newspapers, inserts |
Key specs: GSM, opacity, tensile strength, brightness, run quality at press speeds (1000+ m/min press runs). Made on high-speed newsprint machines with mechanical pulp + DIP.
Specialty papers
Niche, high-value grades for specific applications.
| Grade | GSM | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Bible paper | 25–40 | Bibles, dictionaries (thin, opaque) |
| Carbonless paper | 40–80 | Multi-part forms |
| Thermal paper | 50–100 | POS receipts, fax |
| Currency paper | 80–110 | Banknotes (cotton-based, not strictly paper mill) |
| Cigarette paper | 22–30 | Tobacco wraps |
| Filter paper | 30–150 | Coffee filters, lab |
| Glassine | 30–60 | Food packaging |
| Yellow board | 250–500 | Notebook covers |
Each has unique specs — moisture, oil resistance, opacity, etc.
Indian-specific considerations
HSN codes matter
- •HSN 4801 — Newsprint
- •HSN 4802 — Uncoated writing/printing
- •HSN 4804 — Uncoated kraft
- •HSN 4805 — Other uncoated paper
- •HSN 4810 — Coated paper
- •HSN 4811 — Surface-coated paper
Different HSN = different GST rate (typically 12% or 18%).
Statutory specs
BIS standards exist for many grades (IS 1397, IS 6956, IS 1060, etc.). Customer specs often reference BIS.
FSSAI for food contact
Paper used in direct food contact (tissue, cup stock, food wrap) needs FSSAI compliance. Quality plans must verify migration limits, heavy metals, additives.
How specs vary by customer
The same nominal grade can have wildly different customer specs:
100 GSM kraft for Customer A (corrugation):
- •BF ≥ 18, BS ≥ 1800, cobb ≤ 30
100 GSM kraft for Customer B (food sacks):
- •BF ≥ 22, BS ≥ 2200, cobb ≤ 25, food-safe certification
100 GSM kraft for Customer C (cement bags):
- •BF ≥ 26, BS ≥ 2600, tear resistance high
Same grade name, three different products. Paper mills need customer-spec-aware quality plans to handle this.
How ERP supports grade management
Modern paper mill ERP needs:
- •Grade master with GSM/BF/BS/brightness/moisture/cobb/etc.
- •Customer-specific quality plans tied to grade master
- •Per-grade BOM (furnish recipe)
- •Per-grade pricing and customer rate contracts
- •HSN code per grade for GST compliance
- •BIS/FSSAI/FDA cert tracking per grade
Papyrus BPApp's Product Catalog + Quality + Pricing + Documents modules handle all of this natively.
See how Papyrus BPApp solves this
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