GSM stands for grams per square meter, the metric measure of paper weight. It gives the mass of a single square meter of a sheet, so the figure holds true whatever size that sheet is cut to. Higher gsm means more fiber per unit of area and usually a stiffer sheet, although thickness also depends on bulk, so two papers at one gsm can measure different calipers.
Questions or ready for a quote? Contact Teal Packaging at info@tealpackaging.com or (224) 546-8325.
What Is GSM Paper? Grams per Square Meter Explained from Teal Packaging: 50-unit standard MOQ (100+ units for specialty rigid boxes), 2-5 business day delivery in the US (express and economy options available), free design help included on every order, free generic sample kit ($19.99 shipping, credited toward your first order). Standard production runs from about 7 business days after digital proof approval; complex or high-volume orders take longer.
Materials and certifications: FSC-certified paper stock, soy-based inks, kraft / corrugated / rigid paperboard / mylar / tin / vinyl substrates.
Contact Teal Packaging: Call (224) 546-8325, email info@tealpackaging.com, or request a free quote at tealpackaging.com/contact-us. We reply within one business day.
Updated August 25, 2026 · Teal Packaging operates a US facility in West Chicago, Illinois.
One number, one square meter
Weigh a piece of paper cut to exactly one meter by one meter. The grams on the scale are the gsm. A 300 gsm board weighs 300 grams per square meter whether you buy it as a huge press sheet or a business card blank, which is why the metric system won this argument. The number describes the material rather than the format.
The American basis weight system does the opposite and confuses nearly everyone who meets it. Basis weight is the weight of 500 sheets at a basis size, but the basis size changes by grade. Text stock uses one parent sheet, cover stock uses a smaller one, bristol and index use others again. That is how 80 lb text and 80 lb cover end up being wildly different materials with the same number on the label. Cover is roughly twice the substance of text at the same stated pound figure.
Conversion table for packaging stocks
| GSM | US text | US cover | Approx caliper | Where it turns up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 gsm | 54 lb text | - | 0.004 in | Tissue wrap, printed inserts, bag liners |
| 120 gsm | 81 lb text | - | 0.006 in | Rigid box wraps, paper bags, leaflets |
| 170 gsm | 115 lb text | 63 lb cover | 0.009 in | Heavy inserts, hang cards, booklets |
| 250 gsm | - | 92 lb cover | 0.012 in | Folding cartons, light retail boxes |
| 300 gsm | - | 111 lb cover | 0.014 in | Standard carton weight, tuck ends |
| 350 gsm | - | 129 lb cover | 0.016 in | Cosmetic cartons, sturdier closures |
| 400 gsm | - | 148 lb cover | 0.018 in | Heavy cartons, thick hang tags |
The arithmetic behind those columns is simple. Multiply a text pound figure by 1.48 to reach gsm. Multiply a cover pound figure by 2.71. Caliper is the one column that resists a clean formula, because it depends on how the fiber was compacted, and the values above are typical rather than fixed. A fuller breakdown by grade sits on our paper weight chart.
Weight is not thickness
Two boards at 300 gsm can measure noticeably different calipers if one is bulkier. Uncoated kraft holds air in its fiber structure and runs thicker per gram. Heavily calendered coated board is pressed dense and runs thinner per gram. Stiffness follows caliper more closely than it follows weight, so a bulky 280 gsm sheet can stand up better in a carton wall than a dense 300 gsm sheet that feels heavier in the hand.
This matters when a supplier substitutes stock. Matching the gsm alone will not make the box behave the same way. Ask for caliper in points or thousandths of an inch alongside the gsm figure whenever the structure depends on rigidity, and note the grade too, since SBS paperboard and recycled kraft board at identical weights print and fold quite differently.
Choosing a weight for a job
Small retail cartons holding a few ounces generally sit between 250 and 350 gsm. Below 250 the panels feel flimsy and the closure loses its snap. Above 400 the board fights the crease, folds get bulky at the corners, and the machine that erects the carton starts to complain. Wraps mounted on rigid board are a separate case and run much lighter, usually 120 to 170 gsm, because the chipboard core underneath is doing the structural work.
Shipping boxes leave the gsm conversation entirely. Corrugated is specified by flute profile and crush resistance rather than by sheet weight, so board there gets specified by its edge crush test grade instead.
What extra weight costs
Paper is priced by mass, so moving from 300 gsm to 400 gsm raises material cost by roughly a third on that component. Heavier board also means fewer sheets per skid, more pallets per run and more weight in freight. On a run of a few hundred units none of that is decisive. On tens of thousands that becomes one of the bigger levers available, and the honest question is whether the customer can tell. Most people register the difference between 250 and 350 gsm. Very few register the difference between 350 and 400.
Ordering the right stock through Teal
Tell us how much the packed product weighs and how the box travels, then let the estimator propose a weight rather than copying one off a competitor page. Order the sample kit, $19.99 with that amount credited to your first custom order, if you want to feel several weights before choosing; screens are useless for judging stiffness. Structural options and stock choices are priced together on the custom boxes page, with printed finishes over those stocks listed at custom printed boxes. Eligible jobs run from 50 units upward; specialty rigid needs 100.
