Paper Weight Converter
Convert paper weight between GSM and the US bond, text, and cover pound scales.
Chart of common paper types from 75 GSM copy paper to 350 GSM cardstock.
Type in any field and the others update instantly.
This page converts GSM against the three scales you actually meet in printing: bond, text and cover. If you are working with card and need Bristol or Index as well, the full paper weight page carries all five and explains why 100 lb Bristol and 100 lb Index are 21% apart despite sharing a number. Both pages use the same basis-size arithmetic.
Paper weight is measured differently in each region.
GSM (grams per square meter): The international standard. Used worldwide. Higher GSM = thicker, heavier paper.
US Bond Weight (lb): Based on 500 sheets of 17" × 22" paper.
- Conversion: GSM = Bond weight × 3.7597
US Cover Weight (lb): Based on 500 sheets of 20" × 26" paper.
- Conversion: GSM = Cover weight × 2.7048
US Text Weight (lb): Based on 500 sheets of 25" × 38" paper. This is the one used for book pages, brochures and letterhead.
- Conversion: GSM = Text weight × 1.4801
Common paper weights:
| Paper Type | GSM | US Bond (lb) | US Text (lb) | US Cover (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thin copy paper | 75 gsm | 20 lb | 51 lb | — |
| Standard copy | 80 gsm | 21 lb | 54 lb | — |
| Letterhead | 90 gsm | 24 lb | 61 lb | — |
| Premium paper | 100 gsm | 27 lb | 68 lb | — |
| Light card | 120 gsm | 32 lb | 81 lb | 44 lb |
| Index card | 160 gsm | 43 lb | 108 lb | 59 lb |
| Light cardstock | 200 gsm | 53 lb | 135 lb | 74 lb |
| Business card | 300 gsm | 80 lb | 203 lb | 111 lb |
| Heavy cardstock | 350 gsm | 93 lb | 236 lb | 129 lb |
Text weight stops being printed on labels somewhere around 100 lb, because past that the mills and the shops both switch to cover. A “203 lb text” business card is arithmetically correct and nobody will know what you mean.
US paper weight is confusing because it depends on the “basis size” which differs between bond, text and cover stocks.
Why the pound numbers seem contradictory: A “20 lb” bond sheet and a “50 lb” text sheet are the same everyday copy paper, about 75 gsm. Each US category weighs 500 sheets at its own basis size (bond at 17" × 22", text at 25" × 38", cover at 20" × 26"), so the pound figures only compare within a single category. That is why an 80 lb text flyer bends easily while an 80 lb cover card feels stiff: put both through the converter and the text sheet comes out at 118 gsm against 216 gsm for the cover, nearly twice the paper. GSM cuts through all of it, one number, one square meter, any paper.
Picking a weight your printer can handle: Most home inkjets and lasers feed anything up to about 200 gsm without complaint. Push past that and you risk jams or faded toner, because a stiff sheet will not bend around the rollers properly. Check the spec before buying 300 gsm cardstock for a home project; many printers cap out around 220 gsm, sometimes only through the rear tray. Print shops handle the heavy stocks routinely, which is one good reason business cards and invitations are usually outsourced.
How we build and check this converter
This converter runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
SuperGlobalCalculator is independently built and maintained. See how we build and verify our calculators.