Paper Weights of Paper Shopping Bags

Paper shopping bags are great for retail stores. They serve as an eco-friendly alternative to the plastic bag plus they are foldable and reusable, they are not a potential choking hazard, and they proudly display your company's logo for others to see. But considering the nature of paper, is it really as durable as you need it to be?

How Does Paper Have Durability (Or Lack Thereof)?

How much weight can paper hold? As much as paper is touted as a sturdy material, people can tear it right up, fairly easily. Paper can either hold up well or tear apart, as there is no elasticity in paper like there is in plastic bags. But generally speaking, the strength of a paper bag depends on its thickness. Bags made of paper can be made very thick and reliable or very brittle and flimsy, only capable of carrying lightweight items.

When shopping for sturdy paper shopping bags, it is important to learn about what is called basis weight. Basis weight is the thickness of the paper that the bag is made of. In number form, basis weight is the amount of weight a total of 500 paper bags weigh, lying flat on top of one another. To add a layer of complexity, you also have to take into account the bag and dimensions.
But one thing is for sure: The higher the basis weight of the paper bag you are looking at, the heavier the bag itself will be. Compared to smaller bags, you will need higher basis weights in larger bags.

How to Calculate Basis Weight of Shopping Bags

You won't need to have 500 paper bags in front of you in order to determine the basis weight of your bag, however you can easily determine this with a calculator:

Measure the length, height, and width of the bag in inches. Next, multiply the three numbers to get to the basic area. Finally, divide this number by 1406.5 and multiple that number by 100, and you have your basis weight in pounds. This is how much your bags would weigh if you had a total of 500 of them.

The Missy Kraft paper bag, for instance is 13 inches by 10 inches by 5 inches. Together, its area has a total of 650 cubic inches. When divided by 1406.5, you get 0.46. Multiplying 0.46 by 100 gets you 46.

How much should a typically paper shopping bag be? A paper bag with a basis weight of at least 60 pounds is adequate enough for retail stores, as heavy objects and groceries require large and/or thick bags for support. You might find that some small paper bags are at least 30 to 50 pounds in basis weight. Bags with basis weights below 60 will tend to not carry much weight before it rips.

In bag form, plastic is only a fraction of the weight of paper. While plastic is known to be resilient to groceries and goods, it does not follow the same guidelines for basis weight like paper grocery bags. Basis weight should only be calculated with paper bags.

Paper bags can rip if your goods are just too heavy for them, but there is an easy way to find this out by calculating the basis weight of the paper bag that you are looking to buy. Be sure to buy a pack of paper bags with a decent basis weight so that you do not waste your money on bags that may turn out to be too flimsy for your store.