CUTTING PAPER - IDEAS - Useful Facts about Copy Paper (U.S. Version)

 

Useful Facts about Copy Paper

Metric version of this page

The typical U.S. office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year.


 
How much paper is 10,000 sheets?  In one large stack, 10,000 sheets of unused paper weighs about 100 pounds and rises just over 4 feet (for a variety of reasons, as you use paper it takes up more space).  Spread the paper out and you could cover the floor of a 10 foot square office 65 times, or a 3 by 6 foot desk more than 360 times. For every hour worked, about 5 sheets are used.  This might only cost $50 to buy, but buying paper is just one of many relevant costs.
Paper in the U.S. is 8.5 x 11 inches, or 215 x 280 mm, with an area of 0.06 m2.  An "A4" sheet is 210 x 297 mm and so is 0.06 m2.
"Standard" U.S. office paper is 20 lb. weight; each sheet is 8.5 x 11 inches and covers about 0.65 ft2. 
There are about 200,000 such sheets in a ton.  There are 100 to a pound and about 6 per ounce. A ream of such paper is 500 sheets, so there are 400 reams per ton, and each ream weighs 5 lbs. 
Paper prices vary, but a typical bulk cost is $1,000/ton, which is $2.50 per ream of 500 sheets, half a cent per sheet, 50 cents per pound, or 3 cents per ounce. 
A ream of unused paper is about 2 inches thick, so there are 250 sheets per inch, 3,000 sheets per foot, and each sheet is 0.004 inches thick. 
Outside of the U.S., paper is usually measured by metric and ISO (International Standards Organization) measures, such as "A4" paper. 
Paper for InkJet printers is usually 24 lb paper (90 g/m2). For color laser printing or copying, 28 lb (105 g/m2) is more common, with some people using 32 lb (120 g/m2) paper.
For an excellent discussion of ISO paper sizes, see Markus Kuhn's International Paper Sizes page. 
 
     Paper Facts - Metric