Honeycomb paper widths from 100 mm to 500 mm: which one fits your products

Why does a honeycomb paper maker need eight standard widths? Because one roll does not fit everything, and the wrong width costs money in two quiet ways. Too narrow, and packers wrap twice to cover the product. Too wide, and every pack carries paper that protects nothing.

Pick the narrowest width whose opened paper covers your most common product from end to end, with enough left over to fold across the top and bottom. Then check that width fits your dispenser. For most ecommerce packing that is 380 to 400 mm. Small items and bottle necks suit 100 to 250 mm, and tall or bulky items suit 490 to 500 mm.

We make honeycomb paper in Jaipur in 100, 200, 250, 380, 390, 400, 490 and 500 mm as standard, with other widths to order.

So I can tell you how each one behaves on a real packing table, including the ones we would rather you did not buy.

Which way does the width go on a product?

Width covers the height of the product. Length goes around it.

I find most confusion about widths disappears once a buyer sees this on a real product.

When a packer pulls paper from a dispenser and rolls a mug into it, the roll's length wraps around the mug's belly. The roll's width runs from the base of the mug to its rim. So the question "which width?" really means "what are the dimensions of the thing I wrap most often?"

Flat items work the same way. For a plate, the width runs across the face of the plate and the length goes around its edge.

A simple sizing rule

Start with this rule, then adjust it on your own bench.

Opened width needed = product height + product depth

The height gets covered from end to end. The extra amount, equal to the product's depth, lets half of it fold over the top and half over the bottom, closing both ends.

There is one catch. Honeycomb paper gets narrower when it is pulled open, because the opening cells draw the edges inwards. A 1997 US patent on slit sheet packing, US5667871A, describes the expanded material as one that "increases in length, decreases in width". How much narrower depends on the cut and the pull.

So do not use the flat width in the rule. Pull a metre of your sample the way your packers do, and measure the opened width with a tape.

That measurement is your real working width.

If you send us a product list, this is the first calculation we will do with you, before we talk about grade or price.

Worked examples

These products and sizes are examples, and the opened widths are what you would measure on your own sample. I have kept the numbers round.

1. A candle jar, 10 cm tall and 8 cm across. It needs about 18 cm of opened width. A 200 or 250 mm roll covers it. A 380 mm roll works too, but almost half of every sheet sits beyond the ends of the jar.
2. A mug, 10 cm tall and 12 cm across with its handle. It needs about 22 cm. A 250 mm roll is tight once the paper narrows. A 380 mm roll is comfortable.
3. A dinner plate, 27 cm across and 2 cm deep. It needs about 29 cm across its face. A 380 mm roll fits well.
4. A wine bottle, 30 cm tall and 8 cm across. It needs about 38 cm. A 380 mm roll will fall short once the paper opens and narrows, so either use a 490 or 500 mm roll, or wrap the body first and cap the ends with a second, narrower piece.
5. A tall vase or a rolled print, 60 cm long. No standard roll covers that in one go. Wrap it in a spiral, overlapping each turn by about a third, with a 200 or 250 mm roll.

Notice how often 380 mm wins. It is also the width of our standard export roll.

Each width at a glance

Does the dispenser decide for you?

Often, yes. A dispenser is built for a width range, and the roll has to sit between its side plates with a little clearance on both sides. Too tight and one edge drags, so that side opens differently from the other.

Our own table-top manual dispenser is made for 380 to 390 mm rolls of 250 m. Wider rolls need a wider dispenser, and narrow rolls are usually pulled by hand or from a small holder.

If you already own dispensers, measure the gap between the side plates before you order paper. Our guide to honeycomb paper dispensers explains the other numbers to match, and our core and roll diameter guide shows how to measure them.

What does a roll that is too wide cost?

More than people think. Paper is bought by area, so the extra width is extra paper on every metre.

Say your products need a 380 mm roll, but you run 500 mm because it was in stock. Every metre pulled now carries 500 ÷ 380 = 1.32 times the paper. That is about 32% more paper per pack, for no extra protection. On a busy packing line that adds up to a lot of rolls every year.

Going too narrow costs differently. Packers add a second wrap to cover the gap, which doubles both time and paper for that product.

I would rather lose the sale of a wide roll than see you pay for paper that protects nothing.

One width or two?

In my view, most packing rooms can work with one main width and, at most, one narrow width for small items. Every extra width is another stock line, another dispenser and another chance for a packer to grab the wrong roll.

Make a list of your top 20 products with their height and depth. Run the sizing rule for each one. A spreadsheet makes this a ten-minute exercise. If 15 or more fit one width, that is your main roll. Handle the rest with a narrow roll, or with a spiral wrap.

The sizing rule has a weakness, and you should know it. It is a starting point, not a law of physics. Round, soft-edged items need less than it says, and items with handles or spouts need more.

The bench test is still the final word.

Where we fit

We supply all eight standard widths as flat measurements, and inch widths for the US. If you buy in inches, our guide to 12, 15 and 20 inch rolls explains how those compare. The full list is on our products page.

Send us your top products with their height and depth, and your dispenser size, through our contact page. We will suggest a width, and send a sample so you can measure its opened width yourself.