Importing cohesive paper from India: the specs to put in your RFQ

To import cohesive paper from India without surprises, send an RFQ that fixes ten things: product type, width, roll length, paper weight, core, coat weight, latex, packing, shelf life and claims. "Cohesive paper, 10 inch, 500 rolls" is not an RFQ. It gets you three quotes for three different products. You find out which one you bought when the first pallet lands.

We make cohesive paper, also sold as self-seal paper, in Jaipur. We coat kraft paper with a natural rubber latex cohesive on our own coating line. Then we slit it to width and wind it on a 3-inch (76 mm) core. So this checklist comes from the supplier's side of the table. It is the list I wish every buyer sent us on day one.

Checked against sources on 29 October 2026.

What exactly are you buying?

Cohesive paper is kraft paper with a coat on one side that sticks only to another coated surface. Press two coated faces together by hand and they bond. The coat does not stick to your product, so there is no tape and no glue on the goods.

The names change by market. Cohesive paper, self-seal paper, cold seal paper and seal-to-self paper all mean the same family. US buyers mostly search "cohesive paper". UK buyers use "self seal paper" or "cohesive kraft".

Settle one thing before anything else: flat paper or corrugated. Many stockists also sell cohesive corrugated, a single-face board with the same kind of coat. It gives some cushioning and corner protection. Flat paper gives none. It stops scuffs, dust and scratches, and that is all. This article is about the flat paper, because that is what we make.

If you are ready to buy, the product, its uses and our packing advice are on Jagannath Polymers' self-seal paper page.

The 10 specs to put in your RFQ

Widths: which system are your customers on?

North America and Europe use different widths. On the Canadian stockist pages we checked in October 2026, flat cohesive paper came in 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 15 and 30 inch widths. UK rolls were 200 or 300 mm wide.

Those Canadian cases follow a neat pattern. A case holds six 5-inch rolls, five 6-inch, four 7.5-inch, three 10-inch, two 15-inch or one 30-inch roll. That is about 30 inches of total width in every case. If your customers are used to it, ask for the same rolls per case.

We slit to the North American widths of 6, 7.5, 10 and 15 inch (152, 191, 254 and 381 mm). We also slit the European 300 and 600 mm. Other widths, up to the full width of our jumbo roll, can be made on request.

Write both units on your RFQ. A 10-inch roll is 254 mm, not 250 mm.

I would rather settle it in the RFQ than in an email thread after the rolls are slit, so say which one you mean.

Roll length: 700 ft or 200 m?

On the Canadian stockist pages, the standard roll is 700 ft. In the UK it is 200 m. We wind about 215 m (705 ft) for North American buyers and 200 m for European ones.

Ask for the length on the carton label as well as on the invoice. I would not accept a carton without it. Flat cohesive paper does not stretch or expand, so the label length is the length you use.

Paper weight: GSM, pounds and the coating question

This is where most RFQ confusion starts.

North American sellers quote basis weight in pounds. A Canadian stockist lists 40 lb kraft for its 700 ft rolls, and US makers offer 50, 60, 70 and 100 lb grades. Indian and European mills quote GSM (grams per square metre).

For kraft paper, the conversion is simple. Basis weight in lb (per 3,000 sq ft ream) is about GSM x 0.614. So:

1. 65 GSM is about 40 lb.
2. 80 GSM is about 49 lb.
3. 50 lb is about 81 GSM.

We have made cohesive paper at 65 and 80 GSM. Those figures are for the finished, coated paper. Ask every supplier the same question: is your weight before or after coating?

I will be honest about our range. So far we have made only these two weights. If your market wants a heavier grade, ask us before you plan around it, and I will tell you straight whether our line can run it.

Core: will it fit your dispenser?

Our rolls go on a 3-inch (76 mm) core. Check that size against your dispenser, roll stand or packing bench before you order a full load.

Coat weight: the question almost nobody asks

Ask for the dry coat weight in grams per square metre. None of the stockist pages we read published one, which is exactly why you should ask.

I would put this question in every RFQ, including the one you send us.

1. The coat makes the bond. It decides whether a seam holds when a parcel is thrown on a belt.
2. In the UK, the coat counts as non-paper content. The government's RAM 2027 materials assessment guidance (updated 20 August 2026) rates paper amber when non-paper content is over 10% by weight, and red when it is over 15%. Packaging with no evidence for an amber or green rating is reported as red.

Here are ours, so you can see what a straight answer looks like:

The share is highest at the light end of each band. If your UK customers need it under 10%, specify a base of 60 to 69 GSM, 72 to 79 GSM, or 90 GSM and above.

Ask every supplier for the same figures in writing, and ask which test stands behind any recyclability rating they quote.

Latex: write it down either way

The coat on most cohesive paper is natural rubber latex, and ours is too. Some packers are allergic to latex. Give them gloves, and check that the paper suits your workplace before you switch a whole line.

If you supply medical device makers in the US, read 21 CFR 801.437. It requires a natural rubber latex caution on device packaging that contains natural rubber and contacts users. It is a medical device rule, not a rule for general industrial wrap. Latex-free (synthetic) cohesive grades exist in the market for this kind of use.

Put "natural rubber latex" or "latex-free" in your RFQ. Nobody should have to guess.

Packing: what arrives at your door

We pack each roll in an LD poly pouch, then in brown cartons, and palletise them for export. Your RFQ should still say:

1. Rolls per carton, in your market's pattern.
2. Cartons per pallet, pallet size and maximum height.
3. Label text: width, length, paper weight and production date.

Keep each roll in its pouch until it goes on the dispenser.

Shelf life: the spec that changes how you order

A cohesive coat ages, and heat ages it faster. Two sellers we checked put a number on it. A large US distributor lists a 6-month shelf life for its cohesive corrugated wrap. A Japanese seller says to use its roll within about six months of opening.

So:

1. Ask for the production date on every carton.
2. Store rolls cool and dry, in their original wrap, away from sun and heat.
3. Use the oldest rolls first.
4. Order quantities you can use inside that window.

This is where cohesive paper differs from plain kraft. A full container at a lower price per roll is not a saving if the last pallets sit through a hot summer.

I would rather you order twice a year than watch old stock lose its grip.

Claims: get the basis in writing

Our self-seal paper is water-resistant, 100% recyclable and biodegradable. Here is the basis for each.

1. Recyclable: it goes in with paper and cardboard recycling.
2. Biodegradable: the base is plain kraft paper.
3. Water-resistant: this is a claim about our paper, not every brand. One Japanese seller states plainly that its self-seal roll is not water-resistant, so ask each supplier.

A claim on a website is not a test report. If your customer needs recyclability evidence for UK EPR, say so in the RFQ and ask the supplier to name the test. Ask any supplier, us included, what sits behind the word "recyclable" before you print it on your own pack. I would rather you ask me that now than hear it from a regulator later.

Where cohesive paper fits, and where it does not

Stockists sell cohesive paper for books and catalogues, furniture legs and trim, auto parts and kits, and apparel. These are jobs where the risk is a scuff or a scratch, not a knock.

It is not for glass, ceramics or anything that breaks. Self-seal paper gives no cushioning at all. For breakables, use a wrap that cushions, such as honeycomb paper wrap. Our guide to how honeycomb paper wrap protects a product explains the difference.

On very glossy, painted or polished surfaces, test a sample first. The coat should not mark them, but I would never switch a whole line on a promise.

If you sell into Europe, read our note on self-seal paper in Europe too. Continental buyers mostly know the corrugated version.

A worked example of one RFQ line

Here is how one line could read. The numbers are an example, so change them to yours.

"Flat cohesive kraft paper, natural rubber latex coat on one side, 65 GSM after coating, 254 mm (10 inch) x 215 m (705 ft), 3-inch (76 mm) core, 3 rolls per carton, production date on every carton, dry coat weight to be stated, basis for every claim to be stated."

A supplier who can answer every part of that line is worth a sample order. One who cannot say whether the weight is before or after coating is not.

Who we are

Jagannath Polymers is a family-run packaging maker in Jaipur, India. We were founded in 1995, have made packaging since 1997 and export to 20+ countries.

What to do next

1. Decide your size system: inches and 700 ft, or millimetres and 200 m.
2. Write the 10 specs above into one page.
3. Send it to two or three makers, including us, and compare the answers line by line before you look at the price.

Send your widths, lengths and the products you pack through our contact page. We will quote, and I will tell you honestly if flat cohesive paper is the wrong wrap for what you ship.