Enter the total number of pounds of paper and select the type of paper into the calculator to determine the grams per square meter.

Paper Weight Conversion Formula

The following formulas are used to convert the weight of paper in pounds to grams per square meter.

For Text:

Grams Per Square Meter = X * 1.481

For Cover Paper:

Grams Per Square Meter = X  * 2.707
  • Where X is the total paper weight in pounds.

Paper Weight Conversion

What is the conversion of paperweight?

A paperweight conversion is a term often used to describe the conversion of the weight of paper in pounds to grams per square meter of paper.

This is not a strict weight-to-weight conversion. Instead, this is a weight-to-weight per area conversion. The formulas used above for this conversion assume standard paper sizes.

Example Problem

How to perform a paper weight conversion?

First, determine the total amount of weight of paper in pounds.

For this example, there is a total of 40 lbs of paper.

Next, determine the type of paper.

In this case, the paper is simple text paper.

Finally, calculate the GSM using the formula above:

Grams Per Square Meter = X * 1.481

Grams Per Square Meter = 40 * 1.481

Grams Per Square Meter = 59.24