Cover / Cardstock Weight
Paper Weight & Grammage · 7 specs
Direct Answer
Cover Paper (Basis Weight: Cover / Cardstock, standardized under TAPPI T 410) is a heavy North American paperboard grade defined as the weight in pounds of a 500-sheet ream of uncut master sheets measuring 20 × 26 inches. It is standard for paperback book covers, business cards, presentation folders, and retail packaging.
Source: TAPPI T 410 / Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Master Parent Sheet Size | 20.0 × 26.0 inches (yields four 10 × 13 in folder covers) |
| Standard Ream Basis | 500 master sheets (20 × 26 in) |
| 60 lb Cover Equivalent | 162.3 gsm (Light cardstock, index dividers) |
| 65 lb Cover Equivalent | 175.8 gsm (Standard lightweight greeting card / direct mail postcard stock) |
| 80 lb Cover Equivalent | 216.4 gsm (Standard commercial trade paperback covers, presentation folders — equals 216 gsm) |
| 100 lb Cover Equivalent | 270.5 gsm (Heavy premium trade book covers, retail hang tags, quality business cards) |
| 120 lb Cover / 130 lb Cover | 324 to 352 gsm (Ultra-thick luxury business cards, rigid packaging cartons) |
Text vs Cover Confusion
One of the most frequent errors in commercial printing is confusing 80 lb Text with 80 lb Cover:
- 80 lb Text: A flexible 118 gsm sheet used for magazine interior pages.
- 80 lb Cover: A rigid 216 gsm heavy cardstock used for book covers and folders (almost double the physical thickness of 80 lb Text).
Specifying '80 lb paper' without designating Text or Cover can ruin a commercial print run.