Match tissue to where it's used: dining napkins 1-ply 15 GSM or 2-ply 28 GSM, facial tissue ~18 GSM 2-ply, M-fold hand towels a minimum 32 GSM (skip recycled here), toilet roll ~28 GSM 2-ply for guest rooms and heavier for public washrooms. GSM and ply follow the placement, not the price list. Here's the full map, the per-packet napkin rates, and the three tricks suppliers use to short you.
GSM and ply by placement
| Placement | Product | GSM / ply | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant table | Dining napkin | 1-ply 15 GSM / 2-ply 28 GSM (32 on request) | Ply + sheet size drive the feel more than headline GSM |
| Guest room, salon, office | Facial tissue | ~18 GSM, 2-ply | Interleaved box or refill |
| Public washroom basin | M-fold hand towel | min 32 GSM | Recycled not recommended — tears wet, feels rough |
| Guest-room toilet | Toilet roll | 28 GSM, 2-ply | 35 g / 50 g rolls; 50 g ≈ ₹10 |
| Public-washroom toilet | Toilet roll | 2-ply, heavier | min 100 g roll or shorty rolls; also 3-ply/4-ply ultra-soft |
Toilet roll is 28 GSM, generally 2-ply and kept in regular stock. Ultra-soft 3-ply and 4-ply are made to order — about a month's manufacturing lead time — for premium rooms that want them.
Dining-napkin prices — per packet
Napkin rates are quoted per packet, so read the config (sheet size × pulls) before you compare, not the pack price alone.
| Napkin | Config | ~Price/pkt |
|---|---|---|
| 1-ply 30×30 | 100 pulls | ₹25 |
| 2-ply 30×30 | 50 pulls | ₹25 |
| 2-ply 33×33 | 50 pulls | ₹32 |
| 2-ply 40×40 | 50 pulls | ₹45 |
Note the first two: same ₹25, but the 1-ply gives 100 pulls and the 2-ply gives 50 thicker pulls. Neither is "better" — the 1-ply stretches further on a casual table, the 2-ply and the bigger 33×33 / 40×40 read better in a restaurant. Pick by the table, not the sticker.
How suppliers quietly cheat on napkins
This is where most buyers lose money without knowing it. Three tricks, all hidden behind a lower headline pack price:
- Undersized sheets sold as "30×30". The pack says 30×30; the sheet is actually 24×27, 24×29 or 26×29. Fold it and it looks fine on the shelf — you only notice when the napkin doesn't cover a lap. A 26×29 sheet is roughly a fifth less paper than a true 30×30, so a "cheaper" pack can cost more per actual square inch.
- Recycled passed off as virgin. Recycled pulp is greyer, weaker wet, and rougher. Held next to virgin it's obvious; sold on its own it isn't. It matters most on M-fold — recycled tears in wet hands, which is why we don't recommend recycled at the basin.
- Fewer pulls than the pack claims. A pack marked 100 pulls holds 85. Nobody counts, so nobody catches it. Over a year of reorders that's a standing discount you never agreed to.
So compare on four things, never the headline pack price: actual sheet size (measure one), pull count (count one pack), cost per sheet (pack price ÷ real pulls), and virgin vs recycled (hold it against a known-virgin sheet). Do that once with two suppliers side by side and the real price gap shows up fast — check it yourself rather than taking the label's word.
One more thing to ignore: embossing changes perceived thickness, not GSM. A heavily embossed 2-ply feels plusher because the pattern lofts it, but it's the same paper weight. Don't pay a premium for embossing thinking you're buying a heavier sheet.
What a 30-room property actually needs
You don't need the top spec everywhere. A sensible mid-tier stack:
- Dining: 2-ply 30×30 (₹25) for daily covers; step up to 2-ply 33×33 (₹32) for the à-la-carte restaurant. 40×40 is for banquets and fine dining — real cloth-napkin territory, not every table.
- Guest-room toilet: 2-ply, 50 g roll (~₹10). Comfortable, not wasteful. Save the 3-ply/4-ply ultra-soft for suites if you offer it at all.
- Public washroom toilet: min 100 g rolls or shorty rolls — they take heavy traffic without a mid-shift refill.
- Washroom basin: M-fold min 32 GSM, virgin. This is the one place not to save — recycled or thin M-fold tears wet and frustrates guests.
Spend the GSM where the guest actually feels it (the napkin in their lap, the M-fold in their wet hands) and hold it back where they don't (a heavier-than-needed toilet roll in a budget room).
A real example
A Nainital property was buying "30×30" 2-ply napkins from a local dealer a few rupees cheaper than ours per pack. We measured a sheet from their pack: 26×29, and 44 pulls in a "50-pull" pack. On real paper delivered — true 30×30, full 50 pulls — our packet worked out cheaper per actual sheet despite the higher shelf price. They didn't take our word for it; they measured both packs on the table. That's the whole point — compare sheet size and pull count, not the number on the front.
What to do next
- See napkins, facial tissue, M-fold and toilet rolls with real GSM and pack configs on the paper products page.
- Before you switch to a cheaper napkin, measure one sheet and count one pack against your current supplier — the paper products FAQ has the checklist.
- Tell us your restaurant covers, room count and washroom footfall and we'll spec the GSM/ply per placement — and quote per real sheet, not per pack.