---
title: "Paper — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Paper has a density of 800 kg/m³ (600–1,000). Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/paper/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Paper

**Density of paper: 800 kg/m³ (600–1,000)**

0.80 g/cm³ · 49.9 lb/ft³

Sold by weight per area rather than thickness — 80 gsm office paper is about 0.1 mm thick, which works back to roughly 800 kg/m³, denser than pine and lighter than water. It is strongly directional: the fibres align with the machine direction during manufacture, so paper tears cleanly one way and raggedly the other, and that is what decides which way a page curls in a damp room. It does not melt; it browns and chars from around 150 °C and self-ignites near 230 °C — which is 450 °F, the number Bradbury rounded up by one.

## Properties

- **Density:** 800 kg/m³ (600–1,000) — 0.80 g/cm³
- **Tensile strength:** 20–60 MPa
- **Floats in water:** Yes
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Printing and writing
- Packaging and labels
- Filtration and absorbent products
- Insulation in transformers and cables

## How it compares

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- paper: 800 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| paper ← | 800 kg/m³ | 0.80× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## Does it rust?

Paper contains no iron, so it cannot rust. Whether it degrades depends on the material, not on oxidation.

## Is it magnetic?

Paper is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.

## Common questions

### What is the density of paper?

800 kg/m³ (600–1,000), or 0.80 g/cm³.

### Does paper float?

Yes. At 800 kg/m³ it is less dense than water's 1,000.

### Is paper magnetic?

Paper is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.

## Related pages

- [Does paper float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/paper/)
- [Air](https://atoneplace.net/material/air/)
- [Ice](https://atoneplace.net/material/ice/)
- [Corrugated cardboard](https://atoneplace.net/material/cardboard/)
- [Cork](https://atoneplace.net/material/cork/)
- [Leather](https://atoneplace.net/material/leather/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)