{"id":7436,"date":"2026-08-28T09:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T16:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fusenpack.com\/blog\/?p=7436"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:45:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T16:45:20","slug":"greaseproof-paper-for-food-coatings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fusenpack.com\/blog\/greaseproof-paper-for-food-coatings\/","title":{"rendered":"Greaseproof Paper for Food: Coating Types and Where Each Fails"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Custom<\/figure>\n

Grease resistance is one of the few packaging specifications with a real number behind it, and almost nobody asks for the number. Buyers request paper that is “greaseproof,” receive something that performs adequately with a sandwich and fails within ten minutes under fries, and conclude the supplier substituted a cheaper stock. Usually the supplier did not. The two parties were using the same word for materially different performance levels.<\/p>\n

What follows covers the measurement that removes that ambiguity from a custom greaseproof paper order. It then works through what each coating chemistry does and where it gives out, and why recent PFAS regulations reshaped which coatings are even available. If you buy custom greaseproof paper in any volume, the measurement section is the part that will change how you write your next purchase order.<\/p>\n

The Short Answer<\/h2>\n

Ask for a kit rating rather than the word greaseproof. Grease resistance for paper and paperboard is measured by TAPPI Test Method T 559, the kit test. It reports the most aggressive of twelve numbered test solutions the surface holds without staining. A higher number means greater resistance. Dry or lightly greasy items such as a wrapped sandwich sit comfortably at the lower end of the scale. Hot fried food, however, demands a substantially higher rating and a coating rated for sustained contact rather than brief exposure. Coating chemistry then determines what that rating costs and whether the sheet stays compostable or recyclable. Several states now restrict intentionally added PFAS in fibre-based food packaging, and the kit test was historically tied to fluorochemical treatments. Therefore, the practical requirement today is a specified kit rating plus a PFAS certificate of compliance for the states you ship into.<\/p>\n

Grease Resistance at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table 1. Matching application to the level of grease resistance it demands.<\/caption>\n
Application<\/th>\nContact time<\/th>\nTemperature<\/th>\nResistance demand<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Sandwich and deli wrap<\/td>\nMinutes to an hour<\/td>\nAmbient or chilled<\/td>\nLow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bakery and pastry liner<\/td>\nMinutes to hours<\/td>\nAmbient to warm<\/td>\nLow to moderate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Burger wrap<\/td>\nUnder 30 minutes<\/td>\nHot<\/td>\nModerate to high<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Basket liner for fried food<\/td>\nUnder 30 minutes<\/td>\nHot, direct oil contact<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Delivery, fried food in a closed box<\/td>\n30 to 60 minutes<\/td>\nHot with trapped steam<\/td>\nHighest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

For the material and minimum-order context behind every format in the range, see the custom food packaging buyer’s guide<\/a>. Grease resistance is rarely a standalone purchase, because the same decision shows up in the bag and the box. Our guide to custom takeout bags<\/a> covers how grease behaves in a carried bag. Similarly, custom bakery bags<\/a> works through the same trade-off for baked goods.<\/p>\n

How Grease Resistance Is Actually Measured<\/h2>\n

The kit test is straightforward enough to explain in a paragraph, which is part of why it is a useful thing to specify. A technician applies a series of numbered test solutions to the paper surface, each more aggressive than the last. The solutions are blends of castor oil, toluene, and n-heptane at varying ratios, which is what changes their surface tension and viscosity. The highest-numbered solution that sits on the surface for the prescribed time without staining or penetrating is recorded as the kit rating. Numbering runs 1 through 12, from least to most aggressive, and a sheet that cannot hold even solution 1 is recorded as 0.<\/p>\n

Two things about this test are worth understanding before you use it in a specification. It is a surface repellency measurement taken under controlled laboratory conditions, so it predicts relative performance rather than guaranteeing a specific number of minutes with your particular product. And it says nothing about heat, so a sheet with a strong kit rating can still fail if the coating itself softens at fryer temperatures. Specify the kit rating and the temperature condition together, because either one alone leaves a gap.<\/p>\n

Why the kit test carries a PFAS history<\/h3>\n

The published description of Test Method T 559 refers to testing paper or paperboard treated with fluorochemical sizing agents, which reflects how high grease resistance was conventionally achieved for decades. That connection is why the arrival of state PFAS restrictions was not a minor reformulation for this product category but a genuine disruption of how the highest ratings were produced.<\/p>\n

Washington’s phased restriction under RCW 70A.222.070<\/a> covers intentionally added PFAS in paper and plant-fibre food packaging. Wraps, plates, food boats, and pizza boxes were restricted from 1 February 2023. Bags, sleeves, bowls, flat serviceware, open-top containers, and closed containers followed on 1 May 2024. Manufacturers must keep a certificate of compliance on file during use and for three years after final distribution. Other states have their own restrictions with differing scopes and dates, so a single certificate does not automatically cover national distribution.<\/p>\n

Certification schemes add a further constraint. The Biodegradable Products Institute caps total organic fluorine at 100 ppm in certified products<\/a>, demonstrated by an approved lab result plus supplier documentation, effective since 1 January 2020. A sheet marketed as both compostable and highly grease resistant has to satisfy that cap through a non-fluorinated route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table 2. Relative grease-resistance demand by application. This ranks applications to help scope a specification; it does not set target kit numbers, since the right rating depends on your product, contact time, and temperature.<\/caption>\n
Application<\/th>\nRelative demand<\/th>\nWhat drives it<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Fried food in a closed delivery box<\/td>\nHighest<\/td>\nHot oil plus trapped steam attacking from both sides<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fried food basket liner<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\nDirect hot oil contact, open to air<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Burger wrap<\/td>\nModerate<\/td>\nHot fat, shorter contact window<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bakery liner<\/td>\nLow to moderate<\/td>\nButter and warm surfaces, no free oil<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sandwich and deli wrap<\/td>\nLow<\/td>\nAmbient or chilled, limited free fat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Coating Types and Where Each One Gives Out<\/h2>\n

Once you know the resistance level you need, the coating decision determines cost, heat tolerance, and end-of-life options. Each of the common routes fails in a characteristic way, and knowing the failure mode is more useful than knowing the marketing name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table 3. The four common coating routes and the characteristic way each one gives out.<\/caption>\n
Coating route<\/th>\nHow it works<\/th>\nTrade-off<\/th>\nFailure mode<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Densified or calendered greaseproof base<\/td>\nGrease resistance comes from mechanically refining the fibre rather than adding a coating layer<\/td>\nKeeps the sheet recyclable and compostable, but tops out well below what fried food in a closed box demands<\/td>\nGradual seepage rather than sudden strike-through<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Silicone coating<\/td>\nAdds strong release properties and good heat tolerance, which is why it dominates baking<\/td>\nCosts more than an uncoated sheet, and heavy loading can complicate repulping in some recycling streams<\/td>\nLoses release performance before it fails on grease<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Non-fluorinated barrier coating<\/td>\nWater-based dispersion or biopolymer chemistry, the category that replaced fluorochemical treatment for compliant high-resistance work<\/td>\nReaches useful resistance while satisfying PFAS restrictions, though performance and compostability vary by formulation<\/td>\nSoftens under sustained heat more readily than the treatment it replaced<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Poly or PE lamination<\/td>\nA plastic film laminated to the paper gives a near-absolute barrier to grease and moisture<\/td>\nRules out compostability and complicates recycling<\/td>\nFilm softens or delaminates at high heat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Custom printed greaseproof paper and how ink interacts with coating<\/h3>\n

Print sits on the food-contact side in most wrap applications, which is why ink selection is a food-safety question rather than only a design one. Custom printed greaseproof paper needs inks rated for direct food contact under the applicable conditions. In addition, the coating underneath changes how ink sits on the surface, so a design proofed on uncoated stock can shift noticeably once it runs on a coated sheet. Ask for a printed sample on the actual coated substrate rather than approving artwork on a generic proof.<\/p>\n

Deli Paper, Sandwich Wrap, and Where the Categories Overlap<\/h2>\n

Several product names describe overlapping things. The distinction is weight and intended contact, not a different material class. Deli paper is a lighter sheet for wrapping, lining a basket, or separating portions at a counter. Sandwich wrap is the same sheet aimed at one item, with enough resistance for a filled sandwich but not for fried food. Printed versions are the same product with branding applied, differing from stock only in the print and the sheet size.<\/p>\n

Buyers shopping the cheap end of this category are looking at the low end of the resistance scale. That is genuinely right for a dry or lightly greasy sandwich, and wasteful under anything fried. Pre-cut sheets cost more per square inch than roll stock but remove cutting labour at the counter, which is a real trade at volume. Mixed menus are where one specification most often breaks down, since a single sheet rarely suits both a chilled wrap and a hot fried item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table 4. How the four common coating routes compare. Compostability and recyclability depend on the specific formulation and on local facility acceptance, so confirm both with your supplier rather than assuming the category behaves uniformly.<\/caption>\n
Attribute<\/th>\nDensified base<\/th>\nSilicone<\/th>\nNon-fluorinated barrier<\/th>\nPoly lamination<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Handles hot fried food<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Compostable route available<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Widely recyclable<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lowest cost per sheet<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Choosing the Best Custom Paper for a Mixed Menu<\/h2>\n

The best custom paper for an operation with both chilled and fried items is usually two specifications rather than one compromise sheet. A lighter wrap for sandwiches plus a higher-resistance liner for the fryer costs less overall than one premium sheet for everything. It also removes the failure mode where the compromise sheet disappoints on the hardest application while being over-specified for the easiest.<\/p>\n

Grease behaves differently again once it is inside a closed container, because trapped steam works with the oil to attack the sheet from both sides. Specify for that closed-box condition rather than the open-basket one. A liner that holds in a fryer basket can still mark through the base of a delivery box, because steam softens the coating from the inside while oil attacks it from the outside.<\/p>\n

One adjacent question comes up often enough to flag: whether greaseproof paper and wax paper are the same thing. They are not, and the difference matters for heat applications. We cover that comparison in detail on our dedicated page about wax paper versus greaseproof paper<\/a>, which is the better starting point if that is the question that brought you here.<\/p>\n

What to Put in the Purchase Order<\/h2>\n

A custom greaseproof paper specification that prevents disputes contains four things rather than one adjective. State four things. First, the kit rating you require. Second, the temperature and contact time the sheet must survive. Third, the coating route or end-of-life outcome you need. Finally, the compliance documentation you expect on file. The last item is the one buyers most often skip and most often need later.<\/p>\n

Food-contact compliance for the paper itself sits under 21 CFR 176.170<\/a>, which sets extractive limits for paper and paperboard components by food type and condition of use. Note that condition of use is part of the regulation rather than a footnote. That is another reason to state your temperature and contact time explicitly instead of leaving the supplier to guess.<\/p>\n

What Ordering Actually Looks Like: MOQ, Lead Time, and Reorders<\/h2>\n

A grease-resistance specification is only half a purchase order. The other half is the commercial frame around it. On a mixed menu, that frame decides whether two specified sheets are affordable or whether you end up back at one compromise sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table 5. The ordering variables Fusenpack works to, and what moves each one.<\/caption>\n
Variable<\/th>\nWhere it usually lands<\/th>\nWhat moves it<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Minimum order quantity<\/td>\nMost items step in at 5,000 units; a smaller group starts at 2,500<\/td>\nSet per product. The current minimum is stated on each product page rather than quoted case by case.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lead time<\/td>\nRoughly 10 to 12 weeks end to end<\/td>\nCustomization difficulty and order size. A simple repeat sits at the shorter end; a new structure with complex artwork sits at the longer end.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Print cost<\/td>\nVaries by job<\/td>\nPrint process, number of colours, and how tightly the colour has to match a supplied colour card. Artwork complexity on its own moves it less than colour count does.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Repeat orders<\/td>\nNo plate or tooling charge second time around<\/td>\nTooling is retained and reused for the same specification, so the setup cost sits in the first order only.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Delivered price<\/td>\nQuoted to your destination<\/td>\nFreight is calculated against the ship-to ZIP code, so a unit price without a delivery address is incomplete.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This is what makes the two-sheet approach workable. If each sheet clears its own minimum, the setup cost falls away on the second order, so the extra specification work is a one-time expense rather than a permanent premium. It also means colour count is worth settling before artwork rather than after, since colour count and colour-card matching move print cost more than the design itself does.<\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n

What does a kit rating actually tell me about custom greaseproof paper?<\/h3>\n

A kit rating tells you the most aggressive standardized test solution the surface resisted without staining, on a scale of 1 to 12, with higher numbers meaning greater resistance. It is a relative laboratory measure rather than a guaranteed number of minutes with your food, so pair it with a sample test using your own worst-case item.<\/p>\n

How is custom printed greaseproof paper different from custom deli paper?<\/h3>\n

Mostly weight and intended use rather than material class. Deli paper is typically a lighter sheet for wrapping and portioning at moderate grease levels, while greaseproof paper spans a wider resistance range including fried applications. Both can be printed, and the printing does not change the underlying resistance.<\/p>\n

Which custom sandwich wrap paper works for a hot filled sandwich?<\/h3>\n

A hot sandwich needs more resistance than a chilled one because heat thins the fat and accelerates penetration. Paper rated only for ambient deli use will often mark through within the delivery window. Specify the temperature condition alongside the resistance level rather than ordering on the product name.<\/p>\n

Can greaseproof paper be both highly grease resistant and compostable?<\/h3>\n

Yes, through non-fluorinated barrier coatings or a densified fibre base, though performance varies by formulation and the highest resistance levels are harder to reach without added chemistry. If the sheet carries a compostability certification, it must also satisfy that scheme’s fluorine limits, which is worth confirming in the certificate rather than the sales sheet.<\/p>\n

Do I need PFAS documentation for greaseproof paper?<\/h3>\n

If you ship into a state with a PFAS restriction on fibre-based food packaging, yes. Washington, for example, requires manufacturers to keep a certificate of compliance on file during use and for three years afterwards. Since scopes and dates differ between states, ask for documentation covering each state you distribute in rather than a single general statement.<\/p>\n

Is cheap custom deli paper ever the right choice?<\/h3>\n

Often, for the right application. A dry or lightly greasy wrap does not benefit from a high-resistance sheet, and paying for one is wasted cost. The mistake is using that same lighter sheet under fried food, which is where the complaint about substituted stock usually originates.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Custom greaseproof paper is one of the few packaging categories where a single specified number removes most of the ambiguity between what a buyer asked for and what arrived. Request a kit rating against the twelve-solution scale, state the temperature and contact time alongside it, choose the coating route by the end-of-life outcome you need, and require the PFAS certificate for the states you ship into. Operations running mixed menus usually do better with two clearly specified sheets than with one chosen to be adequate everywhere. That compromise tends to disappoint at the fryer and overspend at the sandwich counter.<\/p>\n