Kraft paper
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Description
A strong, coarse paper made from unbleached Sulfate pulp converted from wood pulp by the Kraft process. Kraft paper is strong, water resistant and normally brown in color, although it can be bleached to produce white sheets. Kraft paper is used commercially for packaging and grocery bags. In painting conservation, strips of the strong paper have been used to attach the exterior edges of the painting in a temporary stretcher. Some commercial framing studios use the nonarchival paper to seal the back of framed photographs and prints. Unbleached kraft paper contains about 5% Lignin and will become brittle and acidic with age.
Synonyms and Related Terms
brown paper; sack paper; papier kraft (Fr.)
Applications
- Packaging for food, cement, consumer goods, cushioning in boxes
- Electrical insulation, sandpaper
- Bleached kraft paper is used as Butcher paper
Collection Risks
- Nonarchival
- Contains lignin and sulfur
- Will become acidic as it degrades and may emit volatiles
Environmental Risks
- Easily recycled, unless it has been coated
- Made from wide range of wood and wood scraps as well as some non-wood species (Bamboo, Kenaf)
Physical and Chemical Properties
- Grammage = 40-135 g/m2
- High elasticity and tear resistance
Resources and Citations
- Wikipedia: Kraft paper Accessed Nov. 2024
- Marjorie Shelley, The Care and Handling of Art Objects, The Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1987
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Boise Cascade Paper Group, The Paper Handbook, Boise Cascade, Portland OR, 1989
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
- Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
- The Dictionary of Paper, American Paper Institute, New York, Fourth Edition, 1980
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- A Glossary of Paper Conservation Terms, Margaret Ellis (ed.), Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York City, 1998
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000