Stone Paper & Material Terms

What stone paper is made of and how Flexstone is organised: calcium carbonate and resin, FS / FM / FG density series, coating codes and comparison substrates.

Stone Paper

Stone paper is a printable sheet or film made mainly from calcium carbonate mineral powder bound with a thermoplastic resin instead of wood-pulp fibre. It contains no cellulose, so it is inherently waterproof and tear-resistant, and its production uses no trees and no process water. Flexstone® is the stone paper brand of Guangzhou Newlife New Material Co., Ltd.

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Calcium Carbonate (CaCO₃)

Calcium carbonate is the mineral that makes up limestone, marble and chalk. Ground to a fine powder, it is the main ingredient of stone paper. According to the Flexstone brochure, one ton of Flexstone Eco-Material contains 600–800 kg of calcium carbonate (60–80%) and 200–400 kg of resin (20–40%), which is why the material is described as mineral-based.

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Flexstone® Eco-Material

Flexstone® Eco-Material is the stone paper developed by Guangzhou Newlife New Material Co., Ltd. It is produced by thoroughly kneading resin with 60–80% calcium powder and is supplied as rolls and sheets with print-receptive coatings, as self-adhesive constructions, as fabric-backed wallcovering and as molding pellets. Density ranges from 1.0 to 1.4 g/cm³ and single-layer thickness from 0.08 to 0.4 mm.

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Density Series (FS / FM / FG)

Flexstone is offered in three density series, identified by the first two letters of the part number. FS has a density of 1.0 and is soft, lightweight and paper-like. FM has a density of 1.2 and balances flexibility with stiffness. FG has a density of 1.4 and is rigid with a fine surface. At equal thickness, a higher density gives a heavier, stiffer sheet.

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Coating Codes (S / K / 2K / I / 2I)

The coating code in a Flexstone part number names the print surface. S is a matte coating for (eco) solvent, latex and wide-format UV inkjet (FS-S22-PSA and FS-S27-PSA: HP Latex only). K is a one-side coating: for wide-format UV inkjet on the wide-format part numbers (NMEQS-MACO 294, 303, 299) and, on narrow-web label stock (295), for offset, flexo and UV printing on a label press. 2K is two-side, for offset and UV; flexo and screen apply only to the FS / FG 2K grades from 0.15 to 0.30 mm (specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293), and the 0.20 to 0.30 mm grades are also listed as rolls for wide-format UV inkjet (NMEQS-MACO 296). I (one side) and 2I (two sides) are for HP Indigo; dry toner applies only to the FG digital press grades (NMEQS-MACO 298). The digits that follow give face thickness in hundredths of a millimetre.

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PP Synthetic Paper

PP synthetic paper is a paper-like film made from petroleum-based polypropylene. It is waterproof like stone paper, but its main raw material is fossil-derived plastic. The Flexstone label brochure describes PP synthetic labels as cool white and plastic-like, with tear resistance and opacity that vary by process, and notes that they require specific inks. Newlife states a 65% fossil energy reduction for Flexstone compared with PP synthetic paper manufacturing.

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Pearlised PP Film (BOPP Pearlised Paper)

Pearlised PP film is a low-density, foamed polypropylene film widely used for wide-format posters and labels. Its density of 0.6–0.75 makes it light and inexpensive per square metre, but the foamed structure creases into an orange-peel texture when bent and absorbs ink poorly. Flexstone is dense and unfoamed, so prints stay flat, at the cost of a higher weight per area.

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Coated Paper (Art Paper)

Coated paper, also called art paper, is wood-pulp paper with a mineral-and-binder coating that gives a smooth printing surface. It prints very well but tears easily and disintegrates when wet. According to the Flexstone brochure, producing one ton of art paper consumes 600–800 kg of wood pulp, about 20 adult trees and 20–35 tons of water, and discharges a similar amount of wastewater.

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Calcium Carbonate Compound Pellet

A calcium carbonate compound pellet is a molding granule in which limestone powder is compounded with a polyolefin resin. In Flexstone® Pellet the inorganic content exceeds 60%, so limestone is the primary material rather than an additive. It is offered in a PP series and a PE series, has a density of about 1.5 g/cm³, and runs on existing injection molding, blow molding, extrusion and thermoforming equipment.

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