Stone Paper Fundamentals
What stone paper is, what it is made of, how it is produced without wood pulp or process water, and how it differs from wood-pulp paper and from PP synthetic paper.
By Guangzhou Newlife New Material Co., Ltd. · Reviewed 2026-10-12
What is stone paper?
Stone paper is a printable sheet or film whose main ingredient is calcium carbonate mineral powder, bound together by a thermoplastic resin. It contains no wood-pulp fibre. Because there are no cellulose fibres to absorb moisture, the material is inherently waterproof, resists tearing and does not swell or shrink with humidity. It is printed and converted like paper but behaves physically more like a film. Flexstone® is the stone paper brand of Guangzhou Newlife New Material Co., Ltd., sold as Flexstone® Eco-Material in rolls, sheets, self-adhesive constructions and wallcovering substrates, and as Flexstone® Pellet for molding.
- Main ingredient: calcium carbonate mineral powder, bound with resin
- No wood-pulp fibre — inherently waterproof and tear-resistant
- Prints like paper, behaves like film
- Flexstone® is Newlife's stone paper brand
What is stone paper made of?
Flexstone Eco-Material is 60–80% calcium carbonate and 20–40% resin by weight. According to the Flexstone brochure, one ton of material contains 600–800 kg of calcium carbonate and 200–400 kg of resin. For comparison, the same brochure gives one ton of art paper as 600–800 kg of wood pulp, 120–200 kg of mineral filler and 50–100 kg of latex binder, and one ton of BOPP pearlised paper as 800–850 kg of polypropylene resin plus 150–200 kg of pearlescent masterbatch. Flexstone contains no chlorine and no plasticizer. The resin gives the sheet its flexibility; the mineral gives it opacity, whiteness and stiffness.
- Calcium carbonate 60–80% (600–800 kg per ton)
- Resin 20–40% (200–400 kg per ton)
- No wood pulp, no chlorine, no plasticizer
- Figures according to the Flexstone brochure
How is stone paper made?
Flexstone is produced by thoroughly kneading resin with 60–80% calcium powder into a uniform compound, forming that compound into a film of the required thickness, and then applying a print-receptive coating matched to the intended ink system. Unlike papermaking, no fibres are suspended in water and no pulp is bleached. No water is consumed in the process; only circulating water is used for cooling, and Newlife states that no wastewater, exhaust or residue is emitted. Production trimmings are recycled back into new Flexstone material. Adhesive-backed and fabric-backed grades add a further adhesive or backing lamination step.
- Step 1: knead resin with 60–80% calcium powder
- Step 2: form the compound into film
- Step 3: apply a coating matched to the ink system
- No process water — circulating cooling water only
- Production trimmings are recycled into new material
Stone paper vs. wood-pulp paper
Wood-pulp paper is a web of cellulose fibres. The fibres absorb water, so paper swells, loses strength and eventually disintegrates when wet, and it tears along the fibre network. Stone paper has no fibres: it is fully waterproof, tear-resistant and dimensionally stable in humid conditions. The trade-offs run the other way too. Stone paper is heavier than most papers of the same thickness, contains thermoplastic resin and therefore has a lower heat limit than paper, and does not absorb ink vehicle, so it relies on its coating for ink anchorage. Printability on coated paper and on Flexstone is both rated excellent in the Flexstone label brochure.
- Paper: cellulose fibres absorb water; stone paper: no fibres, fully waterproof
- Stone paper is tear-resistant and does not shrink or swell with humidity
- Stone paper is heavier at equal thickness and has a lower heat limit
- Ink anchorage on stone paper depends on the coating
Stone paper vs. PP synthetic paper
PP synthetic paper and BOPP pearlised paper are also waterproof, but they are made mostly from petroleum-based polypropylene: 80–85% plastic according to the Flexstone brochure, against 20–40% resin in Flexstone. Newlife states that each ton of Flexstone used in place of BOPP pearlised paper reduces plastic use by 500–650 kg and CO₂ by 2.4–3.5 tons, and that Flexstone manufacturing uses 65% less fossil energy than PP synthetic paper manufacturing. In use, the label brochure describes PP synthetic labels as cool white and plastic-like and as requiring specific inks, while Flexstone is warm white and paper-like. Pearlised PP remains lighter and cheaper per square metre.
- BOPP pearlised paper: 80–85% polypropylene; Flexstone: 20–40% resin
- Per ton vs. BOPP pearlised paper: 500–650 kg less plastic, 2.4–3.5 t less CO₂ (Newlife figures)
- 65% fossil energy reduction vs. PP synthetic paper manufacturing (Newlife figure)
- Pearlised PP is lighter and lower in cost per square metre