Whether you’re launching a new food product or rethinking your current packaging, the choice between kraft paper and white paper shapes everything from shelf performance to brand perception to end-of-life recyclability. Both are widely used, both can be made PFAS-free, and both can handle greasy or hot foods — but they perform differently, and the trade-offs matter depending on your application.
This guide breaks down how the two materials compare on the criteria that matter most to food packagers: what kraft paper actually is and where it’s used, whether it’s food safe, heat resistance, oil and grease resistance, sustainability, and how kraft paper differs from lookalike papers like builders paper. By the end, you’ll know which paper type fits your food, your brand, and your compliance requirements.
Quick Answer
For high-heat, heavy, or greasy foods like soups, fried items, and delivery meals, unbleached kraft paper is generally the stronger choice — it holds its structure better under moisture and heat, and it carries a lower carbon footprint than bleached white paper. White paper wins when print fidelity and premium branding are the priority, such as for retail salads, deli wraps, or upscale bakery packaging. With the right barrier coating and a food-grade certification, both can achieve comparable oil resistance and are considered food safe.
What Is Kraft Paper Used for in Food Packaging?
Kraft paper is made using the kraft (sulfate) pulping process, which strips away more lignin than standard pulping and leaves more of the strong cellulose fiber intact — the reason kraft paper is prized for tear resistance and structural strength relative to its weight. In food packaging, that combination of strength, low cost, and wide availability makes it one of the most common substrates in the industry: bakery and bread bags, produce and grocery bags, deli and butcher paper, coffee bags, sandwich and burger wraps, pizza box liners, takeout and delivery boxes, popcorn bags, and molded bowls and trays.
Not all kraft paper is the same. Virgin kraft uses fresh wood pulp for maximum strength; recycled kraft trades some strength for a lower footprint. Natural (unbleached) kraft gets its brown color from the roughly 5% residual lignin left behind after pulping; white kraft goes through an additional bleaching stage that removes that residual lignin, keeping kraft’s fiber structure while giving better print quality and staying stronger than standard white paper. Kraft also comes in different finishes — machine-glazed (MG) for a smooth, glossy contact side, and machine-finished (MF) for a more uniform two-sided texture — and in coated or uncoated grades, with coated versions adding grease and moisture resistance for wet or oily foods.
Is Kraft Paper Food Safe?
Yes — kraft paper is FDA approved for food contact when it’s manufactured and sourced as food-grade. In the U.S., paper and paperboard used in direct contact with food fall under 21 CFR 176.170, which regulates the components allowed in paper that touches aqueous and fatty foods.
The caveat: color and appearance don’t prove compliance. Brown kraft paper sold for craft projects, gift wrap, or shipping is generally not tested or certified for food contact, and it may contain sizing agents, inks, or recycled fibers that aren’t permitted in food-contact substrates. To be safe, buy kraft paper explicitly labeled food-grade or food-contact grade from a supplier who can provide documentation, and — since the FDA confirmed in early 2024 that PFAS-based grease-proofing agents have been phased out of U.S. food packaging — ask specifically for PFAS-free barrier coatings, especially if you sell in states with active PFAS packaging restrictions.
Heat Resistance: Which Paper Handles Hot Food Better?
Unbleached kraft paper generally outperforms white paper when packaging hot, moist foods. Its denser, more tightly bonded fiber structure gives it greater rigidity under sustained heat and humidity — particularly relevant for soups, noodles, and hot delivery containers that sit in bags during transport. Industry testing has shown kraft paper bowls and boxes maintaining higher structural integrity than white paper counterparts when exposed to continuous moisture at elevated temperatures, particularly once you push past roughly 85–90°C.
White paper is not weak — it performs adequately for many hot food applications — but the bleaching process slightly disrupts fiber density, which can reduce performance at the upper edges of the heat range. For packaging that must hold shape during delivery or stay rigid under steaming food, kraft is the safer structural bet. That said, lamination or coating with PLA or water-based barriers significantly extends heat performance for both materials.
Oil and Grease Resistance: Coatings Do the Heavy Lifting
Neither raw kraft paper nor raw white paper is grease-proof on its own. Both require a barrier coating for packaging oily or fried foods, and the industry has fully shifted to water-based, PLA (polylactic acid), and plant-based barrier coatings following the FDA-confirmed exit of PFAS grease-proofing agents from the U.S. market.
Once coated, both materials can achieve strong oil resistance. White paper’s smoother, more uniform surface tends to allow slightly more even coating distribution, which can give it a marginal edge in oil resistance consistency. Kraft paper, while slightly more textured, performs very well with water-based coatings and is often preferred for high-volume production because it tolerates a broader range of coating application conditions without performance loss.
When specifying packaging for greasy applications, ask your supplier for the KIT rating — the industry-standard oil resistance scale for paper, running from 0 to 12. A KIT rating of 6 or above is generally adequate for fried food packaging, and both kraft and white paper, when properly coated, can reach the upper portion of that scale.
Sustainability: Kraft Has a Clear Advantage
From an environmental standpoint, unbleached kraft paper holds a meaningful advantage over bleached white paper. The kraft pulping process retains more of the wood fiber’s natural lignin and does not require the multi-stage chemical bleaching that white paper undergoes. Bleaching — even with modern chlorine-free methods using chlorine dioxide or hydrogen peroxide — adds energy consumption and chemical processing steps to the production lifecycle, resulting in a higher carbon footprint per kilogram of paper produced.
Kraft paper is also widely recyclable, compostable (when uncoated or coated with certified compostable barriers), and biodegradable. Its natural brown color requires no dyes or optical brighteners. White paper can also be recycled and composted, but coated or colored white papers may introduce additives that complicate composting — verify end-of-life compatibility with your specific coating supplier before making sustainability claims. If your brand is working toward FSC certification, BPI compostability, or reducing supply chain emissions, unbleached kraft paper is the lower-effort path.
Kraft Paper vs Builders Paper: Are They the Same Thing?
No — builders paper is a construction-grade cousin of kraft paper, not a food packaging material. Both start from similar kraft pulping, which is why they look and feel alike, but builders paper (also sold as masking paper or floor protection paper) is manufactured and treated for surface protection during construction: it’s often rosin-sized, waxed, or otherwise chemically treated to resist water and abrasion on floors, countertops, and walls.
That treatment is exactly why builders paper shouldn’t be used for food: it isn’t manufactured to food-contact standards, isn’t tested under 21 CFR 176.170, and the sizing agents used to make it water- and tear-resistant aren’t vetted for contact with food. If you need a brown, kraft-style paper for food packaging, source it specifically as food-grade kraft — not construction or builders paper, even though they can look nearly identical on a shelf.
Brown Paper vs White Paper: The Short Version
If you just need the quick comparison: brown (kraft) paper is generally stronger, more heat-stable under moisture, and more sustainable out of the box, since it skips the bleaching process entirely. White paper offers a cleaner canvas for high-fidelity printing and a premium, retail-ready look, but starts from a higher environmental footprint due to bleaching and generally needs the same barrier coatings as kraft to resist grease. Neither is food safe by default — both need a food-grade certification and, for oily or wet foods, a PFAS-free barrier coating.
Tips and Common Mistakes
Don’t assume kraft paper is automatically grease-resistant. Its natural density provides some moisture resistance for dry goods, but any packaging in direct contact with oily or wet foods needs a proper barrier coating regardless of paper color. Relying on uncoated paper for fried or saucy items is one of the most common sourcing mistakes — and it leads to leaks, soggy failure, and customer complaints.
Don’t overlook PFAS compliance. Some older-stock packaging or overseas-sourced wraps may still use PFAS-based coatings. Always request written documentation confirming PFAS-free barrier materials, especially if you’re selling in U.S. states with active restrictions — the list of states with PFAS laws covering food packaging is growing.
Don’t confuse food-grade kraft with general-purpose kraft. Craft paper, shipping paper, and builders paper can look identical to food-grade kraft but aren’t certified for food contact. And don’t assume a compostable claim travels with the paper everywhere — municipal composting access varies widely, so a BPI-certified compostable coating is only as useful as your customers’ local infrastructure.
kraft paper vs white paper for food packaging FAQs
Is kraft paper food safe?
Yes, when it’s manufactured and certified as food-grade. Food-contact kraft paper is regulated under 21 CFR 176.170 in the U.S. General-purpose kraft paper sold for crafts, gift wrap, or shipping is typically not tested for food contact and shouldn’t be used for packaging.
What’s the difference between builders paper and kraft paper?
Builders paper is a construction-grade kraft-style paper treated (often rosin-sized or waxed) for floor and surface protection during construction. It isn’t manufactured or certified for food contact, so it should never substitute for food-grade kraft paper even though the two can look similar.
Is brown paper better than white paper for food packaging?
Brown kraft paper generally offers better heat stability under moisture and a lower environmental footprint since it skips bleaching. White paper offers better print quality for branding. Both require a food-grade certification and, for greasy foods, a PFAS-free barrier coating.
Is a ‘white paper’ or ‘green paper’ in food packaging the same as a government white paper?
No. In food packaging, ‘white paper’ refers to bleached paper stock. A government or policy ‘white paper’ or ‘green paper’ is an unrelated term for a consultation or policy document and has nothing to do with packaging materials.
Can kraft paper handle hot food?
Yes — unbleached kraft paper’s denser fiber structure generally holds its shape better than white paper under sustained heat and moisture, which is why it’s common for soups, hot delivery meals, and steamed items. Coating or laminating with PLA or water-based barriers extends heat performance further for either paper.
Is kraft paper the same as parchment paper?
No. Parchment paper is treated (often with a silicone coating) specifically for oven use and non-stick baking performance, while kraft paper is a general-purpose packaging and wrapping paper. Uncoated kraft paper is not designed for direct oven contact.
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