The material a paper is made from decides how thin it can be, how fast it burns and how much of it you taste. Here's how the main materials compare, then what each brand we carry uses.
Paper materials at a glance
| Material | Thickness | Burn | Taste | Rolling | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Thinnest | Slow, very little ash | Almost none | Thin and a bit slippery; takes practice | Elements |
| Hemp | Thin to medium | Even | Light, natural | Easy grip, forgiving | RAW Organic Hemp, OCB Organic Hemp, High Hemp, Elements Red |
| Bamboo | Thin | Slow | Light | Strong for how thin it is | OCB Bamboo |
| Flax | Thin | Even | Light | Strong, easy to handle | OCB X-Pert |
| Wood pulp | Thin to medium | Steady | Light | Easy, the classic feel | OCB Premium, Zig-Zag |
| Plant blend (unbleached) | Thin | Even | Light | Easy grip | RAW Classic |
Unbleached vs white: brown papers simply skip the whitening step. Many people prefer them for that reason, and they taste about the same.
Elements
Elements' original papers are made from rice, with a gum line made from sugar. They're about as thin as papers get and burn slowly with very little ash. The 1¼ comes in a magnetic booklet that snaps shut. Elements makes four papers:
| Elements paper | Made from | Thickness | What's different | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elements (white) | Rice | Ultra-thin | The original: slow burn, almost no ash, sugar gum | You want the thinnest, cleanest paper |
| Elements Red | Unbleached hemp | Thicker than the rice papers | Elements says Red holds about 30% more stored energy than its rice papers, so it keeps burning through denser, moister flower | Your flower is sticky or fresh and rice paper keeps going out |
| Elements Pink | Rice | Ultra-thin | Same rice paper, tinted pink (color only, no flavor) | You want Elements in pink |
| Elements Prism | Rice | Ultra-thin | Same rice paper with the leaves in a rainbow of colors (Elements lists 7) | You want colorful papers |
See the Elements size chart.
OCB
- OCB Premium: the black-booklet original. Ultra-thin and slow-burning.
- OCB Bamboo: 100% bamboo fiber, unbleached, with natural acacia gum. Thin but strong.
- OCB Organic Hemp: hemp grown organically in France. Unbleached, so it's beige, and the shade can vary a little from batch to batch.
- OCB X-Pert: flax fiber with natural gum arabic, cut narrower than standard papers so you use less paper.
- OCB Virgin: unrefined wood fiber, which gives it its brown color. We carry it as pre-rolled cones.
See the OCB size chart.
RAW
All RAW papers are unbleached. Classic uses a blend of natural plant fibers, Organic Hemp is certified organic hemp, and Black is RAW's thinnest paper. The full breakdown is in RAW Papers Explained.
Zig-Zag
- Ultra Thin: Zig-Zag's thinnest, for less paper taste.
- Unbleached: natural brown paper with no whitening.
- Organic Hemp: hemp paper, sold as a combo pack with tips.
- French Orange: the classic orange-booklet Zig-Zag.
- KutCorners: the corners are cut off so there's less extra paper at the ends of the joint.
Other papers we carry
- Blazy Susan Pink: the pink papers Blazy Susan is known for.
- Juicy Jay's: flavored papers, if you want a taste added.
- High Hemp Organic: organic hemp papers from the brand behind the hemp wraps.
- Bob Marley: hemp papers in king size, plain or unbleached.
- Big Bambu Pure Hemp and Big Bambu Classic.
Which one should you try?
If you're new to rolling, start with a hemp or wood paper like RAW Classic, OCB Premium or Zig-Zag: they grip well and forgive mistakes. Once you're comfortable, try a thinner paper like RAW Black or Elements rice for less paper taste. Browse all rolling papers.
