Ash and grit content

Ash content is a measure of the inorganic filler or coating content of paper, including calcium carbonate, china clay and titanium dioxide.

Ash content is determined by Pira on oven dried samples which are heated to 575°C to ensure that all the combustible cellulose material is consumed. This leaves only the inorganic fraction of the material measured as the ash content, which is express as a percentage (%) of the original oven dried weight.

The grit content of a material is determined from the ash remains. The ash is filtered using water through sieves of different mesh sizes to trap the fine grit particles present in the material. These are then dried, weighed and expressed as a weight percentage.

Pira testing is UKAS, ISO 17025 accredited to British standard BS 3631 and International standard ISO 2144.


Expert Profile

  • Doug joined Pira in 1989 and has 20 years experience in the physical testing of packaging and packaging materials. He heads a team specialising in packaging and print related technical investigations. In 2004 Doug gained his postgraduate degree with distinction in Packaging Technology from Brunel University.

    Doug Leatherdale
    Doug Leatherdale

    Head of Physical Testing

    Pira International

    +44 1372 80 2108

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