Tissue paper

Tissue is a very light paper.

It is made from soft pulp.

Machines make it on big rollers. The paper gets a crinkle. This helps it work well.

We use it for many things. Some tissue is for your face. It is soft and can soak up water.

You can use it as a napkin. It can also be used as paper towels. Some people use it to wrap gifts.

Tissue helps us stay clean. It is a very useful thing to have.

Tissue is a very light kind of paper.

It can be made from recycled paper pulp. Machines make it using a large, heated cylinder. This cylinder is called a Yankee dryer.

It uses steam to help dry the paper. A sharp blade scrapes the paper off the drum. This makes the paper crinkle. This crinkle helps the paper work well.

We use tissue for many jobs. Facial tissues are soft and soak up water. They are good for cleaning your face.

Paper towels are also very common. They are often made with two layers. Some tissue is used for wrapping gifts. It can protect fragile items in a box.

Tissue even helps fix roads! Workers put toilet paper over wet road sealant. This stops cars from sticking to the road. The paper breaks down and disappears in a few days. In Europe, people use more than 20 billion rolls of toilet paper every year.

Many companies make this useful paper.

Tissue paper is a very lightweight type of paper.

It is used for many different jobs in our daily lives. We use it for cleaning our faces with soft facial tissues. We also use paper towels to soak up spills. Some tissue is used as packing material to protect fragile items. It can even be used to wrap gifts in stores. Because it is so useful, people use huge amounts of it. North America uses about 21 million tonnes of tissue. Europe uses about 6 million tonnes.

Making tissue paper is a very interesting thing that happens on large machines. The process starts with raw material called paper pulp. This pulp goes onto a large, steam-heated drying cylinder. This cylinder is called a Yankee dryer. It has a hot air hood to help the drying. To make the paper stick, the cylinder is sprayed with adhesives. A sharp tool called a doctor blade scrapes the dry paper off the surface. This scraping action creates a crinkle, which is also called creping.

People have used paper for hygiene for a very long time. However, the tissue paper we use today is newer. It was not made in the United States before the mid-1940s. In Western Europe, large industrial production began in the early 1960s. The first tissue handkerchiefs were introduced in the 1920s. These were made to be soft and strong for the face. Today, people in Western Europe use about 200 of these handkerchiefs every year.

There are many different kinds of tissue for specific tasks. Facial tissues are soft and meant for the face. Paper towels are often two-ply, which means they have two layers. These are often used for cleaning and are the second largest use of tissue. Toilet paper rolls have been around since the late 19th century. In Western Europe, people use more than 20 billion rolls every year.

Some companies like Andrex or Charmin make these famous brands.

Tissue paper can even be used in surprising ways. In 1970, a man named Fred Muellerleile found a way to use it for roads. Workers put toilet paper over wet road sealant. This stops cars from sticking to the tar. The paper breaks down and disappears after a few days. Some sound engineers even used tissue over speakers to change how they sound. This was a way to tame loud, bright sounds. It shows how a simple paper can do many different jobs.

Tissue paper is a lightweight, versatile type of paper or light crêpe paper.

It serves many essential roles in modern life, ranging from personal hygiene to industrial packaging. Because it is so adaptable, different varieties are engineered for specific tasks. These include hygienic tissues like toilet paper, facial tissues, and paper towels. It is also used as a cushioning material for packing fragile goods. The massive scale of its use is evident in developed nations. North America consumes approximately 21 million tonnes, while Europe uses about 6 million tonnes.

The manufacturing process begins with raw material known as paper pulp. This pulp is applied to a specialized paper machine. A key component is the Yankee dryer, which is a single, large, steam-heated drying cylinder. This cylinder is equipped with a hot air hood to assist the drying process. To ensure the paper stays on the machine during production, the Yankee cylinder is sprayed with adhesives. Once the paper is dry, a tool called a doctor blade scrapes it off the cylinder surface. This scraping action creates a crinkle in the paper, a process known as creping. The texture of this crinkle is controlled by the adhesive strength, the blade's geometry, and the machine's speed. For products requiring maximum water absorption, a through air drying (TAD) process is used. This method uses about twice the energy of conventional drying but produces a bulky paper with high wet tensile strength.

There are several distinct types of tissue paper categorized by their intended use. Facial tissues are soft, absorbent, and disposable papers designed for use on the face. They are often sold in boxes to help people expel nasal mucus. Paper towels represent the second largest consumer application. These usually have a basis weight of 20 to 24 g/m2 and are often two-ply, meaning they consist of two layers. Toilet paper is another major category, with rolls having been available since the end of the 19th century. In Western Europe alone, more than 20 billion rolls are used every year.

Other specialized types include wrapping tissue, which is thin and translucent for cushioning items, and table napkins, which vary in quality and ply.

The history of tissue paper shows how it has evolved alongside industrial technology. While paper has been used for hygiene for centuries, modern tissue paper production in the United States did not exist before the mid-1940s. In Western Europe, large-scale industrial production began in the early 1960s. The first tissue handkerchiefs were introduced as early as the 1920s. Since then, they have been refined to improve softness and strength. Today, a person in Western Europe uses roughly 200 tissue handkerchiefs per year. These are used for many tasks, including cleaning hands, spectacles, or treating minor wounds.

The tissue industry is a massive global economic force. In Europe, the market is worth approximately 10 billion Euros annually and grows at a rate of about 3%. The European market represents about 23% of the global market. Within the total paper and board market, tissue accounts for 10%. China is currently a major player, representing 40% of the global tissue market. In 2015, global market growth rates varied, with China growing at 8–9% while Europe grew at 2–3%. Demand for these products often fluctuates due to social factors. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, household demand increased significantly while commercial demand decreased.

Beyond standard household uses, tissue paper has been applied in surprising ways. In 1970, a Minnesota Department of Transportation employee named Fred Muellerleile used single-ply toilet paper for road repair. By placing the paper over crack sealants, workers prevented passing traffic from sticking to the wet tar. The paper eventually breaks down and disappears within a few days. In the field of audio engineering, tissue paper has also played a role. In the late 1970s, engineer Bob Clearmountain used tissue over speaker tweeters to reduce bright treble sounds. This led to scientific debates regarding "comb filtering," where high frequencies are reflected back into the tweeter rather than being absorbed.

Finally, tissue paper connects to specialized fields like art and retail. In the packing industry, custom-printed wrapping tissue is used to enhance the aesthetic appeal of products. This tissue is often thin and translucent, with grammages between 17 and 40 GSM. In the world of origami, specialized tissues are used to create intricate models. Using Methyl Cellulose (MC) coating provides the paper with high strength and "paper memory," which helps it hold complex shapes. This allows artists to use inexpensive paper to create highly detailed and malleable structures.