Welcome to the first edition of FlexTrades’ “How It’s Made”—where we break down the manufacturing process behind everyday products. Today, we’re rolling out an inside look at how toilet paper is made.
With demand always high, it’s easy to forget that toilet paper hasn’t always been a household staple. If you’re curious about its origins, check out the history of toilet paper—but today, we’re here to focus on how it’s made.
How Is Toilet Paper Made?
Toilet paper is, at its core, just paper—which means its journey starts in the forest, moves to a lumber mill, is processed at a paper mill, and finally, is turned into the final product at a manufacturing facility.
Step 1: Harvesting Wood from Forests
Toilet paper is typically made from a blend of hardwoods and softwoods—about 70% hardwood and 30% softwood. Hardwoods provide softness, while softwoods add strength to the final product. Once trees are harvested, they are shipped to the lumber mill.
Sustainability Note: New trees are planted after harvesting to maintain forest resources.
Step 2: Processing at the Lumber Mill
At the lumber mill, trees go through two key processes:
- Debarking – The outer bark is removed while preserving as much usable wood as possible.
- Chipping – Logs are cut into small, uniformly sized wood chips (typically 1” x ¼”).
These wood chips are then sent to the paper mill for further processing.
Step 3: Pulping & Sheet Formation at the Paper Mill
At the paper mill, wood chips are turned into pulp through a multi-step process:
- Cooking – The chips are “cooked” with chemicals to remove moisture and break them down into pulp.
- Processing – The pulp undergoes washing, bleaching, and additional chemical treatments.
- Stock Preparation – Water is added to create a paper stock, which is then passed through a series of rollers, dryers, and heaters to reduce moisture.
- Sheet Formation – The result is large, matted fiber sheets, which are wound onto jumbo reels (some weighing up to five tons). These reels are sent to manufacturing facilities for final processing.
Step 4: Manufacturing & Packaging
At the manufacturing facility, jumbo reels of paper sheets go through the following steps:
- Unwinding & Slitting – Large sheets are unwound, cut to size, and rewound onto cardboard tubes.
- Roll Sizing – These large rolls are then cut down to the standard 4.5” x 4.5” toilet paper roll size.
- Stacking & Packaging – Finished rolls are stacked, wrapped, and packaged for distribution.
And just like that, the toilet paper rolls you see in stores—or sometimes don’t see—are ready for use.
Want to See It in Action?
Check out this video from Georgia-Pacific, the manufacturer behind Angel Soft and Quilted Northern.
Final Thoughts
Toilet paper is a simple yet essential product, requiring precision, efficiency, and large-scale production to meet demand. And while most of us only think about it when the shelves are empty, the process behind it is a fascinating look at modern manufacturing and supply chain logistics.
Stay tuned for more editions of “How It’s Made” from FlexTrades, where we break down the process behind the products you use every day.
