They are noted for their strength and used primarily as packaging material. They can be converted into a wide variety of products such as grocery bags, envelopes, multiwall sacks, tire wraps, butchers' wraps etc. Their industrial uses include masking and other types of tapes, laminates for desks and countertops, and box coverings. Twisted and spun into yarn, kraft papers are widely used in the manufacture of rugs and coverings for electrical cables. Canada produced 501,000 tonnes of this versatile paper in 1996.
Glassine papers are supercalendered and translucent or opaque.
These include any type of paper used for sanitary disposable purposes. Generally these papers are absorbent, bulky and have a soft texture. Canadian producers produced 605,000 tonnes of special and sanitary papers in 1996. Today's packaging needs call for paperboard to carry to market products ranging from fresh produce to canned foods to dishwashers. Lighter varieties of paperboard enfold goods from toothbrushes to CD-ROMs and even Compact Discs as more manufacturers switch from plastic to paper.