Attribute Schema Library
Attribute schemajan-san

Paper Towels & Tissue Attributes

Paper towels and tissue is the volume backbone of a jan-san catalog: hardwound and center-pull roll towel; multifold, C-fold and singlefold folded towel; standard and jumbo (JRT) bath tissue; coreless rolls; facial tissue and napkins. Buyers are facility managers, distributor reps writing standing orders, school and healthcare purchasing, and public-sector buyers working from a bid line.

The data is hard for two specific reasons. First, the same roll gets described three incompatible ways — 800 ft/roll, 250 sheets/pack, or just rolls/case — and because sheet dimensions differ by brand (4.5 x 4.5 in, 4.5 x 4.4 in, 4 x 3.19 in), sheet counts are not comparable across suppliers at all.

Second, dimensions don't determine whether a roll loads. Tork indexes refills to H1/H2/H3/H5 and T1/T2/T7 system codes, GP Pro to enMotion, SofPull and Cormatic, Kimberly-Clark to ICON and Scott platforms. That constraint lives in a cross-reference PDF, not on the item record.

Core

Every SKU needs these. Without them the record is not a product, it is a row.

Product Format
enum
Hardwound Roll Towel

Fold and delivery type decide the dispenser, the reload labour, and usage per hand-dry. Multifold, C-fold and singlefold are not interchangeable.

Ply
number
2

First filter almost every buyer applies. Drives absorbency, sheets consumed per dry, and price per case more than any other single spec.

Roll Width
number · in
7.875 in

Must match the dispenser throat and cut bar. 10 in roll towel and 8 in roll towel run on different cabinets and are not substitutes.

Roll Length
number · ft
800 ft

Sets refill interval and, with rolls per case, the real yield. High-capacity 800–1000 ft rolls exist to cut janitor touches per week.

Sheet Size (W x L)
text · in
9.2 in x 9.4 in

Without it, sheets per roll is meaningless — a 4.5 x 4.5 in bath tissue sheet and a 4 x 3.19 in sheet both list as one sheet.

Sheets per Roll / Pack
number
250

How folded towel and bath tissue get quoted and how usage is budgeted. Only comparable when sheet size sits on the record too.

Core Diameter
number · in
1.75 in

Pure fitment. 1.75 in and 2 in towel cores and 3.3 in JRT cores each need their own spindle; the wrong core is an instant non-fit.

Color / Shade
enum
White

Split by spec and by account. Many facilities spec white only; natural/kraft signals unbleached recycled fiber and usually prices lower.

Case Pack Configuration
text
16 packs/case x 250 sheets (4,000/case)

The unit that actually ships and gets priced. Packs per case x sheets per pack, or rolls per case, drives every cost-per-use calculation.

Manufacturer Part Number
identifier
01804

The number the account already uses. Cross-reference, reorder and competitive conversions all key off it before any description.

Case GTIN-14
identifier
10036000018042

Required for GDSN item setup, marketplace listing and scanned receiving. The each-level GTIN is not a substitute for the case GTIN.

Country of Origin
enum
United States

Drives duty, and government and GSA accounts screen on it. Tissue converting is split across US, Canada, Mexico and China.

Differentiating

What buyers actually compare on. This is where catalogs win or lose the filter.

Dispenser System Compatibility
enum
Tork H1 (Matic)

The real buying constraint. Refills sell against a platform — Tork H1, GP enMotion, KC ICON — and dimensions alone don't tell you if it loads.

Roll Diameter
number · in
9 in

Sets cabinet fit and capacity. 'Jumbo' spans 9 in, 12 in and mini-jumbo, and each one needs a different dispenser.

Fiber Furnish
enum
100% recycled fiber

Virgin, recycled, bamboo or blend. Sets softness and strength expectations, green claims, and which bids the SKU can enter at all.

Web-Forming Process
enum
TAD (through-air-dried)

TAD and conventional dry-crepe towel at the same basis weight absorb differently. It's why a 700 ft TAD roll can beat an 800 ft conventional roll.

Compliance & identifiers

Standards, regulatory data, and the identifiers channels reject you for missing.

Post-Consumer Recycled Content
number · %
40 %

EPA CPG sets 40–60% post-consumer for paper towels and 20–60% for bath tissue. Bid lines ask for the number, not a 'recycled' checkbox.

Certifications & Chain-of-Custody
text
Green Seal GS-1; ECOLOGO UL 175; FSC Mix

Green Seal GS-1 and ECOLOGO UL 175 cover the product; FSC and SFI chain-of-custody cover the fiber. LEED green cleaning credits reference them.

The fields that aren't in the schema at all

What most paper towels & tissue catalogs are missing.

The table above is the schema most catalogs already have. These are the attributes that usually aren't in it — each one surfaced by a signal from the live market rather than by an audit of what's already there. This is what Anglera's Schema Foundry does on a real catalog, in this category.

Competitor signal
+ Dispenser System Compatibility

Tork indexes refills to H1/H2/H3/H5 and T1/T2/T7 system codes, GP Pro to enMotion, SofPull and Cormatic. Most distributor records carry only 'roll towel' plus dimensions; fitment sits in a PDF.

A dimensionally correct roll ships and won't load. The case is opened, so it isn't returnable, and the account reorders from whoever listed the fitment.

Search signal
+ Wet Strength Class

Kimberly-Clark and Papernet sell low-wet-strength and dissolving folded towel as a distinct line for schools, correctional and rail lavatories. No distributor filter rail exposes a wet-strength facet.

The one towel that solves the customer's clog problem is invisible in search, so the RFQ goes to a specialist who lists it.

Supplier signal
+ Linear Feet per Case

Suppliers publish rolls/case and feet/roll, or packs/case and sheets/pack, but almost never the product. Buyers rebuild it in Excel to compare a 700 ft TAD roll against an 800 ft conventional roll.

Cost per foot — the only honest comparison in this category — can't be computed, sorted or filtered on site. The bid math happens in the buyer's spreadsheet.

Search signal
+ Recovered Fiber % vs Post-Consumer %

Records carry one 'recycled' flag or '100% recycled'. EPA CPG sets two separate floors — recovered fiber and post-consumer — and different ones for towel (40–60% PCF) than bath tissue (20–60%).

A public-sector or university bid line asking for 40% post-consumer can't be answered from the record, so the SKU is left off the response.

Supplier signal
+ Certificate ID and Expiry Date

Green Seal GS-1, ECOLOGO UL 175 and FSC/SFI chain-of-custody all issue a numbered certificate with an expiry date. Catalogs render the logo as a static image with no number behind it.

A lapsed or withdrawn certificate keeps selling as certified. Substantiation fails at audit, and every affected logo has to be pulled by hand.

How Schema Foundry finds these

Messy in, governed out.

The same value, spelled every way jan-san suppliers spell it. A filter only works once they agree.

Product Format
Multi-FoldMultifoldM-FoldInterfoldMulti Fold Towel
Multifold

C-fold, singlefold and multifold are different folds on different dispensers. Collapsing them by string similarity ships the wrong towel.

Roll Length
800'800 ft800 FT.800 Feet243.8 m800 Ft/Roll
800 ft

Feet and metres land in one column; Canadian-market SKUs publish metric. Sorted as text, 90' ranks above 800'.

Core Diameter
1.75"1-3/4 in1 3/4"1.75 in.44.45 mm1.8 in
1.75 in

Fractions, decimals and millimetres for the same core. 1.75 in vs 2 in is the difference between loading and not loading.

Color / Shade
NaturalKraftBrownNatural BrownUnbleachedNat.
Natural (unbleached)

One shade under six names. As separate facet values, a buyer filtering White vs Natural never sees half the range.

What buyers ask

Every one of these should be answerable from the attributes above. If it isn't, that's a gap.

  • Will this fit the dispensers already on the wall, or do I have to change out the cabinets?
  • What's the cost per thousand sheets against the roll we're buying now?
  • Does it meet the 40% post-consumer requirement on our state contract?
  • Is it 1-ply or 2-ply, and how many feet actually come in a case?
  • Do you have a low-wet-strength towel? We keep clogging the lines at the middle school.
  • Is it white or natural? The spec says white only.
  • Is this Green Seal or ECOLOGO certified, and can you send me the certificate?
  • Is the bath tissue septic safe? Half these accounts are on septic.

What channels require

The same SKU, different mandatory fields per destination.

Amazon Business
Case GTIN-14 / UPCProduct FormatPlySheet Size (W x L)Case Pack ConfigurationCountry of Origin
GDSN data pool (GS1 / 1WorldSync)
Case GTIN-14GPC brick codeNet content and UOMCase dimensions and gross weightBrand owner GLNCountry of Origin
Grainger / Zoro item setup
Manufacturer Part NumberPlyRoll WidthRoll LengthCore DiameterColor / Shade
Distributor site filter rail (jan-san)
Product FormatPlySheets per Roll / PackDispenser System CompatibilityFiber FurnishPost-Consumer Recycled Content

Paper Towels & Tissue data, in practice

Why can't I compare two bath tissue SKUs on sheets per roll?

Because sheet size isn't standard. Commercial standard-roll tissue ships at 4.5 x 4.5 in, 4.5 x 4.4 in, 4 x 3.19 in and other sizes, all listed as '500 sheets/roll'. The 4.5 in sheet delivers substantially more paper per roll than the 3.19 in sheet at the same count. Normalize to linear feet per roll and linear feet per case, keep sheet size on the record, and quote cost per foot. Sheet count is still worth carrying — it's how buyers and facility staff talk about the product — but it is not a comparison key.

What does TAD change versus conventional dry-crepe towel?

Through-air-drying dries the web with hot air passing through it rather than pressing it against a Yankee dryer. The sheet keeps more bulk and void volume, so it absorbs more and feels softer at the same basis weight. In practice a TAD towel needs fewer sheets per hand-dry, which is why a 700 ft TAD roll can outlast an 800 ft conventional roll in the same restroom. Carry the process on the record: it explains a price gap that ply and footage alone make look indefensible.

Which recycled number does a government bid actually want?

Post-consumer, usually. EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guideline treats recovered fiber and post-consumer fiber as two separate ranges, and they differ by product: paper towels 40–100% recovered / 40–60% post-consumer; bath tissue 20–100% / 20–60%; napkins 30–100% / 30–60%; facial tissue 10–100% / 10–15%. Green Seal GS-1 or ECOLOGO UL 175 certification does not by itself demonstrate CPG compliance — GS-1 also admits sustainably sourced alternative fibers such as bamboo. Carry both percentages and the certification as separate fields.

We publish a dispenser cross-reference chart. Why put fitment on the item?

Because a PDF chart isn't filterable, isn't in site search, and isn't in the feed going to Amazon Business or a customer's punchout. A buyer with Tork Matic cabinets on the wall wants to see H1 refills and nothing else; today they call inside sales or guess from dimensions. Fitment as a governed field turns that chart into a facet, a related-products rule, and a substitution rule when a SKU goes on allocation.

More jan-san schemas

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Run this against your own paper towels & tissue.

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