CAGS · Since 1982
Industry Glossary:
The Language of Rolling Papers, Tubes & Tobacco
With so many products, materials and specifications in the trade, the terminology can be hard to navigate. We've drawn on four decades of manufacturing to explain the terms that matter — so you can compare, specify and order with confidence.
A
- Accessories
- Supporting products for rolling and making your own — including paper tips, filter tips and tube injectors.
- American Blend
- A popular blend style combining Virginia, Burley and Oriental tobaccos for a balanced character.
B
- Basis Weight (GSM)
- The weight of rolling paper in grams per square metre — the single most important spec. Lower GSM is thinner and generally burns slower; higher GSM is more robust but faster. Consistency across a run signals quality.
- Batch / Lot
- A defined quantity made in one production run under the same conditions — the unit of traceability.
- Blend Tobacco
- Tobacco combining two or more leaf types to achieve a target character, strength and burn — the basis of products like American Blend and Semi-Oriental.
- Burley
- An air-cured tobacco type with a distinct character, commonly used in blends.
- Burn Rate
- How quickly a paper burns once lit — governed by basis weight, porosity and mineral content. An even burn distinguishes a quality paper from one that "canoes."
- B2B
- Business-to-business: selling to distributors, retailers and importers rather than individual consumers. CAGS operates strictly B2B.
C
- Calcium Carbonate
- A natural mineral (chalk) added to many papers as a filler and burn regulator, and to control colour and opacity.
- Carbon Filter
- A cigarette-tube filter incorporating activated carbon, which affects the draw.
- Casing
- Flavourings and conditioning agents applied to tobacco during processing to shape its character and moisture.
- Cigarette Tube
- A pre-rolled empty paper tube with a filter, filled with loose tobacco using an injector — the core of the MYO category.
- Coresta
- The Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco — its units are the standard way to express paper porosity.
- Crutch / Roach
- The rolled tip at the end of a hand-rolled cigarette, formed from a paper tip, giving structure and a clean mouth end.
- Cut
- How finely the tobacco leaf is sliced; cut width affects how it fills, burns and rolls or injects.
D
- Draw Resistance
- How much effort it takes to pull air through a tube and filter — a critical consistency spec set by filter density and design.
- Duty-Free
- Goods sold without certain local taxes or duties, typically for travel-retail and specific export channels.
E
- EXW (Ex Works)
- An Incoterm where the buyer collects goods from the factory and handles all onward shipping, insurance and duties.
F
- FDA Registration
- Registration with the US Food and Drug Administration, relevant for certain products supplied into the US market.
- Filter Tips
- Pre-made filter tips used when hand-rolling, giving a filtered mouth end (distinct from plain paper tips).
- Filter Types
- The filter built into a cigarette tube — commonly mono acetate, recess, carbon or hollow (see each entry).
- Flax
- A fibre sometimes blended into rolling papers for strength and burn characteristics.
- FOB (Free On Board)
- An Incoterm where the seller delivers to the port/vessel and the buyer takes responsibility from there.
- FSC-Certified
- Paper sourced from forests managed to Forest Stewardship Council standards — a recognised sustainability credential.
G
- Glycerin
- A humectant used in shisha tobacco to retain moisture and help produce smoke/vapour.
- GMP
- Good Manufacturing Practice — a system ensuring products are consistently produced and controlled to quality standards.
- GSM
- Grams per square metre — see Basis Weight.
- Gum / Gum Line
- The adhesive strip that seals a rolling paper, commonly natural gum arabic. Seals reliably without affecting the burn.
H
- Hemp
- Paper made from hemp fibre, valued as a sustainable crop and for a characteristic slower, even burn. "Organic hemp" is grown to organic standards. Also available as a hemp cigarette tube.
- Hollow Filter
- A cigarette-tube filter featuring a hollow channel through its length.
- Humectant
- A moisture-retaining ingredient (such as glycerin) used in shisha and some tobacco products to keep them from drying out.
I
- In-House Manufacturing
- Producing in a company's own facilities rather than outsourcing — the marker separating a true manufacturer from a re-labeller, and the basis for quality, pricing and customisation.
- Incoterms
- Standardised international trade terms defining responsibility for shipping, insurance and duties — e.g. EXW, FOB, CIF.
- Injector (Tube Injector)
- A device used to fill empty cigarette tubes with loose tobacco — the essential tool of the MYO category.
- ISO 9001
- An international standard for quality management systems.
K
- King Size
- A longer paper format (also King Size Slim and XXL); also a standard full-length cigarette tube size.
L
- Lead Time
- The time from order confirmation to the product being ready for dispatch.
- Leaves per Booklet
- The number of individual papers in a booklet (commonly 32, 33, 50 or 60) — a standard spec line in any order.
- Lot Code
- A code marking a batch, allowing a product to be traced to its production run, date and materials.
M
- Micro Slim
- The narrowest common cigarette-tube format.
- Moisture Content
- The water content of processed tobacco — carefully controlled because it affects weight, consistency, burn and shelf stability.
- Molasses
- The sweet, syrupy base traditionally mixed into shisha tobacco.
- Mono Acetate Filter
- The standard single-piece cellulose-acetate filter — the most common type.
- MOQ
- Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest quantity a manufacturer will produce or sell in one order. Varies by product, customisation and packaging.
- MYO
- Make Your Own — loose tobacco intended to be injected into pre-made cigarette tubes with an injector.
O
- OEM
- Original Equipment Manufacturer — producing goods to another company's specification, sold under that company's brand.
- Oriental / Turkish Tobacco
- Small-leaf, sun-cured tobacco grown around the eastern Mediterranean, including Turkey — the heritage tobacco at the root of CAGS's history. Aromatic, used to add complexity.
P
- Paper Tips
- Small pieces of card or paper rolled into the end of a hand-rolled cigarette to form a crutch/roach. Often sold in branded booklets — a popular private-label item.
- Porosity
- A measure of how much air passes through paper (in Coresta units). Influences burn rate and evenness.
- Private Label
- Products made by one manufacturer and sold under another company's brand, usually with customisation to the buyer's spec. ("White label" often implies a more generic re-brand.)
Q
- Quality Control (QC)
- The system of checks — incoming materials, in-process and final inspection — ensuring product meets specification before dispatch.
R
- Recess Filter
- A filter with a recessed (set-back) end, leaving a small cavity at the mouth end.
- Rice
- Very thin, light paper made from processed rice — prized for being almost unnoticeable and slow-burning.
- RYO
- Roll Your Own — loose tobacco intended to be rolled by hand in a rolling paper, typically a finer cut.
S
- Semi-Oriental
- A blend leaning on oriental tobacco characteristics without being fully oriental.
- Shisha / Waterpipe Tobacco
- Tobacco prepared for use in a waterpipe, typically with humectants and flavourings. A major category in Middle Eastern and GCC markets.
- Sizes (Rolling Paper)
- Standard formats by dimension: Regular, 1¼, King Size, King Size Slim and King Size XXL.
- Slim (Tube)
- A cigarette tube of narrower diameter than standard (see also Ultra Slim and Micro Slim).
- Slow-Burning (Tube)
- A cigarette tube made with paper engineered to burn more slowly and evenly.
T
- Tipping Paper
- The paper wrapping the filter end of a tube, often coloured or printed (e.g. cork-effect) — a key area for private-label branding.
- Tolerance
- The acceptable range of variation in a spec (e.g. paper weight, tube length). Tighter tolerances, held consistently, indicate higher quality.
- TPD
- Tobacco Products Directive — EU regulation governing the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products.
- Traceability
- The ability to track a product through production and supply via batch records and codes.
U
- Ultra Slim
- A cigarette tube narrower than Slim, wider than Micro Slim.
- Unbleached / Brown
- Paper that hasn't been chemically whitened, retaining a natural brown colour. "Bleached" (white) paper has been whitened, often chlorine-free. Also available as an unbleached cigarette tube.
V
- Virginia (Bright)
- A tobacco type known for naturally higher sugar content and a bright colour after curing.
W
- Watermark
- A subtle pattern pressed into paper during manufacture, sometimes to slow and even the burn, sometimes as a brand/authenticity feature.
- White Label
- A more generic product simply re-branded — see Private Label.
- White (Tube)
- A standard white-paper cigarette tube — the classic finish.
- Wood Pulp
- The traditional rolling-paper material, made from processed wood fibre — the baseline other materials are compared against.
Glossary FAQs
What does GSM mean on rolling paper?
GSM is grams per square metre — the basis weight of the paper. Lower GSM is thinner and generally burns slower; higher GSM is more robust but burns faster. Consistent GSM across a run is a marker of manufacturing quality.
What is the difference between RYO and MYO tobacco?
RYO (Roll Your Own) is loose tobacco rolled by hand in a paper. MYO (Make Your Own) is loose tobacco injected into pre-made cigarette tubes with an injector. They often use slightly different cuts.
What is a mono acetate filter?
It's the standard single-piece cellulose-acetate filter used in cigarette tubes — the most common filter type.
What does MOQ mean?
MOQ stands for Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest quantity a manufacturer will produce or sell in a single order. It varies by product, customisation and packaging.
What's the difference between private label and white label?
Private label usually implies a product customised to the buyer's specification and sold under their brand; white label often implies a more generic product simply re-branded.
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