Which Deli Paper Size Do You Need? 12 x 12, 12 x 15 and 15 x 15 Compared

The three sheet sizes most kitchens actually use

Walk through a burger joint, a sub shop and a taqueria and you will find the same three sheets: 12 x 12, 12 x 15 and 15 x 15 inches. They cover a cheeseburger, a six-inch sub, a footlong, a burrito, a basket and a tray between them. Smaller sheets exist for fries, cookies and patties, and larger cuts are quoted on request.

The rule of thumb is simple. The sheet's short side needs to be the length of the food plus about three inches for the end folds. The long side needs to go around the food once with an overlap. Everything below follows from that.

12 x 12: burgers, half sandwiches and standard baskets

A 12 x 12 sheet is the everyday wrap. A quarter-pound or half-pound burger sits in the middle, the sheet folds over twice and tucks, and the parcel is closed with paper to spare. A half sandwich, a bagel or a pair of standard tacos wraps the same way.

Dropped into a standard oval or rectangular basket, the 12 x 12 covers the base and the corners stand up the sides. It also lines a small tray or a plate. Order it first, in grease-resistant white, and most of the menu is handled.

Where it fails is length. A six-inch sub with a loaded filling will close, but a footlong will not, and a double burger with bacon starts to open at the ends.

12 x 15: subs, large burritos and combo baskets

The extra three inches on one side are for food that is longer than it is wide. A six-inch sub or a club sandwich rolls end to end on a 12 x 15 with a clean tuck. A burrito from a 12-inch tortilla with a full filling closes properly where a 12 x 12 leaves the ends showing.

In the basket it covers a combo basket or a wing platter where the food spreads past a 12-inch base, and on a standard cafeteria tray it leaves a small margin all round. The sandwich wrap paper page sizes all three sheets against subs and hoagies.

Loaded double burgers belong here too. A 12 x 15 wrapped the long way holds a tall burger closed without the ends popping open on the ride home.

15 x 15: footlongs, sharing trays and oversized wraps

A footlong sub or hoagie needs the full 15 inches of width for the roll plus the end folds, and even then a heavily filled one wants the long edge of the bread along one side of the sheet. A 14-inch tortilla burrito or a double-wrapped burrito takes the same sheet.

On the dining room side, the 15 x 15 goes under a family basket or a sharing tray, usually with the paper hanging over the edge on purpose. Barbecue counters use it as the plate, with sliced meat, pickles and bread straight on the sheet.

It is the most expensive sheet per piece and the most wasteful if it ends up under a single cheeseburger, so keep it for the items that genuinely need it.

What about the small sheets, 6 x 6 to 10 x 10?

Below 12 inches the sheets are cut for specific jobs. A 6 x 6 lines a fry cup, wraps a single cookie or separates half-pound patties. A 6 x 10 folds once into a fry sleeve. A 10 x 10 wraps a slider, a street taco or a single-patty burger and lines a large fry boat.

Patty paper has its own three sizes, 4.75 x 5, 5.5 x 5.5 and 6 x 6, matched to the plate of the press rather than to a wrap. The fry paper page covers the 6 x 6, 6 x 10 and 10 x 10 against cups, boats and bags.

Interfolded deli sheets are different again: a fixed 10.75-inch depth in four widths, because they have to fit a dispenser box.

How do you measure a sandwich for wrap paper?

Measure the finished item, not the bread or the tortilla, because fillings add length and height. Do it with the heaviest version on the menu, because that is the one staff will struggle to close.

1. Lay the finished sandwich, burger or burrito on the counter and measure its length end to end.
2. Add three inches to that length. This is the minimum short side of the sheet.
3. Measure around the item at its thickest point and add two inches for overlap. This is the minimum long side.
4. Pick the smallest standard sheet that meets both numbers. If one number is just over, step up rather than down.
5. Wrap one with a sample sheet and check that the ends tuck without tearing and the parcel stays closed when picked up.

If staff double-wrap to make a small sheet work, the sheet is too small. Two 12 x 12 sheets cost more than one 12 x 15 every time.

Size against the food: a quick reference table

The table lists the standard sheet for each common item. Where two sizes appear, the first is for a regular portion and the second for a loaded one.

Does one sheet size work for the whole menu?

For a tight menu, often yes. A burger counter that sells quarter-pounders, fries in a cup and a basket combo can run on 12 x 12 for the wrap and the basket, plus 6 x 6 for the fry cup. A bagel shop runs on 12 x 12 alone.

A sub shop cannot. Six-inch and footlong subs need 12 x 15 and 15 x 15, and using the large sheet on both wastes paper on every six-inch sale. A taqueria with burritos and tacos usually needs 12 x 15 for the burrito and 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 for tacos.

Two sizes is the common answer. Each size is its own print run of at least 1,000 sheets, and both can go on one written quote with the same artwork.

When is a custom cut worth asking for?

A custom size is worth asking about when a standard sheet leaves more than a quarter of the paper unused on every item, or when the food is an odd shape. The burrito wrapping paper page is a common place to ask, because tortilla sizes vary so much between suppliers.

• A long, thin item such as a baguette sandwich that needs 18 inches on one side and 10 on the other
• A basket or tray from a supplier whose inside measurement does not match any standard sheet
• A patty press with a plate outside the three patty paper sizes
• A dispenser box that takes a width other than the four interfolded sizes
• A sheet used as a placemat or tray cover for a fixed table size

Custom sizes are quoted in writing like any other sheet. The minimum of 1,000 sheets still applies and the quote notes any change to the 4 to 6 business day production time.

Confirming sheet sizes before the proof

The free PDF proof shows the artwork on the sheet at its final dimensions, so this is the moment to catch a size mistake. Check the sheet size printed in the proof corner against your measurements, and check that the repeat spacing still puts a full logo on the visible face at that size.

If the size is wrong, say so before you approve. Changes to the proof are free, and the print run only starts after written approval. After delivery, a size that matches the approved proof is not a misprint, so the time to measure twice is before that email goes back.