Glossary for paper barriers and PFAS rules

Short, plain definitions of paper, barrier and packaging law terms. Select a term to go to its definition.

Paper and board

Cobb value: The mass of water that one square metre of paper takes up in a set time, in g/m2. Read it with its time. A lower value means less water uptake.
KIT rating: The result of the KIT test for the grease resistance of paper, on a scale of 1 to 12. A higher number means more resistance. Papkot oil and grease barriers for food wraps and containerboard: KIT 6 to 12. The coat weight sets the level. More
Mill trial: A test run on an industrial paper machine. Papkot compares each mill trial with a production reel of the standard product, made the same day. More (opens in a new tab)
Moulded pulp: Fibre shaped in a mould. Egg trays are an example.
Wet end: The part of a paper machine where the fibres are in water, before the sheet forms.

Barrier coating: A thin layer on paper or board. It slows water, oil or grease. More
Converter: A company that turns paper and board into finished packs, for example cups or boxes. More
Repulping: The step where a recycling mill breaks used paper into fibres again in water. A repulping test shows how well a sheet breaks up. Test methods and pass marks differ.

EPR: Extended producer responsibility. A producer pays for the collection and recycling of its packaging.
Evidence label: A tag on a result. Papkot marks each result as mill-tested, lab-tested or extrapolated. More (opens in a new tab)
PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They repel water and grease. Some laws restrict them in food packaging.
PPWR: The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40. It has applied generally since 12 August 2026.
SUPD: The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, Directive (EU) 2019/904. Paper cups with Papkot coatings comply with it. More

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