Compare paper towel prices
Put two packs on the same basis: price per 100 square feet.
Price per 100 sq ft
Pack A has the lower area price.
Pack A · Lower area price
$2.00
per 100 sq ft
Pack B
$2.25
per 100 sq ft
At checkout
Pack A $12.00 Pack B $9.00
Pack B costs less at checkout.
Area measures quantity, not absorbency or strength. Use the same price basis for both packs. A lower area price does not guarantee household savings.
Load an example
These examples replace the current pack values.
Read the label and the result
Area is a common quantity. It is not a measure of how well a towel works.
Find the total area on each pack
Look for a printed total square-foot or square-meter figure. Use the area for the whole pack. If the packaging gives only the area per roll, multiply by the number of physical rolls first.
“Double,” “mega,” and equivalent-roll counts are marketing comparisons, not a common unit. They are not inputs here. When only sheet dimensions are available, the arithmetic is:
Physical rolls × sheets per roll × sheet width in inches × sheet length in inches ÷ 144
For example, 6 physical rolls × 100 sheets × 11 × 6 inches ÷ 144 = 275 square feet. At $11, that is $4 per 100 square feet.
Read the two prices together
Price per 100 sq ft = 100 × pack price ÷ pack area in sq ft
Square feet = square meters ÷ 0.09290304
A $12 pack with 600 sq ft costs $2 per 100 sq ft. A $9 pack with 400 sq ft costs $2.25 per 100 sq ft. Pack A has the lower area price; pack B has the lower checkout total. Both facts can matter.
The comparison uses unrounded values. If both prices look the same at the displayed cent precision, the result says so. A displayed tie does not always mean the unrounded values are equal.
What this comparison leaves out
Use the same price basis for both packs: for example, both after an applicable discount and with the same treatment of sales tax. A unit price cannot make inconsistent checkout figures comparable.
Area tells you quantity, not absorbency, strength, ply, or how much you will use. Compare within the same product category and weigh performance separately. A lower area price is not a promise of household savings or universal best value.
Sources and scope
- NIST · Unit Pricing Guide (opens in a new tab)Guidance on consistent quantity units, including area.
- One Job Tools · Paper Towel Deal Calculator (opens in a new tab)An additional printed-area and derived-area reference.
Sources last checked 1 November 2026.