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Kite paper guide: German paper, rim paper and Lahore's kite paper market

Q: What size is a sheet of kite paper?

Mostly 20 × 30 inches, a size kite makers call a taa; tawa kite sizes are named after the sheet.

Lahori kites are made of thin, coloured tissue-type kaghaz (کاغذ) of about 16 to 24 grams, sold in sheets and by the rim (رم) of 480 sheets. "German paper" is the old trade name for imported paper. In October 2026 one manufacturer said a rim had jumped to Rs 7,000–14,000.

Last updated 28 October 2026

Basant 2027 at a glance

Short answers from our facts table. Each one links to its source and shows when we last checked it.

What is kite paper?
20 × 30 in sheets
Thin tissue-type paper of about 16–24 grams; kite makers call the sheet a taa.
reported (one source)Details and source
Lahori kite paper is a thin, light, coloured tissue-type paper: Lahore kite makers prefer paper of roughly 16 to 24 grams, sold mostly in sheets of 20 × 30 inches, a size they call a taa. They recall that paper imported from Germany and England was once the most popular, before cheaper Chinese paper arrived and Pakistani mills began making kite paper in bulk.
reported (one source)Source: Amjad ParvaizLast verified 28 Oct 2026
What do materials cost?
Rs 7,000–14,000 a rim
Kite paper, up from Rs 3,200–3,800: one manufacturer's figures, not our prices.
reported (one source)Details and source
In October 2026 a licensed Lahore kite and twine manufacturer told Dawn that raw-material costs had jumped after the Basant 2027 date change: a 480-sheet ream of kite paper from Rs 3,200–3,800 to Rs 7,000–14,000, a stack of kite bamboo imported from Bangladesh from Rs 12,000–15,000 to Rs 25,000–28,000, and twine from Rs 2,800 to Rs 4,800–6,500 depending on the brand, while labour costs doubled. These are one manufacturer's figures, not a market survey and not our prices.
reported (one source)Source: DawnLast verified 28 Oct 2026
How many makers are licensed?
5,200+ licensed makers
From more than 6,000 applications, by 10 October 2026.
confirmedDetails and source
By 10 October 2026 the Lahore Deputy Commissioner's office had received more than 6,000 applications for kite and string manufacturing licences for Basant 2027 and issued more than 5,200; about 500 were still being verified and about 300 had been rejected. For Basant 2026, 1,605 people applied and 1,337 were licensed.
confirmedSource: The NationLast verified 28 Oct 2026

On this page

What is kite paper?

Kite paper is the thin, light, coloured tissue-type paper that Lahore kite makers stretch and paste over a bamboo frame; they prefer sheets of about 16 to 24 grams.

Light paper matters because a Lahori patang (پتنگ) is a fighter kite: it has to answer the smallest pull on the dor. The same paper gives a kite its look. The moon, bands and stars on a kite are cut from paper of a contrasting colour and pasted on, the tail (phumman, پھمن) is cut from folded kite paper, and thin strips of paper tape (chaipi) seal weak points. Kite sizes follow the paper too: the tawa is named after the sheet (see kite sizes explained).

What is German paper for kites?

"German paper" is the name Lahore's kite trade uses for imported kite paper, after the paper from Germany and England that kite makers remember as the most popular; what is sold under that name today is not documented, so ask the seller where it was made.

Lahore kite makers interviewed by a Punjab University researcher said that a few decades ago paper imported from Germany and England was the most popular, then cheaper Chinese kite paper arrived, and then Pakistani mills began making kite paper in bulk. The name stayed with the trade as a mark of the better grade, much as "desi" marks the local one.

What we could not confirm

We found no published source that says where today's "German paper" is made or what it costs. Treat the name as a seller's grade, not a guarantee: judge the sheet itself, and ask where it was made.

Weight: the lighter the sheet, the more responsive the kite; makers aim for about 16 to 24 grams.
Evenness: hold the sheet to the light; thin patches and pinholes become tears in the air.
Colour: good paper keeps its colour when glued and does not bleed onto the next sheet.

How is kite paper sold: by the sheet, dasta or rim?

Kite paper is sold by the sheet, by the dasta (دستہ, a quire) and by the rim (ream); a Lahore manufacturer gave a rim as 480 sheets, the short ream that tissue paper has long been sold in.

How kite paper is counted

Unit	What it is	Notes
Sheet (taa)	One sheet of 20 × 30 inches	The size kite makers call a taa; tawa kite sizes are named after it
Dasta (quire)	24 sheets in the traditional count	How shops break a rim into smaller lots
Rim (ream)	480 sheets, or 20 dasta	As a Lahore manufacturer told Dawn; office paper reams are larger

Searches for "paper rim price" mostly find copier paper for offices, which is far too heavy for a kite. Kite paper is a different product, sold by kite-material suppliers to licensed kite makers.

How much does kite paper cost in 2026?

The only published figure is a manufacturer's: in October 2026 a rim of kite paper went from Rs 3,200–3,800 to Rs 7,000–14,000, roughly Rs 15–29 a sheet.

Kite paper costs reported in October 2026 (a manufacturer's figures, not our prices)

Item	Before the date change	After
Rim of 480 sheets	Rs 3,200–3,800	Rs 7,000–14,000
Per sheet (our arithmetic)	About Rs 7–8	About Rs 15–29

The report does not say which paper it means, and no outlet has published a separate price for German paper. For what finished kites cost in the market, see the price tracker: those are market observations too, never our prices, and we don't sell kite paper.

What is happening in Lahore's kite paper market?

Demand is far above last year: more than 5,200 kite and string makers are licensed for Basant 2027, material costs jumped when the dates moved, and police keep raiding makers who work without a licence.

More makers: more than 5,200 manufacturing licences by 10 October 2026, against 1,337 for Basant 2026.
Costs: after the dates moved to a January plan, one manufacturer said paper, bamboo and twine roughly doubled and labour costs doubled. The dates are now back in March (12–14 March 2027); no report yet says whether costs eased.
Supply calendar: registered makers may produce until the end of the festival, and kites go on public sale 10 February – 14 March 2027, from registered sellers only.
Raids: police seize kites and raw materials from unlicensed workshops; in 2026 so far Punjab Police report 11,397 arrests under the kite-flying law.
No courier: kites and string can no longer travel by post or courier in Punjab, so supply moves through registered traders.

Can you make and sell kites from kite paper?

Only with a licence: anyone who makes, stores or sells kites must register with the Deputy Commissioner, and every kite must stay within the official size limits.

Registration as a manufacturer is done online through eBiz Punjab and costs Rs 1,000; the steps are in our seller and manufacturer registration guide. A legal patang is at most 35 × 30 inches and a gudda at most 40 × 34 inches; check any kite with the kite size checker.

Buying, not making?

Buy finished kites only from a registered seller during the sales window, 10 February – 14 March 2027, from registered sellers only. Our kite shop in Lahore guide shows how to check a seller.

Frequently asked questions

Is kite paper the same as tissue paper?

In Lahore, in practice yes: kite paper is a thin, coloured tissue-type paper of about 16 to 24 grams. Craft shops abroad also sell a translucent "kite paper" for window decorations, which is a different product.

How many sheets are in a rim of kite paper?

480 sheets, as a Lahore manufacturer told Dawn in October 2026; that is 20 dasta of 24 sheets in the traditional count.

What size is a sheet of kite paper?

Mostly 20 × 30 inches, a size kite makers call a taa; tawa kite sizes are named after the sheet.

What is the price of German paper in Pakistan?

No outlet has published one. The only reported figure covers a rim of kite paper in general: Rs 7,000–14,000 in October 2026, from one manufacturer.

Can kites or kite paper be sent by courier to Lahore?

Kites and string cannot: Pakistan Post has told its offices in Punjab not to carry kites or kite string by post, courier or online-order delivery ahead of Basant 2027, and the Lahore district administration has banned courier companies and transport services from delivering kite-flying material into Lahore. Kites and string cannot be sent by post or courier. We sell in person at our registered shop only and never deliver.