If you are searching for ultra-soft napkins, highly absorbent paper napkins or something more durable and cloth-like than standard tissue, you will probably come across one material repeatedly: Airlaid.
Airlaid sits somewhere between a conventional paper napkin and the feel of cloth. It is made using an air-based fibre-forming process rather than the conventional wet-laid process used for tissue, producing a bulky, soft and highly absorbent sheet.
What are Airlaid napkins?
Airlaid napkins are premium disposable napkins designed to feel thicker, softer and more substantial than conventional tissue. They are often chosen when people want the convenience of a paper napkin with a more cloth-like feel.
Are Airlaid napkins more absorbent?
Airlaid is known for high absorbency and strong wet and dry durability. That is why it is interesting for meals where a napkin may need to absorb moisture and still stay intact through repeated use.
For someone looking for a very absorbent napkin, a durable paper napkin or a premium alternative to standard tissue, Airlaid is one of the materials worth understanding.
Why are Airlaid napkins so soft?
The fibre structure gives Airlaid more bulk and a softer, more textile-like feel than ordinary tissue. In the hand, that can make it feel closer to a lightweight cloth napkin while still being disposable.
Where could Airlaid fit at WOLDS?
Potentially as the third level in our napkin feel range: Ultra Soft & Ultra Durable.
It would sit alongside Soft & Durable fully embossed napkins and Softer edge-embossed napkins. Those feel levels are independent of design or size, so customers can choose by both appearance and construction.
Airlaid would be intentionally more luxurious: ultra-soft, highly absorbent, highly durable and more cloth-like.
Why are Airlaid napkins more expensive?
Airlaid is considerably more expensive than the tissue constructions we currently use. The material and manufacturing process create a more substantial product, but that also means a higher cost per napkin.
For WOLDS, the question is not simply whether we can make one. It is whether the extra softness, absorbency and durability are noticeable enough that they genuinely justify the higher price.
So are we making Airlaid napkins?
We are investigating them properly. We want to test softness, absorbency, print quality, wet strength, durability and economics before deciding what an Airlaid WOLDS napkin should be.
If it makes the table better, it is worth exploring.
Not every new material deserves a product. This one might.
For the constructions available now, compare Soft & Durable paper napkins with Softer edge-embossed napkins, or read why full-surface embossing matters.