PE Coated Paper Sheets

When Standard Paper Soaks Through

The fishmonger wraps a fillet in paper and hands it across the counter. By the time the customer gets home, fish juices have soaked through the wrapper and dripped across their shopping bag. Or a butcher wraps a joint for the freezer, and three months later it comes out grey and dried - freezer burn from moisture escaping through packaging that couldn’t hold it in.

These problems happen when the barrier isn’t complete. Greaseproof paper handles fats but lets moisture through. Waxed paper resists moisture but isn’t designed for genuinely wet products. When you’re dealing with wet fish, bloody meat, or freezer storage measured in months rather than days, you need polyethylene coating - an actual seal rather than just resistance.

PE coated paper gives you that complete barrier while keeping the familiar look and feel of paper on the outside. Your customers still get the traditional wrapped presentation they expect from a quality butcher or fishmonger, but the product inside stays protected properly.

How the PE Barrier Works

A thin layer of polyethylene is bonded to the paper during manufacture, creating a barrier that water simply cannot pass through. Unlike waxed paper where the coating sits on the surface and can be overwhelmed by prolonged moisture contact, PE forms a continuous film that remains impermeable regardless of how wet the product inside gets.

The coating also blocks oils and fats, making PE coated paper suitable for fatty meats and oily fish. The PE side goes against the product to contain moisture, while the uncoated paper side faces outward for a natural appearance and easy handling.

Better Protection for Freezer Storage

Standard butcher’s paper offers almost no protection against freezer burn - moisture escapes through the paper, and you’ll see deterioration within weeks. PE coated paper provides a much stronger barrier, significantly slowing moisture loss and extending how long frozen products stay in good condition.

It’s not a hermetic seal - for that you’d need vacuum packing or sealed pouches. But for butchers wrapping products that customers will freeze at home, PE coated paper performs far better than uncoated alternatives. The difference shows when products come out of the freezer weeks or months later.

Where PE Coating Earns Its Place

Wet fish and seafood release liquid constantly from the moment they’re cut. Fish juices will soak through standard paper within minutes, and even greaseproof won’t hold up for long. PE coated paper contains the drip completely, keeping counters clean and customers’ bags dry.

Fresh meat and game need protection from both moisture loss and juice escape. The PE barrier works in both directions - keeping the meat’s own moisture in while preventing blood and juices from reaching hands and surfaces.

Portion packs for deli counters benefit from PE coating’s heat sealability. Sliced meats and cheeses can be packed and sealed for grab-and-go display, with a proper seal rather than just a fold that comes open.

Interleaving between stacked products prevents frozen items sticking together and protects individual portions during transport and storage.

Freezer wrapping for retail and wholesale where products will be stored for extended periods rather than sold fresh.

Choosing Between PE, Waxed, and Greaseproof

This is the question we get asked most often, and the honest answer is that each material does a different job. Using the wrong one causes problems, and the differences matter more than many suppliers acknowledge.

Material	Barrier Type	Best Applications	Wrong Applications
PE coated	Strong moisture barrier	Wet fish, bloody meat, freezer storage	Oven use (PE melts), cheese storage
Waxed paper	Moderate moisture barrier	Cheese, cured meats, deli counter wrapping	Oven use (wax melts), very wet products
Greaseproof	Grease barrier, oven safe	Bakery, hot food, anything going in the oven	Wet products, freezer storage

PE coated paper provides the strongest moisture barrier of the three. If you’re dealing with genuinely wet products or freezer storage, it’s usually the right choice. For cheese and deli counter work, waxed paper is the traditional choice. For bakery and hot food, greaseproof handles both grease and oven temperatures.

We’re happy to send samples of each so you can test with your actual products before committing to a larger order.

The Sustainability Question

PE coated paper occupies an honest but complicated position on sustainability. The polyethylene layer means it cannot be recycled through standard paper streams - the coating contaminates the pulping process. A few specialist facilities can separate the layers, but kerbside recycling cannot handle it.

This matters, and we won’t pretend otherwise. If recyclability is central to your brand positioning, greaseproof paper may be the better choice for applications where its barrier properties are sufficient. For bakery items, sandwiches, and lighter grease applications, greaseproof does the job and goes in the paper recycling.

But for wet fish and fresh meat, PE coating isn’t just convenient - it’s often necessary for proper food safety and product quality. Using inadequate packaging that leads to spoilage or contamination has its own environmental cost, and the amount of PE in a coated paper sheet is minimal compared to switching to full plastic packaging. The calculation isn’t straightforward, and we’d rather discuss it honestly than pretend there’s a perfect answer.

White or Brown Kraft

We supply PE coated sheets on both white bleached kraft and natural brown kraft base papers.

White gives you a clean, clinical presentation that suits fishmongers, butchers emphasising hygiene, and any application where visibility of the product matters. Print shows crisply against the bright background.

Brown kraft has that natural, artisan character that works well for farm shops, traditional butchers, and businesses where provenance and craft are part of the brand story. The unbleached paper suggests authenticity before anyone reads a word.

Both perform identically - the choice is purely about presentation and brand fit.

Custom Printing

Printed PE coated paper turns functional wrapping into brand presentation. Your logo on every portion of fish, your colours on every pack of sausages, your identity reinforced with every purchase.

We print on PE coated paper using food-safe inks, with the print on the paper side for maximum visibility. Lead times apply for printed orders - get in touch with your artwork or brief and we’ll quote accordingly.

Who Uses PE Coated Paper

Fishmongers and wet fish counters - The original application, still the most demanding. Nothing else handles the moisture as well.

Butchers - Fresh meat wrapping, portion packing, and freezer paper for customer take-home.

Farm shops - Combining quality meat and fish presentation with practical moisture protection.

Delicatessens - Sliced meats, wet cheeses, and anything with sauces or marinades.

Game dealers - Handling wild meat that’s often wetter and bloodier than farmed equivalents.

Food manufacturers - Interleaving between stacked products to prevent sticking and damage.

Get in Touch

Tell us what you’re wrapping and we’ll confirm whether PE coated paper is the right solution. If waxed or greaseproof would actually work better for your application, we’ll tell you - getting you the right material matters more than selling you a particular product. Samples available for testing before you commit.