How Much Does a Paper Clip Weigh?

Paper clips have many uses. They can hold paper together, they can be uncoiled and shaped into many different designs, one can shoot them across the room using another office supply, the rubber band, and I'm sure there are numerous other uses someone could think of for a paper clip. While it has many uses, paper clips have some natural questions about them that more quizzical minds will find. Questions such as "what is the history of the paper clip?" and "how much does a paper clip weigh?" come to mind.

Both are interesting questions that deserve some answers. First let's look at the history of the paper clip. What's really fascinating about the paper clip is no one really knows who invented the thing. Well we don't know who invented it first, at least. Between 1870 and 1910, there have been about five patents for a paper clip like device in the United States, Britain, Germany, and Sweden. Often a Norwegian named Johan Vaaler is created with the invention of the current day paper clip, however, this is not the case. His design noticeably lacked the two looped structure of modern paper clips. While he may have spurred the idea, he didn't create it.

Instead, paper clip historians who have researched patents give the modern-day paper clip distinction to the Gem Manufacturing Company, in Britain. They're responsible for the double looped, coiled design that today's wired paper clips are based on.

Judging by the mass filing of patents at that time, paper clips became massively popular in the late 1890s. For many offices they replaced eyelets, push pins and other devices that would damage the paper in some way if taken apart. Paper clips became an easy way of putting papers together without further damage. Also, the ability to undo a paper clip and reorganize the connected papers was a huge marketing point in the early 1900s.

Made out of bent wire, paper clips are made to be small and light weight. Most are only a few centimeters tall. Usually, the wire is made out of steel allowing the elasticity of the metal to perform the duties of the paper clip. Due to different manufacturing styles, the weight of a paper clip is hard to pin point; it depends on the grade of the metal and coating material. On average, however, a paper clip typically weighs about 1.4 grams.

Now you know some facts about the history of the paper clip and you can impress your friends when they ask, "how much does a paper clip weigh?"