Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) for Paper, Tissue, and Corrugated Plants

By DHA Report Group · Updated October 20, 2026

If you run a paper, tissue, or corrugated plant, you already know the dust. It rides the air off the slitters, coats the rewinder guards, and settles on every beam above the converting lines. Most plants treat it as a housekeeping chore. Under NFPA 660, it is also a combustible dust, and that is why your insurer or a customer may be asking for a dust hazard analysis (DHA).

Which dusts in your plant are combustible?

Paper is made from plant fiber, mostly wood, so the dust it sheds is an organic dust. The ones a DHA looks at include:

• Paper dust. Fines released wherever a web or sheet is cut, slit, folded, or perforated.
• Tissue dust. Very fine and light. It stays in the air longer and travels farther than you might expect.
• Corrugated board dust. From slitting, scoring, and die cutting.
• Starch. Dry starch for corrugator adhesive is a combustible dust if you handle it as a powder.

The finer and drier the dust, the easier it is to ignite once it is in the air.

Where a DHA looks in your plant

A DHA walks through each place dust is made, moved, or collected. In your plant that usually means:

• Slitters and rewinders. Every cut edge releases fines, and line speed keeps them in the air.
• Converting lines. Folding, embossing, perforating, and log saws on tissue lines. Sheeters and cutters on paper lines.
• Corrugators and die cutters. Slitter scorers, rotary and flatbed die cutters, and the scrap they shed.
• Trim and scrap systems. Trim fans, ductwork, and the separators that drop trim into the baler. The conveying air carries fine dust along with the trim.
• Balers. Dust released as scrap drops in and is compressed, and what settles around the baler.
• Cyclones and dust collectors. What each one serves, where it sits, where its exhaust air goes, and how it is protected.
• Overhead structure. Beams, joists, pipe, ductwork, lights, and cable trays above the lines.

Common gaps in paper, tissue, and corrugated plants

These show up in well run plants all the time. They are a product of how these lines grow over the years.

• Overhead accumulation. Floors and machines get cleaned on a schedule. Structure and cable trays above the lines are harder to reach, and light dust keeps settling there. See combustible dust housekeeping under NFPA 660 for how to set up a program.
• Blowing down with compressed air. It moves dust off the machine and puts it into the air and onto higher surfaces.
• Trim systems that grew in pieces. Lines were added and ducts were tied in. The system may never have been looked at as a whole.
• Cyclones and collectors without a protection review. Older units were often installed before anyone asked about venting or isolation. Our guide to explosion protection for dust collectors covers the options.
• Air returned to the building. Exhaust from separators and collectors that comes back inside deserves a look.
• Dust on electrical equipment. Motors, panels, and cable trays near the lines collect dust like any other surface.

There is no single dust depth that is safe everywhere. A DHA looks at how much dust you have, where it sits, and what could put it into the air.

When a DHA is not what you need

A DHA is about combustible dust in your process. Some sites and some questions fall outside that.

• Storage only. If your building only stores and ships finished rolls or bundles, with no cutting or converting, you may have little dust to study. Fire protection for stored paper is a separate subject from a DHA.
• A current DHA already covers your lines. If your study is less than five years old and your process has not changed, you are likely fine until the next review.
• You need a PE stamp. We do not provide a PE stamp. Your own PE can review the report.
• You want an equipment quote. We do not sell dust collectors or equipment. A DHA tells you where the hazards are so you can talk to suppliers with a clear scope.

What you will need for your DHA

Gather what you already have:

• A plant layout showing lines, trim systems, balers, and dust collection
• Photos of each line, the trim and scrap system, and anywhere dust settles, including overhead
• Cyclone and dust collector information
• Your housekeeping schedule and methods
• Safety Data Sheets for starch and other dry additives
• Any dust test results you have

You do not need test results to start. A DHA can treat paper dust as combustible without testing.

Most plants like yours can be studied remotely from drawings, photos, and process information. Most DHAs finish in 2 to 4 weeks from retainer and complete documents, depending on complexity. For how a study is quoted, see what a DHA costs.

Keep reading

• NFPA 660 Guide: Which Chapter Covers Your Facility
• Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) for Plastics, Resins, and Regrind
• Is My Dust Combustible? How to Find Out Before Your DHA

Questions about DHAs for paper, tissue, and corrugated plants

Is paper dust a combustible dust?

Yes. Paper, tissue, and corrugated board dust are organic fiber dusts, and fine, dry dust from these materials is combustible.

Does a corrugated box plant need a dust hazard analysis?

If your plant makes or handles combustible dust, such as board dust from slitting and die cutting, NFPA 660 expects a DHA.

Does a DHA cover the trim and scrap system?

Yes. Trim fans, ductwork, separators, balers, cyclones, and dust collectors are all part of the process a DHA reviews.

How much paper dust on beams and cable trays is too much?

There is no single depth that applies everywhere. A DHA looks at how much dust you have, where it sits, and what could put it into the air.

Do I need to test my paper dust before a DHA?

No. A DHA can treat a dust as combustible without testing. Testing matters when protection for a collector or other equipment has to be designed.