The softness scale
Every roll we could rate, from rough to fluffy. It gets softer as you scroll.
Scores run from 0 to 10, built from published tests and each brand's own tiers. A few reference points that aren't for sale here are on the scale too.
0 out of 10 Scratchy
- Sandpaper80 grit. Great for decks.
1 out of 10 Scratchy
2 out of 10 Scratchy
- Average port-a-potty toilet paperOne ply, on a good day.
3 out of 10 Thin
4 out of 10 Thin
5 out of 10 Fine
6 out of 10 Fine
7 out of 10 Soft
8 out of 10 Soft
9 out of 10 Plush
10 out of 10 Plush
11 out of 10 Off the scale
- A cloudNot sold in Mega rolls.
Not rated
We couldn't find a good source for these, so they stay off the scale instead of getting a guess:
- Charmin Essentials (1-ply)Mega
- Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue380-sheet roll
- Kirkland Signature Ultra Soft231-sheet roll
Compare packs with softness The calculator can pick the cheapest, the softest or a balance of both.
How the scores work
- Start from TechGearLab's tester-panel softness score (updated February 2025), the one current test that puts a number on most of these lines, rounded to a whole number.
- Move a line by one point at most when another independent test clearly disagrees: Good Housekeeping Institute (updated February 2026, a blind tester panel plus an EmTec Tissue Softness Analyzer run by NC State) or Reviewed (updated May 2024, hands-on).
- A brand's own tier names only order lines within that brand. Charmin sells Ultra Soft for comfort and Ultra Strong for strength; Quilted Northern calls Ultra Plush its cushiest. They never set a score on their own.
- A line is rated only when a current test covers that line. Tests of discontinued versions, single blog posts, retailer star ratings and paywalled results we couldn't read don't count.
- One score covers every size in a line (Mega, Mega XL, Super Mega): the tests rate the paper, not the roll size.
- Scores are coarse on purpose. Read a one-point gap as a small difference and three points or more as a clear one.
Regular rolls are each brand's measuring unit, not a pack you buy, so they aren't on the scale. Custom rolls in the calculator are never rated.
| Line | Score | Why | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charmin Ultra Soft | 10/10 | TechGearLab scored it 8.6, tied for the top. Good Housekeeping's 2026 lab and panel test found it the softest it tested, so it gets the extra point. Reviewed picked it for comfort. | Good Housekeeping Institute (updated 2026-02-10); TechGearLab (updated 2025-02-13); Reviewed (USA Today) (updated 2024-05-02); Charmin (checked 2026-10) |
| Quilted Northern Ultra Plush | 8/10 | TechGearLab scored it 7.8. Good Housekeeping's 2026 test gave it some of the highest softness scores, and Reviewed called it one of the most comfortable rolls it tested. | TechGearLab (updated 2025-02-13); Good Housekeeping Institute (updated 2026-02-10); Reviewed (USA Today) (updated 2024-05-02); Quilted Northern (checked 2026-10) |
| Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong | 7/10 | TechGearLab scored it 7.4. Good Housekeeping found it not quite as soft as Ultra Plush, and Reviewed not quite as comfortable as Charmin Ultra Soft. | TechGearLab (updated 2025-02-13); Good Housekeeping Institute (updated 2026-02-10); Reviewed (USA Today) (updated 2024-05-02) |
| Charmin Ultra Strong | 6/10 | TechGearLab scored it 6.8, which rounds to 7. Reviewed found it not as soft as Ultra Soft or several others, and Charmin sells it for strength, so it sits a point under Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong. | TechGearLab (updated 2025-02-13); Reviewed (USA Today) (updated 2024-05-02); Charmin (checked 2026-10) |
| Angel Soft | 5/10 | TechGearLab scored Angel Soft Double 5.4, and Reviewed found Angel Soft less comfortable than the top brands. Neither test names the Mega sizes, so this assumes the same paper. | TechGearLab (updated 2025-02-13); Reviewed (USA Today) (updated 2024-05-02) |
| Charmin Essentials (1-ply) | Not rated | The tests we found (TechGearLab 2025, Reviewed 2024) rated the old Essentials Soft, which Charmin replaced with this 1-ply roll. No test of the current roll yet. | No usable test yet |
| Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue | Not rated | The tests we found are old (Consumer Reports 2014, a 2018 panel of an older 425-sheet roll) or a single blog post. Consumer Reports' 2025 test includes Kirkland, but its results are paywalled. | No usable test yet |
| Kirkland Signature Ultra Soft | Not rated | No independent test found. The name says it's softer than the regular Kirkland roll, but a name alone isn't a score. | No usable test yet |
Every source, with dates, is on Data & API.