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It might be just a toilet roll, but we all know a rough one the minute it touches our bum. You might think the cheapest toilet roll is the best one, but if it’s causing irritation, you might need to swap the cheapest for the best value one instead.
Even the lowest price toilet rolls feel the biggest expense in your shopping basket, so prolonging the time between purchases is a tempting idea. Buying rolls with a high sheet count in bulk is the way to do that; it just so happens that’s also the best way to save money in general. A small pack of two might seem like you’re saving money if there’s just one person in your house, but you’ll always need toilet paper – you won’t wake up one morning and never need a poo again.
Buying and storing a big pack of loo rolls will save you money in the long run. But where are these good value packs? Most people chuck big rolls in with their grocery shop, but are supermarkets the cheapest or would you be better off going on Amazon or a sustainable, online-brand? At the same time though, you don’t want to sacrifice your bum to tracing paper each wipe, so spending a bit more for comfort is worthwhile. In this article, I’m going for the best value rolls rather than the cheapest to avoid any paper that crinkles. A key part to a toilet roll’s value is how many sheets per roll it has – the more sheets, the longer it’ll last, the better its value.
I had a look around the major supermarkets, such as Tesco, Aldi, Waitrose, and Asda, as well as specialist brands and international retailers, like Who Gives A Crap and Amazon, to find the best value toilet rolls on the market. I won’t be forgetting the brands, of course: would Andrex or Cushelle offer better value than own-brand?
To explain how I’ve determined value, I’ve listed the average number of sheets per pack, as well as the price per sheet (I know) and how many layers each sheet is made of.
Quick look
| Best value | Asda Shades So Soft (340 sheets, 0.0021p per sheet) |
| Longest toilet rolls | Who Gives A Crap (385 sheets) |
| Cheapest per sheet | Aldi Saxon Premium Toilet Paper (0.0013p) |
| Most expensive | Andrex Complete Clean Toilet Tissue Mega Rolls (0.0034p per sheet) |
Our calculations
Per roll = total price / number of rolls
Per sheet = roll price / sheets per roll
Branded toilet paper
Andrex Complete Clean Toilet Tissue Mega Rolls, 12 pack
£11.75 at Tesco
£8 on Amazon
- Average 290 sheets per roll
- Total 3,480 per 12 pack
- 97.9p per roll
- 0.0034p per sheet (avg roll size)
To start, let’s look at the most recognisable brand in the toilet roll biz: Andrex. A 12 pack of Andrex Complete Clean Mega rolls will cost you between £12 and £8, depending on where you buy it. I’ve gone with the price at Tesco over Amazon’s lower price as the delivery cost will erode any savings you might make. Waiting for a delivery of loo roll is also not very helpful if you need it now.
A roll length of 290 sheets puts it behind the majority of supermarket options (except Sainsbury’s) and the price per roll does the same. In other words, Andrex will only be a good value option when it’s on sale, or if you qualify for free delivery on Amazon.
Who Gives a Crap 100% Recycled Loo Rolls, 48 pack
£48 at Who Gives A Crap
£31.99 on Amazon (24 pack)
- Average 385 sheets per roll
- Total 18,480 sheets per 48 pack
- £1 per roll
- 0.0026p per sheet
Many people might be put off to hear that the loo roll they’re using has been recycled, but who really gives a crap?
If you buy direct from the brand, the 48 pack gives you the best value for money, with it being a simple £1 per roll (versus £1.25 per roll for the 24 pack and £1.33 a roll in the 12 pack). At 0.0026p per sheet, Who Gives A Crap sits near the middle of the best value loo roll leaderboard. And, just because something’s on Amazon, it doesn’t mean that’s where it’ll be cheapest to buy: the 48 pack will cost three quid more than going direct.
Cushelle Simply Soft Toilet Rolls, 12 longer rolls
£9.25 at Tesco
Nine rolls for £8.99 on Amazon
- Average 255 sheets per roll
- Total 3,060 per 12 pack
- 77p per roll
- 0.003p per sheet
Now, Cushelle toilet paper is gloriously soft. You don’t have to buy the Simply Soft for that either, the Original Mega are also like wiping with a freshly laundered cloth. The Original Mega rolls are more expensive, at £12.95 for a pack of 12, but as we know, the price tag doesn’t always show something’s value. With the Original Mega, each roll has an average of 15 sheets per roll more than the Simply Soft’s ‘longer rolls’, giving you 3,240 sheets per pack.
Original Mega price breakdown:
- £1.09 per roll
- 0.004p per sheet
There’s not much in it when both packs are at RRP, but if the Original Mega are on sale – like they are currently at Ocado or with loyalty card discounts – then they become the best value Cushelle option.
Bumboo Bamboo Toilet Paper, 24 pack
Now, Bumboo wasn’t originally in the plan for this article, but after researching Aldi toilet paper, Bumboo’s name kept cropping up in the sponsored slot on most searches for Aldi bog roll. Given the brand’s clear attempt to steal customers away from Aldi, I figured I’d have a look to see whether its toilet roll value could compete with the supermarket king of value.
The smallest pack available is for 24 rolls with an eye watering price tage of £23(!), so let’s see how it shapes up:
- Average 300 sheets per roll
- Total 7,200 per 24 pack
- £0.96
- 0.0032p per sheet
Looking at those prices, it’s highly unlikely Bumboo will be tempting many of Aldi’s customers, with prices more in-line with Cushelle and Andrex. While the brand’s eco credentials are admirable, with all paper being made of 100% sustainable bamboo, it would need at least a £2 knocked off its price to compete with fellow sustainable online brand Who Gives A Crap.
Little Duck Supreme Quilted Toilet Tissue, 16 mega rolls
£6.00 at Tesco
- Average 240 sheets per roll
- Total 2,880 per 12 rolls and 3,840 per 16 rolls
- 38p per roll
- 0.0016p per sheet
Simple & Homely’s Sydney regularly buys Little Duck Supreme Quilted rolls – she’s primarily a Tesco shopper, and after doing some quick in-aisle calculations, determined this was the cheapest she’d go without sacrificing softness. The fear of going cheap and getting tracing paper is real. Little Duck loo roll is also available in Iceland, Savers, B&Q, and on Amazon.
Supermarket own-brand toilet paper
Tesco Luxury Soft Ultimate Toilet Tissues, 12 long rolls
£9.50 at Tesco
- Average 240 sheets per roll
- Total 2,880 per 12 pack
- 79.2p per roll
- 0.0033p per sheet
Tesco has partnered with the NHS for their Ultimate bog rolls, with information on the packet for spotting signs of cancer when you go to the toilet. That kind of knowledge is invaluable. On the value for money side of things, even though the Ultimate’s share the same 3-ply layering and 240-sheet rolls as their Little Duck shelf mates (above), they are 41.2p dearer.
Asda Shades So Soft Toilet Tissue, 12 rolls
£8.98 at Asda
- Average 360 sheets per roll
- Total 4,320 per pack
- 74.8p per roll
- 0.0021p per sheet
While this is mid-range on the cost front, it’s not the softest of the list. Sydney bought the 12 pack, and although it did the job, it wasn’t as soft as the Tesco option mentioned above.
Aldi Saxon Premium Toilet Paper, 12 pack
£4.99 at Aldi
- Average 320 sheets per roll
- Total 3,840 per 12 pack
- 42p per roll
- 0.0013p per sheet
With a per sheet cost in the teens of a thousandth of a penny, Aldi firmly puts itself as the best value toilet roll on this page. (Is anyone surprised?)
Alongside the Premium pack, Saxon also has a nine-pack of 3ply Quilted paper. This option is more expensive as the number of sheets per roll is way down at 170; per roll, however, the price is a lower 34p. So while each Quilted pack contains less paper, Aldi has reflected that accordingly in the price.
Sainsbury’s Super Soft Cushioned Toilet Tissue, 16 rolls
£6.75 at Sainsbury’s
- Average 170 sheets per roll
- Total 2,040 per 12 rolls and 2,720 16 rolls
- 42.2p per roll
- 0.0025p per sheet
This is another one that Simple & Homely’s Sydney has been known to buy when toilet roll replenishment times with grabbing a top up shop. The Sainsbury’s Super Soft are slightly more expensive than the Little Duck Supreme above, solely for the fact that each roll has an average of 70 sheets less per roll.
The Super Softest range also includes aloe vera and coconut scented packs which do sound a bit gimmicky, but do actually provide a notable difference when wiping.
Waitrose Essentials Mega Rolls, 12 pack
£8 at Waitrose
- Average 300 sheets per roll
- Total 3,600 per 12 pack
- 67p per roll
- 0.0022p per sheet
‘Essentials’ at Waitrose means 2-ply paper, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in comparison to other, cheaper options, it does put it behind the pack in terms of value.
Morrisons Oh So Soft 12 Quilted Toilet Rolls
£7.25 at Morrisons
- Average 240 sheets per roll
- Total 2,880 per 12 pack
- 60p per roll
- 0.0025p per sheet
Morrisons used to sell a pack of Oh So Soft Double toilet rolls that had 380 sheets per roll (it cost 75p more than the Quilted ones we have here), but those have either been discontinued or are currently out of stock. As a result, Oh So Soft Quilted are the only toilet rolls available at Morrisons (except for one six-pack of Oh So Soft aloe vera) so there isn’t much choice on the shelves, unless you go branded. At 60p a roll, Morrisons sits in the middle of the best value table.
Which is the best value toilet roll?
As I said at the beginning, the length of the toilet roll increases its value for money. However, that doesn’t automatically mean the longest toilet roll will win; to decide the best value, I’ve weighed up the cost per sheet with sheets per roll.
While Aldi toilet paper is the 3rd longest and the cheapest, its quality is slightly less than some of the mid-table options.
In order of length, Who Gives A Crap’s 385 sheets places 1st, with Asda’s So Shades’ 360 sheets in 2nd. As Asda’s price per sheet is only 0.0005p more expensive than Aldi, it’s 40 sheets longer and feels softer on the skin (even though it isn’t the gentlest paper on the list), I’ve decided to award Asda’s Shades So Soft the title of best value toilet roll.
