End papers are the cheapest item on a perm trolley and the one that most often decides whether the perm looks professional. Their job is simple: hold the ends of the section flat and controlled so the hair wraps smoothly around the rod instead of buckling, folding or poking out. Get the size wrong and you get fishhooks — bent, crimped ends that no amount of cutting fully hides.
Dannyco makes its Perm End Papers in four exact sheet sizes, all in a 1,000-sheet dispenser box. This guide explains which size goes with which section.
The four sizes
- 2-1/4" × 3-1/4" — the smallest sheet.
- 2-1/2" × 3-1/2" — the standard.
- 2-1/2" × 4" — same width as the standard, longer.
- 3" × 4" — the largest sheet.
All four are the same Perm End Papers product, selected by size, and every box contains 1,000 sheets.
How to choose: the paper must cover the section
There is one rule and it decides almost every case. The paper has to fully cover the ends of the section — its full width and past the tips — and beyond that you want the smallest sheet that does.
Both halves matter. A paper narrower than the section leaves hair hanging off the side with nothing controlling it, and that hair is what folds under the rod. A paper far larger than the section is bulk you then have to wrap, and bulk under a rod means uneven tension and uneven curl.
So the two dimensions answer two different questions:
The width — 2-1/4, 2-1/2 or 3 inches — has to match how wide your section is. Section width is set by the rod length you are using, so in practice your rod choice drives your paper width.
The length — 3-1/4, 3-1/2 or 4 inches — has to be enough to fold over the ends with margin to spare. Longer hair, and hair with an uneven or heavily layered end, needs the longer sheet because there is more variation in where the tips actually finish.
Size by size
2-1/4" × 3-1/4" — short rods, small sections, fine ends. The smallest sheet in the range. It is the right choice on short rods and narrow sections, on fringe and nape work, and on partial perms where the sections are deliberately small. On fine hair it is also simply less to wrap, which keeps the tension honest.
2-1/2" × 3-1/2" — the default. If you are stocking one size, stock this one. It covers standard section widths on a full-head wrap with enough length to fold over most ends, and it is the size most wraps are taught on.
2-1/2" × 4" — standard width, longer hair. Same width as the default with three-quarters of an inch more length. This is the one to reach for when the hair is long, or when the ends are layered enough that the tips finish at noticeably different points. That extra length is what stops a straggling tip escaping the paper.
3" × 4" — long rods, wide sections, thick hair. The largest sheet, for wide sections on long rods and for dense hair where the section is simply bigger. Use it when a 2-1/2-inch paper leaves hair sitting outside the paper's edge.
Wrapping, briefly
Place the end paper over the hair ends before wrapping, so the tips stay controlled and lie smoothly around the rod. Keep the section combed flat and at even tension through the paper — a paper cannot rescue a section that was already uneven when it went in. Follow the chemical manufacturer's service directions for the perm you are running.
Discard each sheet after one use. A used end paper has absorbed solution, and reusing it puts an unknown quantity of chemical onto the next section.
Buying and storage
Every box is 1,000 sheets, which is a working supply rather than a per-service purchase, and the dispenser is the point: it feeds one sheet at a time with a dry hand, which is what you need mid-wrap.
Most salons that perm regularly keep two sizes — the 2-1/2" × 3-1/2" default and one other, chosen by whether their clientele runs long (take the 2-1/2" × 4") or thick (take the 3" × 4"). Stocking all four is only worth it if you do a lot of partial and fringe work alongside full-head perms.
End papers are a dry disposable salon supply. They are not a rod and not a chemical. Store the boxes dry and closed — papers that have picked up humidity tear as you fold them.
While you are restocking the bench
Two Dannyco replacement parts sit alongside the perm supplies, and both are worth knowing about before something fails mid-week rather than after.
The 878C Replacement Shampoo Basin Hose is sold separately for Dannyco basin 877C. That is the only compatibility Dannyco publishes and the only one we claim — it is not a generic hose, and a hose that looks the same is not evidence that it fits. Check the model code and the connection points against your existing part before ordering.
The Replacement Wheels are an exact Dannyco SKU, and here we have to be straight with you: Dannyco does not publish a chair, stool or appliance model that these fit, and does not publish a quantity per pack. We are not going to infer either. If you know this is the castor your Dannyco equipment takes, order it; if you are guessing from a photograph, confirm with Dannyco or a salon-equipment technician first.
For any replacement part, fit it with the equipment switched off and out of service.
The bottom line
Smallest paper that fully covers the section, every time. One size for most salons: 2-1/2" × 3-1/2". Add 2-1/2" × 4" for long hair, 3" × 4" for thick hair and wide sections, 2-1/4" × 3-1/4" for fringe, nape and partial work. One sheet, one use.
See the range in the Dannyco collection.