<B>Containerboard Consumption Down for Month, Year</B>

The consumption of containerboard at domestic facilities dropped 4 percent for December from December 1999. According to the most recent figures from the Fibre Box Association consumption for this past December reached 2.303 million tons, compared to the previous December’s figure of 2.4 million tons.

The figures for December resulted in consumption for the full year reaching 30.539 million tons, a 0.6 percent decline from 1999’s full-year consumption total of 30.730 million tons.

While consumption declined, the inventory of containerboard at corrugator plants climbed. Recent figures show the inventory level at the end of December reached 2.458 million tons, a 0.5 percent increase from inventory levels the previous month.

Meanwhile, the weeks of supply on hand at corrugator plants climbed 2.4 percent to 4.3 weeks of supply on hand.