Paper

While some of the bulk grades are taking a bit of a breather with mildly softer pricing, several conditions point to a healthier market for the paperboard industry overall.

Reflecting the improved market condition, recent figures from the Fibre Box Association (FBA), Rolling Meadows, Ill., show that shipments of corrugated products increased by 1.6 percent during September, compared to figures for the same time last year, to 32.649 billion square feet.

According to the FBA, the nine-month shipment figure is 293.944 billion square feet, a 3.6 percent increase from the figure through September of 2003.

The East Central United States showed the biggest gain for September at 4.6 percent. Additionally, this region posted the strongest improvement during the first nine months of the year, up 4.8 percent.

The biggest decline came from the West, where shipments dropped a surprising 3 percent in September. Despite the decline for the month, shipments through September are up 3.4 percent from 2003’s corresponding figures.

The steady improvement in shipments in other regions helped to push overall consumption of containerboard up 0.8 percent in September to 2.525 million tons, a 0.8 percent increase from last year’s figures.

The nine-month consumption figure is at 22.727 million tons, a 4.4 percent increase from 2003’s corresponding figure.