Corrugated Shipments Decline in January

Published March 04, 2002
 

The shipment of corrugated products dropped by 3.8 percent for January, compared to figures the same time last year. According to the Fibre Box Association, total shipments for the first month stand at 31.592 billion square feet, compared to last January’s shipment of 32.842 billion square feet.

The biggest decliner for the month was the Western U.S., which saw shipments drop by 6.5 percent for the month. Other large decliners were the Northeast, dropping 5 percent; and the South Central, dropping 3.8 percent.

The consumption of containerboard also slipped for the month. According to the FBA, consumption stands at 2.455 million tons for January, a decline of 2.3 percent from last January’s total.

While consumption and shipments dipped, the inventory of material at corrugator plants increased as paperboard mills in North America continue to work off excess inventory. At the end of January 2.49 million tons of containerboard was inventoried, a 1.7 percent increase from the previous month. The increase in inventory for the month pushed the weeks of supply on hand to 4.5 weeks, a 2.3 percent increase from the weeks of supply average from the prior month.
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