The shipment of corrugated products declined by 0.3 percent the first month of this year from figures the same time last year. Shipments for the month stand at 31.640 billion square feet, compared to last January’s figure of 31.743 billion square feet.
The decline in shipments happened to most regions of the country, with the Northeast showing the sharpest decline, down 1.7 percent between last year and this year. The only gainer for the month was the West Coast, which saw shipments move up 0.3 percent.
While shipments dipped, the consumption of containerboard at local plants increased by 0.4 percent to 2.467 million tons. Along with an increase in consumption, the Fibre Box Association also reported that inventory levels increased by 0.3 percent to 2.562 million tons, compared to the inventory level of 2.554 million tons at the end of December.
The increase in shipments and inventory helped push down the weeks of supply on hand, from 4.7 weeks during December to 4.6 weeks at the end of January, a 2.1 percent decline.