Corrugated Shipments Increase for Month

The shipment of corrugated products increased for July, reversing a downward trend that occurred during the first six months of the year. The figures for the month, 32.922 billion square feet, is a 3.2 percent jump from figures the same time last year. Figures come from the Fibre Box Association.

While shipments improved for the month, the shipment total over the first seven months off the year is still down 1 percent between last year and this year.

Strength was seen in most regions of the country, with the West Coast posting the strongest jump, 7.5 percent for the month. The only region posting a decline between last July and this July was the Northeast, which saw shipments drop by 1.4 percent for the month.

For the first seven months shipments were mixed, with the East Central and North Central both posting a 0.5 percent increase between last year and this year. The region seeing the biggest drop between last year and this year ws the Northeast, which saw shipments drop by 3.8 percent over the first seven months.

Along with the sharp improvement in shipments, the consumption of containerboard at domestic plants improved by 0.1 percent for the month. The total for the month, 2.475 million tons, pushed the seven-month consumption figure to 16.812 million tons, a 0.9 percent drop from the same time last year.

While shipments and consumption both climbed, the inventory of containerboard at corrugator plants jumped a sharp 5 percent to 2.314 million tons from figures the same time last year.