North American newsprint production declined 11.9 percent for October, continuing its steady decline over the year. For the first ten months of the year production dropped 9.1 percent to 12.066 million metric tons.
For October, production stands at 1.212 million metric tons, as newsprint mills operated at 85 percent of capacity. During the same time last year the operating rate reached 98 percent of capacity.
U.S. newsprint production dropped 14.2 percent for October, with the total at 499,000 metric tons, compared to last October’s figure of 582,000 metric tons. For the first ten months newsprint production at U.S. mills stands at 4.968 million metric tons, a 10.9 percent drop from figures the same time last year.
Canadian newsprint production also dropped for both the month and first ten months of the year. October’s production figure of 713,000 metric tons is a 10.1 percent drop from last October. Production the first ten months of the year stands at 7.099 million metric tons, a 7.8 percent drop from figures the same time last year.
The shipment of finished newsprint also continued to decline, according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council. For October, shipments stand at 1.204 million metric tons, a 12.3 percent drop from last October. For the first ten months of the year shipments stand at 11.917 million metric tons, a 10.5 percent drop.