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AUGUST 1997 · Volume 71, Issue 8
Month in Statistics
U.S. production of paper and paperboard (seasonally unadjusted) for the first four months of the year through April rose 7.7% compared with the same period last year, according to the American Forest & Paper Assn. Paper production for the four months was 14.8 million tons, 8.2% higher than the 1996 period, and paperboard gained 7.3% with a total of 16.37 million tons for the quarter.
Among major grades, coated paper shipments were up 21.6% through April from the same period a year ago, newsprint production rose 3.1% and shipments were up 6.9%, tissue production was up 2.8%, and unbleached kraft liner declined 1.4%. Total packaging and other papers were up 3.3% when compared with last year. Both U.S. paper grade chemical market pulp and total paper woodpulp production were up from last year, 6.6% and 3.3%, respectively, again on a year-to-date basis. Consumption of recovered paper at U.S. mills reached 2.9 million tons, up 4.5% from the year ago period.
Canadian newsprint shipments totaled 624,000 tons in April, up 21% from April 1996, and up 9.7% from March 1997. Newsprint mills operated at 98% of capacity. Canadian woodpulp shipments were up 6.7% from a year ago and reached 3.5 million metric tons for the year-to-date, with mills operating at 87% of capacity.
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% change |
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Annualized |
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% change |
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Latest month |
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from |
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year-to-date |
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from |
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(000 short tons) |
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year ago |
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(000 short tons) |
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year ago |
| PAPER AND PAPERBOARD PRODUCTION1 |
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| Newsprint |
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April |
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579 |
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1.8 |
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7,136 |
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3.1 |
| Uncoated groundwood(s) |
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April |
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167 |
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-1.2 |
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1,994 |
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1.5 |
| Coated paper(s) |
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April |
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796 |
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34.7 |
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90,930 |
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21.6 |
| Uncoated free-sheet 7 |
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April |
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1,176 |
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-3.6 |
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13,885 |
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8.6 |
| Other printing/writing 7 |
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April |
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130 |
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8.3 |
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1,533 |
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-8.0 |
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| Total packaging and other paper |
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April |
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367 |
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2.2 |
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4,455 |
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3.3 |
| Tissue |
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April |
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521 |
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4.4 |
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6,309 |
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2.8 |
| Total paper |
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April |
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3,735 |
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5.9 |
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44,404 |
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8.2 |
| Unbleached kraft paperboard |
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April |
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1,848 |
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7.4 |
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22,551 |
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5.7 |
| Semichemical medium |
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April |
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483 |
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6.9 |
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5,896 |
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12.8 |
| Bleached paperboard |
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April |
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457 |
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7.3 |
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5,549 |
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9.3 |
| Recycled paperboard |
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April |
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1,252 |
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3.7 |
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15,127 |
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6.9 |
| Total paperboard |
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April |
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4,041 |
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6.2 |
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49,123 |
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7.3 |
| Total paper and paperboard 5 |
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April |
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7,776 |
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6.1 |
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93,526 |
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7.7 |
| PULP, WASTEPAPER, AND FIBER2 |
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| Total woodpulp production |
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April |
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5,460 |
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4.4 |
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64,915 |
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3.3 |
| Market pulp production |
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April |
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705 |
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13.3 |
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8,330 |
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6.6 |
| Wastepaper consumption |
| at paper/board mills |
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April |
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2,851 |
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7.6 |
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n.a. |
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4.5 |
| CONVERTED PRODUCTS STATISTICS3 |
| Corrugated box shipments (billion ft2) 6 |
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April |
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34.313 |
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5.6 |
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127.533 |
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2.4 |
| Containerboard inventories at mills/plants |
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April 30 |
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2.855 |
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-6.0 |
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- |
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- |
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| INTERNATIONAL TRADE2 |
| U.S. paper imports (including products) |
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March |
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1,314 |
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9.8 |
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14,906 |
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3.2 |
| Imports of Canadian newsprint |
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March |
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623 |
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4.7 |
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7,153 |
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-2.6 |
| U.S. paper exports (including products) |
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March |
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1,160 |
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18.7 |
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13,229 |
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22.0 |
| Exports of unbleached kraft liner |
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March |
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381 |
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27.0 |
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4,298 |
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36.9 |
| Exports of woodpulp |
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April |
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542 |
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-0.7 |
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6,293 |
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1.4 |
| CANADIAN STATISTICS4 |
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| Total newsprint shipments 6 |
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April |
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823 |
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20.9 |
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3,187 |
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12.4 |
| Operating rates, % |
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April |
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98 |
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91 |
|
97 |
|
94 |
| Inventories held by U.S. consumers 6 |
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April 30 |
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753 |
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-39.3 |
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- |
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- |
| Woodpulp shipments 6 |
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April |
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918 |
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6.7 |
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3,478 |
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19.2 |
| Operating rates, % |
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April |
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87 |
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82 |
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83 |
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88 |
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| 1. American Forest & Paper Assn. 2. AF&PA, Bureau of Census, American Pulpwood Assn. 3. Fibre Box Assn., Paperboard Packaging Council. 4. Canadian Pulp and Paper Assn. 5. Includes construction and wet machine grades. 6. Not annualized. (s) = Shipments. 7. Categories have been revised: thin papers, previously included under the "other printing/writing" category, is now part of uncoated free-sheet. "Other printing/writing" now encompasses only bristols and cotton fiber papers. n.a.= not available.
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