Month in Statistics

U.S. production of paper and paperboard (seasonally unadjusted) for the first five months of the year through May rose 7.0% compared with the same period last year, according to the American Forest & Paper Assn. Paper production for the five months was 18.5 million tons, 7.5% higher than the 1996 period, and paperboard gained 6.6% with a total of 19.3 million tons for the same period.

Among major grades, coated paper shipments were up 21.7% through May from the same period a year ago, newsprint production rose 4.0%, tissue production was up 2.9%, and unbleached kraft liner declined 1.6%. Total packaging and other papers were up 1.6% when compared with last year. Both U.S. paper grade chemical market pulp and total paper woodpulp production were up from last year, 3.7% and 2.3%, respectively, again on a year-to-date basis. Consumption of recovered paper at U.S. mills reached close to 3.0 million tons, up 4.5% from the year-ago period.

Canadian newsprint shipments totaled 568,000 tons in May, down 9.0% from April 1997, and down 1.4% from May 1996. Newsprint mills operated at 100% of capacity. Canadian woodpulp shipments were up 6.8% from a year ago and reached 4.4 million metric tons for the year-to-date, with mills operating at 84% of capacity.