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MONTH IN STATISTICS
U.S. PAPER AND BOARD PRODUCTION
Seasonally unadjusted paper and paperboard production in the U.S. exceeded its year-ago volume by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the American Forest & Paper Assn.The overall gain reflected a 2.7% increase in paperboard production and a 0.7% decline in paper production.
North American newsprint shipments declined 4.3% relative to a year ago during the first three months of 1998, due to reduced overseas demand. North American newsprint shipments to the U.S. and Canada were up 0.8% and 6%, respectively, during the first quarter of 1998. U.S. newsprint shipments lagged their year-ago volume by 1.1% during the first quarter as a 3.4% increase in deliveries to the domestic market was more than offset by a 21.4% plunge in exports (through February). Newsprint mill inventories were at 436,000 tons in March, a 32.5% decline from March 1997.
Domestic shipments of printing/writing paper failed to advance due to negative trade developments and were off 0.9% from the first quarter last year. Mill inventories of the four major categories rose by 173,000 tons as of the end of March.
Fiber box shipments were up 2.9% for the quarter. Market pulp shipments were down 4.4%.
|
Latest month
(000 short tons) |
% change
from
year ago |
Annualized
year-to-date
(000 short tons) |
% change
from
year ago |
| PAPER AND PAPERBOARD PRODUCTION1 |
| Newsprint |
March |
613 |
-1.4 |
7,123 |
-1.0 |
| Uncoated groundwood (s) |
March |
183 |
2.8 |
2,106 |
5.8 |
| Coated paper (s) |
March |
764 |
-4.9 |
8,912 |
-0.3 |
| Uncoated free-sheet7 |
March |
1,149 |
-3.8 |
13,942 |
-2.2 |
| Other printing/writing 7 |
March |
136 |
4.6 |
1,546 |
-7.3 |
| Total packaging and other paper |
March |
351 |
-3.3 |
4,236 |
-4.8 |
| Tissue |
March |
552 |
1.8 |
6,543 |
3.3 |
| Total paper |
March |
3,748 |
-2.1 |
43,957 |
-0.7 |
| Unbleached kraft paperboard |
March |
1,956 |
0.3 |
23,496 |
3.2 |
| Semichemical medium |
March |
451 |
-10.5 |
5,396 |
-9.0 |
| Bleached paperboard |
March |
431 |
-9.6 |
5,221 |
-6.2 |
| Recycled paperboard |
March |
1,391 |
9.4 |
16,641 |
9.8 |
| Total paperboard |
March |
4,229 |
0.7 |
50,755 |
2.7 |
| Total paper and paperboard5 |
March |
7,977 |
-0.7 |
94,712 |
1.1 |
| PULP, WASTEPAPER, AND FIBER2 |
| Total woodpulp production |
March |
5,386 |
-1.8 |
64,350 |
-0.6 |
| Market pulp production |
March |
635 |
-18.4 |
7,769 |
-6.0 |
Wastepaper consumption
at paper/board mills |
March |
N.A |
- |
N.A. |
N.A. |
| CONVERTED PRODUCTS STATISTICS3 |
Corrugated box shipments
(billion ft2) 6 |
March |
30,154 |
2.0 |
62,670 |
1.0 |
Containerboard inventories
at mills/plants |
March 31 |
3,062 |
-1.2 |
6,084 |
-1.5 |
| INTERNATIONAL TRADE2 |
| U.S. paper imports (including products) |
February |
1,311 |
13.8 |
16,094 |
13.5 |
Imports of Canadian
newsprint |
February |
554 |
-2.6 |
6,650 |
-4.8 |
| U.S. paper exports (including products) |
February |
1,090 |
0.3 |
13,267 |
3.4 |
Exports of unbleached
kraft liner |
February |
397 |
10.3 |
4,727 |
13.8 |
| Exports of woodpulp |
February |
583 |
9.8 |
5,356 |
-17.3 |
| CANADIAN STATISTICS4 (reported in metric tons) |
| Total newsprint shipments 6 |
March |
705 |
-9.0 |
1,386 |
-8.4 |
| Operating rates, % |
March |
91 |
- |
89 |
- |
Inventories held by
U.S. consumers 6 |
March |
1,359 |
- |
- |
- |
| Woodpulp shipments 6 |
March |
814 |
3.0 |
1,530 |
-5.0 |
| Operating rates, % |
March |
87 |
- |
86 |
- |
| 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. 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. (s) = Shipments.
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