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U.S. paper and paperboard production in August was slightly down from July, but projected to be on course to end the year ahead of 1997. According to statistics from the American Forest & Paper Assn. (seasonally unadjusted) paper and paperboard production was 8.09 million tons in August, compared to 8.1 million in July. August-to-August, production this year lagged last year by about 1.5%. For the eight months, production was up a slim 0.8% and totalled 63.5 million tons. If production continues at that rate, the AF&PA forecasts total paper and paperboard output to hit 95.28 million tons, up from 95 million in 1997.
Production of paper edged 1% higher in August from August 1997 to 3.78 million tons; on a year-to-date basis it was essentially flat. Most of the paper categories are down for the year so far, with the exception of tissue. Paperboard trailed August a year ago by 3.7%, but was up 1.6% through the first eight months of 1998. Exports were off 7.4% due to declines in containerboard production for export.
Pulp production in August was 5.48 million tons, down more than 3% from July. Production of chemical grade paper market pulp shipments were down almost 15% from August a year ago.
|
 |
| Newsprint |
Aug. |
607 |
-1.8 |
7,194 |
-0.5 |
| Uncoated groundwood (s) |
Aug. |
201 |
17.5 |
2,170 |
7.8 |
| Coated paper (s) |
Aug. |
792 |
-0.3 |
9,167 |
-1.2 |
| Uncoated free-sheet 7 |
Aug. |
1,222 |
3.2 |
13,602 |
-0.7 |
| Other printing/writing 7 |
Aug. |
131 |
-6.4 |
1,539 |
-7.7 |
| Total packaging and other paper |
Aug. |
353 |
-6.1 |
4,200 |
-5.0 |
| Tissue |
Aug. |
562 |
2.7 |
6,691 |
4.4 |
| Total paper |
Aug. |
3,867 |
1.0 |
44,563 |
-0.1 |
| Unbleached kraft paperboard |
Aug. |
1,951 |
-4.1 |
23,914 |
4.6 |
| Semichemical medium |
Aug. |
501 |
-7.1 |
5,825 |
-3.4 |
| Bleached paperboard |
Aug. |
467 |
-2.5 |
5,545 |
-1.0 |
| Recycled paperboard |
Aug. |
1,306 |
-2.0 |
15,359 |
-0.2 |
| Total paperboard |
Aug. |
4,225 |
-3.7 |
50,712 |
1.6 |
| Total paper and paperboard 5 |
Aug. |
8,093 |
3.3 |
95,275 |
0.8 |
 |
| Total woodpulp production |
Aug. |
5,478 |
-3.1 |
65,125 |
-0.1 |
| Market pulp production |
Aug. |
648 |
-16.9 |
8,161 |
-5.7 |
| Wastepaper consumptionat paper/board mills |
Aug. |
3,102 |
n.a. |
n.a. |
2.2 |
 |
| Corrugated box shipments (billion ft2) 6 |
Aug. |
33.813 |
-0.3 |
62.670 |
1.3 |
| Containerboard inventories at mills/plants |
Aug. |
2970 |
16.7 |
6,084 |
-1.5 |
 |
| U.S. paper imports (including products) |
July |
1,303 |
-2.2 |
16,527 |
8.4 |
| Imports of Canadian newsprint |
July |
532 |
-6.0 |
6,768 |
-4.0 |
| U.S. paper exports (including products) |
July |
1,017 |
-6.2 |
12,860 |
-2.8 |
| Exports of unbleached kraft liner |
July |
305 |
-19.9 |
4,103 |
-7.8 |
| Exports of woodpulp |
July |
538 |
-0.6 |
5,626 |
-14.1 |
 |
| Total newsprint shipments 6 |
Aug. |
677 |
-8.1 |
5,807 |
-7.9 |
| Operating rates, % |
Aug. |
81 |
88.0 |
88 |
95.0 |
| Inventories held by U.S. consumers 6 |
Aug. |
1,385 |
4.2 |
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| Woodpulp shipments 6 |
Aug. |
756 |
-9.1 |
6,348 |
-8.7 |
| Operating rates, % |
Aug. |
85 |
94.0 |
86 |
89.0 |
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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. 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. (s) = Shipments. n.a. = not available. |
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