Month inSTATISTICS  
   

 
  U.S. paper and paperboard production (unadjusted) declined 2.6% in September compared with the previous year. Production totaled 7.8 million tons in September, down 3.6% from August’s production total of 8.1 million tons. The U.S. industry was on track to produce an annualized total of 95.29 million tons for 1998, a slight 0.6% increase over 1997’s total of 95.04 million.

The September decline was mainly the result of weakening in paperboard production, although paper production also edged lower. For the third quarter total production of paper and paperboard lagged its year-ago volume by 0.9%.

Canadian newsprint shipments were down more than 17% in September from the previous year, but woodpulp shipments were up more than 10%. Imports of Canadian newsprint to the U.S. were down 6% in August, but total U.S. imports were up almost 7%; exports were down more than 14%.
Newsprint September 590 1.5 7,177 -0.4
Uncoated groundwood (s) September 197 5.3 2,192 7.3
Coated paper (s) September 358 -53.1 4,376 -2.3
Uncoated free-sheet 7 September 1,145 -1.7 13,605 -0.9
Other printing/writing 7 September 138 0.0 1,551 -7.0
Total packaging and other paper September 363 -1.1 4,426 0.1
Tissue September 561 5.6 6,696 4.5
Total paper September 3,791 0.4 44,858 0.4%
Unbleached kraft paperboard September 1,852 -6.7 23,730 3.3
Semichemical medium September 436 -14.3 5,759 -4.7
Bleached paperboard September 467 5.9 5,545 -1.0
Recycled paperboard September 1,274 -2.8 15,350 -0.5
Total paperboard September 4,017 -5.4 50,441 0.8
Total paper and paperboard 5 September 7,708 -0.3 95,299 0.6
Total woodpulp production September 5,120 -5.0 64,715 -0.7
Market pulp production September 642 -8.8 8,085 -6.4
Wastepaper consumptionat paper/board mills September 2,966 n.a. n.a. 2.0
Corrugated box shipments (billion ft2) 6 September 33.813 -0.4 62.670 1.1
Containerboard inventories at mills/plants September 2,955 18.9 6,084 -1.5
U.S. paper imports (including products) August 1,383 6.8 16,536 8.2
Imports of Canadian newsprint August 515 -6.0 6,695 -4.3
U.S. paper exports (including products) August 959 -14.4 12,691 -4.2
Exports of unbleached kraft liner August 255 -33.4 3,973 -11.1
Exports of woodpulp August 538 -4.9 5,578 -13.8
Total newsprint shipments 6 September 639 -17.1 6,459 -8.7
Operating rates, % September 80 86.0 87 94.0
Inventories held by U.S. consumers 6 September 1,352 -0.6 n.a. n.a.
Woodpulp shipments 6 September 891 10.1 7,250 -6.6
Operating rates, % September 85 83.0 86 90.0
(s) = Shipments. n.a. = not available. 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.
Look back at statistics for each of the previous months from Pulp & Paper magazine
Pulp & Paper Issue Date: Statistics for the month of:
September 1998 April 1998
August 1998 March 1998
July 1998 March 1998
June 1998 February 1998
May 1998 January 1998
April 1998 December 1997
March 1998 November 1997
February 1998 October 1997
January 1998 September 1997
December 1997 August 1997
November 1997 July 1997
October 1997 June 1997
   
Pulp & Paper Magazine, January 1999 CONTENTS
Columns Departments Focus/Features News
From the Editors Mill Operations News Outlook '99 Month in Stats
Career Development News of People Spending falls for second straight year Grade Profile
Comment Conference Calendar Oconto Falls mill returns to its roots News Scan
  Product Showcase The need for benchmarking  
  Supplier News Evaluating mill assets may reduce taxes