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U.S. paper and paperboard production for the first quarter lagged the year-ago volume by 0.6%, the American Forest & Paper Assn. reported. Market pulp shipments rose during the January through March period by 0.9% compared with 1998.
North American shipments (U.S. and Canadian) of newsprint lagged their year-ago volume by 1.4% during the first quarter, while production increased 2.1%. U.S. newsprint shipments dropped 4.5% in March, with deliveries to the domestic market off 4.4% and shipments overseas down 3.7%. Domestic production was down 1.2% vs. the first three months of 1998.
U.S. shipments of printing/writing papers were up for the first quarter by 1.3% and total paper shipments were up more than 1%. Paperboard shipments were down 2% and containerboard exports were down 22%. Recycled linerboard showed a 7.3% increase for the three months.
Canadian paper and board shipments of 4.85 million metric tons for the year-to-date through March were up 4.6%.
|
| |
|
Latest month (000 short tons) |
% change from year ago |
Annualized year-to-date (000 short tons) |
% change from year ago |
 |
| Newsprint |
March |
587 |
-4.5 |
1,762 |
-1.2 |
| Uncoated groundwood (s) |
March |
187 |
1.0 |
533 |
2.1 |
| Coated paper (s) |
March |
795 |
-0.7 |
2,241 |
-2.0 |
| Uncoated free-sheet 7 |
March |
1,221 |
6.3 |
3,506 |
4.0 |
| Other printing/writing 7 |
March |
130 |
-4.4 |
366 |
-4.1 |
| Total packaging and other paper |
March |
n.a. |
n.a |
n.a |
n.a. |
| Tissue |
March |
n.a |
n.a |
n.a |
n.a. |
| Total paper |
March |
3,854 |
2.8 |
11,180 |
1.1 |
| Unbleached kraft paperboard |
March |
1,994 |
1.9 |
5,783 |
-3.5 |
| Semichemical medium |
March |
475 |
-7.4 |
1,378 |
-10.0 |
| Bleached paperboard |
March |
527 |
9.1 |
1,377 |
0.5 |
| Recycled paperboard |
March |
1,353 |
6.5 |
3,908 |
2.8 |
| Total paperboard |
March |
4,349 |
1.3 |
12,447 |
-2.0 |
| Total paper and paperboard 5 |
March |
8,203 |
1.4 |
23,761 |
-0.6 |
 |
| Total woodpulp production |
March |
5,372 |
-0.3 |
15,488 |
-3.7 |
| Market pulp production |
March |
657 |
3.5 |
1,981 |
2.1 |
| Wastepaper consumption at paper/board mills |
March |
n.a |
n.a. |
n.a. |
n.a. |
 |
| Corrugated box shipments (billion ft2) 6 |
March |
35,734 |
7.5 |
100,000 |
4.2 |
| Containerboard inventories at mills/plants (actual) |
March |
2,571 |
-16.8 |
|
|
 |
| U.S. paper imports (including products) |
February |
1,415 |
7.9 |
2,896 |
14.7 |
| Imports of Canadian newsprint |
February |
550 |
-0.7 |
1,121 |
1.2 |
| U.S. paper exports (including products) |
February |
983 |
-9.9 |
1,897 |
-14.3 |
| Exports of unbleached kraft liner |
February |
304 |
-23.4 |
578 |
-26.6 |
| Exports of woodpulp |
February |
417 |
-11.1 |
1,190 |
-11.0 |
 |
| Total newsprint shipments 6 (metric tons) |
March |
770 |
-4.9 |
2,215 |
0.8 |
| Operating rates, % |
March |
96 |
5.5 |
96 |
6.7 |
| Inventories held by U.S. consumers 6 |
March |
1,343 |
-6.1 |
|
|
| Woodpulp shipments 6 |
March |
937 |
-4.4 |
2,594 |
3.1 |
| Operating rates, % |
March |
96 |
10.3 |
97 |
12.8 |
 |
| (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.> |
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