| |
Total U.S. paper and paperboard production in March of 8.3 million tons was 1.6% higher than March of 1999, according to statistics from the American Forest & Paper Assn. (AF&PA). Year-to-date production is up 2.7% to 24.3 million tons.
U.S. paper production was 4.0 million tons in March, while board production totaled 4.3 million tons. The figures represent increases of 2.4% and 1.0%, respectively, from 1999 levels.
U.S. market pulp production increased 3.5% in March to 680 million tons. Year-to-date production is up 8.2% at 2.1 million tons.
Imports of newsprint from Canada totaled 559,000 tons in February, a 1.6% increase from the year-ago month.
Wastepaper consumption at paper/board mills was 3.2 million tons in March, up 1.5% from March 1999.
|
| |
Latest month (000 short tons) |
% change from year ago |
Annualized year-to-date (000 short tons) |
% change from year ago |
 |
| Newsprint** |
March |
625 |
4.9% |
1,871 |
4.6% |
| Uncoated groundwood (s) |
March |
160 |
–3.6 |
482 |
2.1 |
| Coated paper (s) |
March |
815 |
1.1 |
2,317 |
2.0 |
| Uncoated free-sheet 7 |
March |
1,233 |
2.2 |
3,504 |
1.2 |
| Other printing/writing7 |
March |
147 |
12.2 |
410 |
12.0 |
| 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 |
3,962 |
2.4% |
11,470 |
2.6% |
| Unbleached kraft paperboard |
March |
1,959 |
102.1 |
5,710 |
–0.7 |
| Semichemical medium |
March |
524 |
10.3 |
1,535 |
11.4 |
| Bleached paperboard |
March |
489 |
–1.4 |
1,478 |
6.9 |
| Recycled paperboard |
March |
1,376 |
0.0 |
4,078 |
3.5 |
| Total paperboard |
March |
4,348 |
1.0% |
12,802 |
2.8% |
| Total paper and paperboard 5 |
March |
8,310 |
1.6% |
24,272 |
2.7% |
|
 |
| Total woodpulp production |
March |
5,420 |
0.9% |
16,128 |
4.1% |
| Market pulp production |
March |
680 |
3.5 |
2,143 |
8.2 |
| Wastepaper consumption at paper/board mills |
March |
3,163 |
1.5 |
9,204 |
–0.5 |
 |
| Corrugated box shipments (billion ft2)6 |
March |
33.436 |
0.8% |
101.409 |
1.4% |
| Containerboard inventories at mills/plants(actual) |
March |
2,980 |
15.9 |
|
|
 |
| U.S. paper imports |
February |
1,507 |
6.5% |
3,092 |
9.5% |
| Imports of Canadian newsprint |
February |
559 |
1.6 |
1,120 |
4.6 |
| U.S. paper exports |
February |
1,105 |
12.9 |
2,082 |
10.1 |
| Exports of unbleached kraft liner |
February |
316 |
3.9 |
569 |
–1.6 |
| Exports of woodpulp |
February |
485 |
16.5 |
1,384 |
16.3 |
|
 |
| Total newsprint shipments 6 (mtons) |
March |
839 |
9.0% |
2,353 |
6.2% |
| Operating rates, % |
March |
97 |
2.1 |
97 |
1.0 |
| Inventories held by U.S. consumers 6 |
March |
1,301 |
–4.2 |
|
|
Woodpulp
shipments 6 |
March |
1,024 |
6.7 |
2,960 |
11.9 |
| Operating rates, % |
March |
96 |
2.1 |
99 |
4.2 |
|
 |
| ** Year 2000 newsprint data compiled by Pulp and Paper Products Council and therefore are not fully comparable to 1999 data, which were compiled by the AF&PA.(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. |
|
