North American printing and writing paper demand down 6.5% in July
North American printing and writing paper demand declined by 6.5% to 719,000 tons in July, down 6.5% year over year according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council. Uncoated Freesheet operating rate stood at 80% down from 85% a year ago. And Coated Free Sheet operating rate rose to 85% up from 77% last July.
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Wood Raw-Material Costs for European Pulpmills Continued to Slide in Early 2017 to Reach Their Lowest Levels in Over Five Years
Wood costs for the pulp industry in Europe were generally lower in the 1Q/17 than in the previous quarter, continuing a downward trend that, depending on the country, has lasted for 4-6 years. The biggest price declines for pulplogs and sawmill residues in early 2017 occurred in Germany and France, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The price reductions occurred mainly because of an oversupply of pulplogs, unchanged demand for wood fiber from the pulp industry, and reduced usage of raw-material by the competing wood pellet sector.
In neighboring Austria, conifer pulplog prices have been very stable during most of 2015 and 2016 (in Euro terms) and prices did not change much in the 1Q/17. However, the weakening of the Euro against the US dollar has resulted in Austrian pulplog prices falling seven percent in two years. In the Nordic countries, wood fiber costs in the 1Q/17 were at their lowest levels since 2006 (in US dollars). This was mostly thanks to the weakening of the local currencies in both Sweden and Finland. The wood fiber costs currently account for about 60% of the manufacturing cost when manufacturing pulp in the region, according to Fisher International, so a reduction in prices for pulplogs and wood chips has a major impact in improving the competitiveness of the pulp and paper industry when competing in the global market place. Click Read More below for additional detail.
American Forest & Paper Association Releases December 2020 Printing-Writing Monthly Report
According to the report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 26 percent in December compared to December 2019. U.S. purchases of total printing-writing papers decreased 22 percent in December compared to the same month last year. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels remained essentially flat (+0.3 percent) when compared to November 2020. U.S. purchases of uncoated free sheet (UFS) papers in December decreased 17 percent compared to last December while the inventory level decreased one percent compared to November 2020. UFS imports increased 13 percent while exports decreased 31 percent in November 2020. Coated free sheet (CFS) paper shipments decreased 26 percent compared to December 2019 while the inventory level increased four percent compared to November 2020. CFS imports and exports both decreased compared to November 2019, down 36 percent and eight percent respectively. click read more for additional statistics