U.S. containerboard production down 8%
- The American Forest & Paper Association said U.S. containerboard production fell 8% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier. - Operating rates were nearly unchanged, down 0.1 points, while total linerboard output fell 9% and recycled linerboard hit a March record. - The drop tracked capacity cuts and weaker exports, with shipments abroad down 19% year over year. (afandpa.org)
U.S. containerboard production fell 8% in the first quarter of 2026 from the same period a year earlier, according to the American Forest & Paper Association. (afandpa.org) The trade group said the decline matched similar reductions in industry capacity, while operating rates were essentially flat, down 0.1 percentage point from the first quarter of 2025. (afandpa.org) Containerboard is the paperboard used to make corrugated boxes, including linerboard for the outer faces and corrugating medium for the fluted middle layer. Total linerboard production fell 9% in the quarter, even as recycled linerboard production reached a record high in March. (paperadvance.com) (paperage.com) The figures point to a market still adjusting after mill closures and other capacity removals in 2025. Fastmarkets said permanent closures by International Paper and Georgia-Pacific removed about 2.5 million tons of North American containerboard capacity last year. (fastmarkets.com) Exports weakened more sharply than domestic production. Census-reported U.S. containerboard export shipments fell 19% in the first quarter from a year earlier, which Resource Recycling said AF&PA linked in part to “evolving trade dynamics.” (paperadvance.com) (resource-recycling.com) That mix suggests the headline drop does not signal a sudden collapse in mill utilization. Producers cut output roughly in line with available capacity, leaving the industry’s operating rate broadly steady even as tonnage fell. (afandpa.org) (resource-recycling.com) The first-quarter report also extends a longer slowdown. AF&PA said total U.S. containerboard production fell 4% in full-year 2025 from 2024, after second-quarter 2025 production had already dropped 5% year over year. (afandpa.org) (recyclingtoday.com) Company results show demand and inventories are not moving uniformly across the sector. Packaging Corporation of America said its own first-quarter 2026 containerboard production was 1.398 million tons, while inventory fell 39,000 tons from the fourth quarter of 2025. (ir.packagingcorp.com) For box buyers, the immediate signal is tighter supply from a smaller industry base, not a spike in operating stress. The next AF&PA monthly and quarterly releases will show whether March’s record recycled linerboard output becomes a broader offset to lower overall production. (afandpa.org) (paperadvance.com)
