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AF&PA Releases Q2 2024 Containerboard Quarterly Report

WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the Q2 2024 Containerboard Quarterly report.

According to the report, total Containerboard production in Q2 increased 7% compared to Q2 2023. It was up 7% when compared to the same 6 months of 2023.

  • Operating rates for all major grades except Semichemical Medium increased compared to Q1 2024, and total production was the highest it has been since Q2 2022.
  • Unbleached Kraft Liner production for export surged more than 44% over its year-ago levels. Total export production for the first half of the year is also up 40%.
  • Recycled Medium is the only grade with a flat operating rate (-0.2%) compared to the first half of 2023, as capacity increases (+175,000 tons) have slightly exceeded production gains (+140,000 tons).
  • Domestic new supply for Q2 was slightly lower than last year’s peak in Q4, but it is still up 3.7% year-to-date, as domestic production has increased as much as export production in terms of tonnage, and imports are up 9.8%.

The complete report with detailed tables, charts and historical data can be purchased by contacting Kory Bockman at Statistics_Publications@afandpa.org or 202-463-4716.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance public policies that foster economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness for a vital sector that makes the essential paper and packaging products Americans use every day. The U.S. forest products industry employs more than 925,000 people, largely in rural America, and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 44 states. Our industry accounts for approximately 4.7% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufacturing more than $435 billion in products annually. AF&PA member companies are significant producers and users of renewable biomass energy and are committed to making sustainable products for a sustainable future through the industry’s decades-long initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2030