Will September’s containerboard price hikes really stick at the full amount?
Does PCA’s $140/ton signal supply-demand—or market dominance? Read 95% operating rates, -19% exports, and 15‑month‑low inventories alongside the independents’ counterpunch.
North American containerboard is seeing a cluster of “September price increase” announcements. PCA is calling for $140/ton, International Paper $80/ton, Smurfit Westrock $100/ton, and Cascades $110/ton for linerboard and $140/ton for medium. On the surface, it looks like suppliers have the upper hand—but independent box makers are pushing back head-on, saying there’s “no economic rationale” behind it.
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Translated from Japanese by AI. The Japanese original is authoritative.
With an effective date of September 1, price-increase notices have piled up across North American containerboard (the paper used to make corrugated boxes). PCA is leading with $140/ton, while International Paper is at $80/ton and Smurfit Westrock is at $100/ton on roughly the same timing.
Cascades also said in an earnings transcript that, effective September 8, it will raise linerboard by $110/ton and medium by $140/ton.…
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