PPW is up, but the price hike still hasn’t landed. Where North America’s third containerboard wave creates “gaps” that bleed margin
When mill announcements, the Fastmarkets RISI PPW index, and open‑market reality diverge, where should pricing for cartons, kitting, and shipping be rebuilt from?
In September 2026, North American containerboard is “supposed to be going up,” but the numbers are not moving as one. The PPW index shows increases, while buyer checks also argue there’s “no evidence” the third wave has hit the open market. When an index moves on partial recognition, the profit line is often decided less by print price than by how you design carton, fulfillment, and delivery terms.
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Translated from Japanese by AI. The Japanese original is authoritative.
In a containerboard price‑increase cycle, the most dangerous thing is not the “price hike” headline.
Some months the index rises but your paid price does not move. That gap distorts quoting decisions. If a printer raises carton, kitting, and shipping prices across the board, customers see it as over‑passing costs through. If you hold prices, costs move first and gross margin leaks out.…
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