List prices in May for recycled board remained flat for both CRB & URB grades. Wilde reports. In April, CRB rose $35/ton (of $45/ton attempted increase) and URB rose $40/ton (of $60/ton attempted increase).The price hike is driven by improved order backlogs, higher wastepaper costs, higher operating rates, and an overall improving demand. However, a $40/ton decline in OCC prices in the last couple of months has prevented full pass-thru of prices. Reports suggest that the CRB price hike was more successful than the URB increase, due primarily to better backlogs (+56% y/y), relatively stable costs for other recovered paper grades, and continued substitution from SBS grades, Wilde points out. Capacity rationalization has also helped producers.
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