Bleached board/SBS in North America, Wilde reports, is "a tight market," with 16-pt folding carton rising $10-15/ton to $1,090 - $1,140/ton in August (+8.8% y/y), essentially completing the $50/ton price hike. This is the second price increase after the $40/ton April price increase. The current price hike is driven by improved demand (strong order backlogs and high operating rates) and tight supplies (spring maintenance downtime and machine closures), Wilde explains. "We've heard skepticism from some carton converters, suggesting miss-match between carton volumes and tight markets," he adds. Prices for 14-pt cupstock were flat at $1,350 - $1,405/ton after two price increases of $50/ton each in March and June/July.
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