The AF&PA (Washington, D.C., USA) released the May 2019 Containerboard Monthly report on June 18.

Containerboard production in May 2019 decreased 6% compared to May 2018 and was down 4.5% year-to-date. The average daily production compared to April 2019 was 0.9% higher. The containerboard operating rate increased slightly from 91.5% in April to 91.9%, as the total linerboard rate rose above 90% for the first time since January.

 

In spite of the bounce back in the last couple of months, the May operating rate was 6.7 points lower than the same month last year and the year-to-date operating rate was down six points compared to last year. Production for export, most of which is liner, was down nearly 18% year-over-year and nearly 20% year-to-date.

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.