RBC Tissue Tracker: Good March Stats and Some other Good News

March  US tissue stats continued to show a consistent and positive growth trend. Shipments for converted products remained strong, up 2.3 percent y/y (2.0 percent YTD), with particularly strong numbers from the Away-From-Home segment (+4.4 percent y/y, +3.5 percent YTD), along with continued steady growth from the At-Home segment (+1.5 percent y/y, +1.5 percent YTD).

 

Parent roll production was up +2.6 percent y/y, with domestic parent roll consumption also higher at +2.6 percent y/y. Tissue parent roll prices continue to rise, given upward pressure from pulp prices. While parent roll price increases are doing a better job at offsetting m/m pulp price increases (estimated by RISI to be at +$7/ton this month, based on 50/50 NBSK/NBHK), pricing for converted products appears to be more stubborn.