American paper capacity to hold steady through 2015
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) recently released the 53rd Annual Survey of Paper, Paperboard and Pulp Capacity, reporting that U.S. paper and paperboard capacity declined 1.6 percent in 2012 but will hold essentially stable over the next three years (2013 through 2015).
Paper and paperboard capacity is slated to decline 0.4 percent in 2013 but then rise 0.6 percent in 2014 and 0.2 percent in 2015. For the entire three-year projection period, paper and paperboard capacity is expected to rise 0.4 percent at an average annual rate of 0.1 percent.
Tissue paper and containerboard grades are slated to add capacity during the next three years, while capacities for newsprint and printing-writing paper grades are expected to decline. The survey findings indicate that boxboard capacity will hold essentially stable.
