AF&PA Data Shows Drop in U.S. Printing Paper Shipments
Inventories edged 3% higher from December levels, suggesting slower off-take at the start of the year.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has published its January 2026 Printing-Writing Monthly report, highlighting continued softness in demand across major paper grades.
Total printing and writing paper shipments fell 13% year-on-year in January, while domestic purchases dropped 16% compared with the same month in 2025. Inventories edged 3% higher from December levels, suggesting slower off-take at the start of the year.
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Trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau for November 2025 indicate broad weakness across the three primary categories—uncoated free sheet (UFS), coated free sheet (CFS), and mechanical (MECH). Combined exports declined 19% year-on-year, while imports were down 10%. Among individual segments, only coated free sheet exports registered growth, rising 9%.
In its separate January 2026 Packaging Papers Monthly report, AF&PA noted that total packaging and specialty paper shipments slipped 1% year-on-year. The sector’s operating rate reached 80.7%, exceeding January and December 2025 levels but slightly below the full-year 2025 average of 81.2%. Unbleached multiwall shipments rose 6.9%, while full-year 2025 packaging paper imports increased nearly 6% compared with 2024.