U.S. Paperboard Scrap Exports Declined 12%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The most recent statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau suggests modest decline in exports of paper and paperboard scrap by the country during the first ten months of the current year.

The U.S. paperboard scrap exports dropped by over 12%, compared with the year before. Meantime, the imports recorded substantial decline by almost 38%, when compared with the previous year.

The exports totalled $2.36 billion in Jan-Oct ’19. The U.S. exports had totalled $2.69 billion during the corresponding ten months in 2018.

Despite over 25% year-on-year decline in imports from the U.S., China continued to remain as the top export destination. The exports to China totalled $827.27 million. The other key importers of U.S. paper and paperboard scrap were India (414.79 million), Mexico ($257.49 million), South Korea ($125.8 million) and Indonesia ($115.16 million). Approximately 74% of all exports by the U.S were to the above five foreign markets. The combined imports by these five countries totalled $1.74 billion out of the total $2.36 billion.

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The U.S. paper and paperboard scrap imports totalled $72.08 million through October this year. The imports recorded nearly 38% decline from the previous year. The country had imported paper and paperboard scrap worth $116.46 million during the corresponding period from January to October in 2018.

Until Oct ’19, Canada was the leading source of import. The imports from Canada totalled $68.92 million, accounting for almost 96% of all imports to the U.S. The other leading sources of import were Mexico ($2.75 million) and China ($238,320).