U.S. Paperboard Scrap Imports Surged 38% in 2017

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The imports of paper, paperboard scrap by the country witnessed notable increase during 2017, says the latest data published by the US Census Bureau. The yearly imports surged higher by 38% during this period, when matched with the previous year. Meantime, exports edged higher marginally by 2%.

The US imports of paper and paperboard scrap surged higher considerably by 38% year-on-year to total $152.32 million during 2017. The country had recorded total imports amounting to just $100.17 million in 2016.

The key supplier of paper and paperboard scrap to the US was Canada. The country accounted for nearly 94% of the total US imports. The Canadian supplies were valued at around $143 million, significantly higher by over 40% when matched with the previous year. Mexico’s shipments to the US totaled $8.82 million during the previous year. The other key exporters were China ($212,579), Nepal ($73,991) and South Korea ($69,521). The combined shipments from these five countries totaled $152.13 million out of the country’s total imports of $152.32 million.

According to Census Bureau data, the country exported $3.18 billion worth paper and paperboard scrap during 2017. This is marginally higher by nearly 1% when matched with the exports of $3.13 billion during 2016.

The shipments to China, the top importer of US paper and paperboard scrap, witnessed a decline of nearly 11% during the above-mentioned period. The shipments to that country totaled 1.71 billion, representing nearly 54% of total exports by the US. India’s imports recorded sharp jump to total $378.3 million. The country accounted for nearly 12% market share of US exports. The Mexican imports totaled $346.6 million during this period, registering a modest year-on-year increase of around 16%. The other primary export destinations were South Korea ($17.6 million) and Canada ($157.2 million).

The combined imports by the above five destination counties totaled $2.76 billion out of the $3.18 billion. The shipments to the top five markets accounted for 87% of all shipments by the US during the year.

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