N.A. Recycled Board Prices on the Rise

All major recycled board producers have announced price increases for December/January, Wilde says. The key driver is the ongoing surge in OCC costs, up ˜$12/ton in November and ˜$37/ton since July. Last week, RKT announced a $40/ton price increase on CRB, effective early-January, Wilde notes. Caraustar, PaperWorks, and Graphic Packaging have already announced a $35 - $40/ton price increase for mid-December/early-January, he adds. CRB list prices were flat at $845 - $865/ton in November, +12.5% y/y and +$95/ton YTD. In URB, RockTenn and PaperWorks have announced a $35/ton price increase for mid-December/early-January. Sonoco and Caraustar have announced a $30/ton increase for late-November/early-December. In November, URB list prices were flat at $635 - $665/ton, +17.1% y/y and +$95/ton YTD. Demand for both grades remains solid. Order backlogs are strong and operating rates high, Wilde reports.

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