Research

North America containerboard quarterly: Q3 2024

29 August 2024 10:03 RaboResearch

Containerboard demand in 2024 is slowly but steadily recovering from the destocking in 2023. Our latest forecasts suggest 2.3% CAGR demand growth over the next two years.

Intro

After avoiding a full-on economic recession in the US, containerboard demand in 2024 is slowly but steadily recovering from the destocking in 2023. As the global mega-mergers are underway, the industry is taking a fine comb through their domestic operations – while much effort was focused on capacity optimization initiatives by temporarily or permanently closing assets in the past years, we started to see new corrugated assets being planned.

As the corrugated sector slowly picks up momentum, our latest forecasts suggest:

    Demand growth is set to reach 2.3% CAGR in the next 24 months, with moderate fluctuations for the remainder of 2024. The supply outlook has turned more negative, suggesting a net capacity loss from optimization efforts. Positive developments in linerboard prices, surpassing USD 1000/metric ton in early 2026.

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