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Prices for tissue jumbo rolls continued their upward trend in May, mostly driven by cost increases and despite overcapacity in some countries.
Prices for virgin fiber-based tissue jumbo rolls increased by €20-30 ($23-35) per tonne, depending on the starting level, to a range of €1,150-1,200 per tonne ex-works, with some market participants mentioning increases of up to €50 per tonne.
In the UK, prices increased by $20-30 per tonne to $1,100-1,215 per tonne CIF, with some market participants mentioning higher increases.
Recycled-based tissue jumbo rolls also increased by €10-30 per tonne in continental Europe to 1,040-1080 per tonne ex-works and by $20 per tonne to $1,050-1,130 per tonne CIF in the UK.
Import prices also increased during the month. March orders from Asia arrived in Europe between the end of April and the beginning of May with an increase of €30 per tonne.
Some Turkish suppliers increased their delivery prices to Europe in May, while others decided to keep them flat. In Turkey, some market participants mentioned excess capacity and strong competition.
Input cost increase: Production costs continued to increase during the month, especially for virgin-fiber furnish.
Between March 31 and May 19, the PIX Pulp BHKP EUR index rose by €94 per tonne, while the PIX Pulp NBSK EUR index remained stable during the period.
Transport costs also grew in recent months due to the conflict in Iran, weighing on tissue producers’ balance sheets.
The conflict in Iran and the surrounding area also prompted an increase in freight rates, affecting tissue jumbo roll exports from the Far East into Europe.
“Currently we are not shipping to the UK and continental Europe because freight rates increased a lot,” an Asian market source told Fastmarkets. “For this reason, we are not able to give any price to our customers.”
When it comes to supply and demand, the market expressed different opinions on the current situation. According to some market sources, tissue paper demand was good in May, especially driven by the away-from-home segment, which benefited from the start of the warmer weather season. According to others, paper demand remained quite flat in May and the market continued to be oversupplied.
“Paper demand is very good, we have healthy order books for May and June,” one market participant told Fastmarkets. “We need to understand if this is linked to price increases or to the market, or both.”
“Demand for jumbo reels is not so strong at the moment and there is overcapacity in the market,” another source said.
Market participants also held diverging views on price increases further down the supply chain.
“The price of tissue finished products increased by 5-7% in May,” one market source said. According to a second source, most integrated producers managed to increase prices in May.
“It looks like finished products are influencing the price of jumbo rolls because converters are not managing to increase prices for finished products,” another market source said, adding that some tissue converters in Italy are reportedly stopping production or doing maintenance stops in order to reduce supply. “For this reason, jumbo reels demand dropped slightly in May.”
“In Italy, some converters are stopping for some days because they are not managing to increase prices,” another participant said. “End users continue to see oversupply in the market, so they don’t know how long the price increases will stick.”
Tissue jumbo roll imports increase: European tissue producers are increasingly worried about the growing presence of Asian jumbo roll suppliers in the European market, which often sell at very competitive prices compared with their European counterparts.
“Products that were going to the US before are now coming to Europe,” Sofidel chief executive officer Luigi Lazzareschi said during the Tissue Planet event held on May 13-14 in Lucca, Italy. “That’s why we see products coming from China, especially to Northern Europe, at indecent prices that are destroying the market. And the European tissue industry should protect itself in any possible way.”
According to Fastmarkets tissue economist Philipp Jaki, European tissue imports grew by 60% in 2025 compared with 2019, while China tissue exports rose by 119% between 2022 and 2025.
Turkey continued to be Europe’s largest import source of tissue in 2025, followed by China and Indonesia.
Consolidation continues: At the beginning of May, tissue and hygiene products producer Essity started a strategic review of its Consumer Tissue business area’s global operations, which might eventually lead to a separation.
“Essity’s Consumer Tissue business has a strong offering under its own brands, retailer brands and through private label, with leading market positions and an efficient supply chain,” Essity president and CEO Ulrika Kolsrud said in a statement. “The strategic review will evaluate different options for the ownership of Consumer Tissue and is part of our efforts to optimize Essity’s product portfolio and maximize value creation.”
Shortly after, the European Commission unconditionally approved the joint venture between Brazilian pulp and paper producer Suzano and Kimberly-Clark IFP, which involves Kimberly-Clark’s international tissue division.
Stay informed on the latest trends and data for this market. View Fastmarkets’ new European tissue assessments and visit our global tissue market page.