World Boxboard Study: Asia

Asia has become the world's largest boxboard market, accounting for more than half of global demand. But Asian demand actually fell in 2018, as China's demand declined. Get the latest forecast through 2023, with data and detail unavailable from any other source.

Get 5-year forecasts for the world’s largest boxboard market from the World Boxboard Study: Asia. It provides grade-level demand, supply and trade analysis of the Asian cartonboard market, including:

  • Supply/demand forecasts by country/region, with added detail on virgin and recycled boxboard grades not available in other Fastmarkets RISI reports.
  • Price forecasts for ivoryboard and coated duplex through 2023.
  • Trade flows for total boxboard and by subgrade, with historical detail on sources of imports and destinations of exports, plus projections of future trends.
  • Market size and five-year trends for:
    o Coated bleached board (CBB)
    o Uncoated bleached board (CBU)
    o Uncoated recycled and other board (OBR)
    o Ivoryboard/clay coated multi-ply (CBV)
    o Coated duplex or coated recycled board (CBO)
    o Polyethylene coated multi-ply (CBP) including liquid packaging board (LPB)

World Boxboard Study: Asia is part of a product suite that also covers Europe and the Americas

What makes the World Boxboard Study so valuable for your business?

The World Boxboard Study provides you with data and analytical tools that you can’t get from any other source.

Boxboard grades, unlike containerboard, are not defined and labeled consistently across major global markets. This means that the global outlook for boxboard cannot be determined by simply aggregating regional totals.

Fastmarkets RISI’s World Boxboard Study – previously published in 2012 and 2015 – uses a proprietary global grade classification system to enable comparative analysis across all world markets.

No other research product offers such a holistic perspective of global boxboard markets – supported by the industry’s deepest and most trusted data and analysis.

How is the World Boxboard Study different from other Fastmarkets RISI boxboard-related products?

The World Boxboard Study combines data and analysis from multiple Fastmarkets RISI products into one accessible and digestible report. It also covers more grades and more countries than subscription products. And as noted above, the World Boxboard Study harmonizes product classification to enable direct comparison across countries and regions.

Why is the World Boxboard Study now divided by region?

Based on feedback from clients worldwide, the Fastmarkets RISI packaging team has developed a more detailed and granular analysis than ever before – and also provided you with the option of purchasing a report for the region or regions that matter most to your business – Asia, Europe, or North & South America.

Who uses the World Boxboard Study?

Boxboard Producers Worldwide

  • Understand the demand and supply outlook for global boxboard, and how this will affect trade flows for the major boxboard grades.
  • Get a global look at the competitive landscape for boxboard by looking at global and regional cash cost analysis for select grades and how this compares with boxboard pricing.
  • Understand where new projects are coming from and whether this capacity poses a threat to existing business.

Financial Analysts

  • Understand market sizing, distribution, and major projects coming online that are essential for evaluating an ever more globalized boxboard market.
  • Gain a strong grasp of the supply and demand dynamics which are driving the regional and global boxboard markets.
  • Detailed subgrade analysis not typically available or regularly provided by Fastmarkets RISI.
  • Pricing and cost analysis by select region.

Buyers/Converters

  • Understand how demand and supply dynamics will likely affect the pricing environment for various grades of boxboard regionally and worldwide.
  • Learn where new capacity will be entering the global marketplace and what grades will see capacity expansions.

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What’s happening in the forest products market today?

Packaging Corp of America (PCA) is set to raise linerboard and corrugating medium prices by $70 per ton starting March 1, marking the first containerboard price increase in 13 months.

In today’s market, effective food and beverage procurement is critical for profitability. However, many procurement teams face challenges due to fragmented data, where packaging and ingredient costs are managed in separate silos. This disconnect creates a massive blind spot, making it difficult to challenge supplier price hikes or accurately model total product costs.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ France Cartonboard averages for October 2025 were delayed because of a procedural error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.

US recovered fiber prices and demand remained stable through January as buyers fortified inventories ahead of a projected February generation drop. Leading containerboard producers report healthy to heavy raw material levels, especially for old corrugated containers (OCC), ensuring optimal supply despite anticipated seasonal shifts.

Fastmarkets hosted a pivotal discussion recently on the state of the global pulp and paper market. While the calendar pages have turned, the realities outlined during that session have only crystallized further. The pulp industry remains in a precarious balance where supply-side mechanics – rather than surging demand – are dictating the tempo of the market.

As previously announced, Fastmarkets has discontinued its legacy assessments for bleached and unbleached European sack kraft as of January 22 2026.

Following a market consultation, Fastmarkets launched European average prices for bleached and unbleached sack kraft with effect from January 22 2026 to complement our existing country-specific sack kraft assessments.

US pulp spot markets saw steady movement to start the year, with bleached softwood kraft (BSK) stabilizing and bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) showing improvement. Northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) prices held at $700-730 per tonne, unchanged since December, according to Fastmarkets’ latest survey.

As the Nordic and North American timber sectors grapple with sweeping operational changes, mounting trade pressures, and subdued market demand, industry leaders are pivoting strategies to preserve resilience.

Fastmarkets has corrected its prices of recovered paper, corrugated grades, old corrugated containers, imports from Japan, cif Southeast Asia, $ per tonne, which were published incorrectly on Friday January 16 owing to a typographical error.