World Boxboard Study: Europe

European boxboard demand has shown above-average growth in recent years, but there are signs of oversupply ahead. Prepare for the impact of capacity expansions, changing grade preferences, and other factors that will help define the market over the next five years.

The World Boxboard Study: Europe provides grade-level demand, supply and trade analysis of the European cartonboard market. It provides:

  • Supply/demand forecasts per grade, by country, plus price forecasts for European folding boxboard (GC2) and white lined chipboard (GD2) through 2023.
  • Cost data for the European production base, enabling comparison with regional costs in Asia and the Americas.
  • Trade flows of major substrates imported/exported into/from Europe, plus important trends going forward.
  • Market size data and five-year trends for:
    • Solid bleached sulfate (SBS)
    • Coated unbleached kraft (CUK)
    • Uncoated recycled board (URB)
    • Folding boxboard (FBB)
    • White lined chipboard (WLC)
    • Polyethylene coated multi-ply (CBP) including liquid packaging board (LPB)

The World Boxboard Study: Europe is part of a product suite that also covers Asia 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?

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has had a pronounced impact on the packaging industry across the GCC region, sending March containerboard prices and demand soaring. With shipping routes disrupted and fuel costs climbing, packaging producers are facing considerable logistical hurdles. As import delays persist, Saudi Arabia has seen a surge in containerboard demand, with orders increasingly redirected to local mills. Meanwhile, UAE fuel prices have jumped by 72%, though Saudi prices have remained stable despite volatility in global oil markets.

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement, set to take provisional effect in 2026, aims to reduce trade barriers between the two regions. However, the deal faces significant opposition from environmental groups and EU agricultural sectors. For the pulp and paper industry, the effects will be phased in over several years, with an analysis by Cepi showing that tariff reductions will be gradual, eventually benefiting about 85% of EU pulp exports and 90% of paper and board exports.

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