Global Outlook for Cut Size Uncoated Freesheet Markets 2021

Cut size uncoated freesheet has increasingly been threatened by digitization. Worldwide pandemic driven school and office closures and the accompanying wave of investment into digital communication and remote work are weakening consumer demand.

This study examines pre-pandemic trends, as well as the prospects for recovery and market dynamics following the demand collapse of 2020.

Learn how the global cut size market is changing. Understand the outlook for recovery after the massive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis includes:

  • 133 countries: Demand, production, capacity, exports, imports
  • 220 machines: Profiles of major producers and mill fiber usage
  • 10-year forecasts: demand, supply, trade for major regions and countries
  • 20-year analysis: uncoated freesheet and cut size historical data

Our study Outlook for the Cut Size Uncoated Freesheet Markets provides you with:

  • Historical data on cut size and uncoated freesheet demand, imports, exports, and supply from 2000 for nearly every country in the world.
  • 10 year forecast through 2031 including: demand, production, and trade by region
  • Competitive analysis including production costs and delivery costs to key consuming markets, as well as selected outlooks for pricing and profitability
  • Capacities and fiber mix by machines for every machine producing cut size in the world, and profiles of leading companies
  • Trends in basis weights, brightness, and sheet sizes for key markets

Many producers have aggressively adapted to the “new normal”, resulting in fundamental changes to supply and demand dynamics and corporate strategy in key regions. Globally, however, intense cost inflation is exacerbating a looming oversupply, which means that more supply changes are coming. This Outlook helps you understand these dynamics at play and look ahead for your business plan.

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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.

Discover the latest tissue paper market trends in China. Learn why China tissue jumbo roll prices are fluctuating and what it means for buyers and mills.

Fastmarkets is proposing to launch new price series for its benchmark European PIX Pulp gross prices and North American effective list pulp prices from June 1, 2026. The new prices would run concurrently alongside existing prices for one year before the existing prices with higher discount levels are discontinued on June 1, 2027.

See how surging fuel costs and inflation reshape North American paper and board markets. Read our analysis of the oil shock impact on paper packaging. Read more.

The publication of Fastmarkets’ India domestic recycled containerboard price assessments for Friday April 3 will be delayed due to staffing availabilities.

Fastmarkets proposes to launch four monthly price assessments for tissue jumbo rolls delivered to Europe on Thursday May 28.

European sawn timber markets moved into February 2026 in a broadly cautious mood, with price stability across most grades and destinations masking a more anxious undercurrent driven by the eruption of the Iran conflict and its mounting consequences for global freight markets.

Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on its pricing methodologies and product specifications for softwood wood products, as part of its annual methodology review process.

The Middle East energy shock is driving up European natural gas prices, inflating paper packaging costs. Protect your F&B margins today with our data-driven procurement intelligence.