Changes for new 50-lb unbleached grocery bag paper, 30-lb lightweight unbleached grade in North America

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 1, 2023 (PPI Pulp & Paper Week) - Following a market consultation period, Fastmarkets in mid-August decided to launch a price assessment for 50-lb unbleached kraft grocery sack paper in the open market in North America. The price line starts on Nov. 17, 2023.

Now, in addition, Fastmarkets will extend the consultation for one month to Oct. 6 to consider one addition in the description of the new price line. Fastmarkets proposes the new grocery sack price line be for 50-lb to the 70-lb.

Description: Unbleached Grocery Bag, Heavyweight, 50-/70-lb, net price
Quality: 50-lb to 70-lb
Quantity: 1,000-10,000 tons/yr
Basis weight: 50-lb to 70-lb
Location: US East
Incoterm: Delivered
Timing: Orders taken in the month to date for shipment in the current month or the following month.
Unit: Short ton
Currency: US dollar
Payment terms: Assume normal and customary payment terms.
Price Type: Net price. Open-market transactions in ongoing supply relationships.
Assessment Type: Range price assessment.
Publication: Monthly. Usually at 4.30 pm Eastern time on the 3rd Friday of the month. See full schedule online.
Notes: Price assessments reflect prices after discounts. Prices are for prime-quality tonnage. Contains primarily virgin fiber. US East = East of the Rocky Mountains.

Additionally, Fastmarkets is considering a description change for its 30-lb lightweight unbleached grocery bag kraft paper. This change would be in name only. The change would be from 30-lb lightweight unbleached grocery bag paper to 30-lb lightweight unbleached converting bag paper. A new product grade for Converting Bag will be established by Fastmarkets. Price collection for the 30-lb will remain as is, in surveying buyers and sellers of the lightweight unbleached paper for end-uses such as quick service restaurants, mailers, grocery, and void fill.

Please send responses in writing, preferably in electronic format, to the following address: pricing.risi@fastmarkets.com. Please add the respective subject heading “North American Unbleached Kraft Paper 50-/70-lb, 30-lb Pricing.”

Please specify whether your response is confidential. Opinions offered in confidential responses may be referenced but will not be attributed in any way.

For more information on Fastmarkets’ methodology for North American packaging paper and board, including the new assessment, please see here.

To see all Fastmarkets pricing notices, please see here.

Case Study

Learn how to monitor packaging prices using cost and price indices and understand the underlying cost drivers, from material cost to labor, energy and more. Examples include cartonboard, liquid container and paper bag.

What to read next
Fastmarkets has amended its pricing holiday calendar to show Monday June 29, 2026 as a non-publishing day for Black Sea grains and oilseeds prices.
This consultation, which is open until July 27, 2026, seeks to ensure that our methodologies continue to reflect the physical market under indexation, in compliance with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) principles for Price Reporting Agencies (PRAs). This includes all elements of our pricing process, our price specifications and publication frequency. You can […]
Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for MB-CU-0287 Copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific, $/tonne, which was published incorrectly on Friday June 26 due to a typo.
Fastmarkets has launched a monthly price assessment for medium carbon ferro-manganese in Europe, effective on Friday June 26, following market requests for price transparency.
Fastmarkets has amended the frequency of its MB-NI-0246 Nickel sulfate, cif Japan and Korea, and MB-NI-0247 Nickel sulfate premium, cif Japan and Korea assessments to fortnightly from weekly, effective Friday June 26.
Fastmarkets has launched two monthly price assessments covering the solar photovoltaic (PV) module market and battery energy storage (BESS) cell market in China on Friday June 26, 2026.