COVERAGE NOTE: Notice of proposed elimination of Bleached Bristols 10-pt C1S rolls grade price assessment

RISI proposes to discontinue price coverage for Bleached Bristols 10-pt C1S rolls grade as of January 2017.

US solid bleached bristols’ market capacity has fallen to near 400,000 tons of coated paper, after International Paper shut two mills at Riegelwood, NC earlier this year, and is expected to continue declining (see chart below).

In addition to that, due to ongoing mergers and acquisitions in the market, a single company- WestRock – now controls an estimated 80% of the market. That conflicts with RISI’s core standard of collecting only open market price info.

RISI seeks stakeholder feedback about proposed change by December 16, 2015. Please contact James McLaren at jmclaren@risi.com.