IP is second out with $70 per ton North American linerboard price increase, effective March 1

International Paper (IP) is to increase its $70 per ton price increases for its containerboard prices in North America to $70 per ton from March 1 – the same amount and start date that was announced by the Packaging Corp of America (PCA) on Friday January 23.

Fastmarkets first learned from more than a half dozen unconfirmed reports of the IP price increase on Monday January 26 and IP chief executive officer Andy Silvernail confirmed the increase to a financial analyst during the company’s fourth quarter 2025 and full year 2025 earnings call on Thursday January 29.

The $70 per ton increase applies to IP’s linerboard, including white top and $70 for corrugating medium.

IP is one of the two largest major integrated containerboard and corrugated box producers in North America alongside Smurfit Westrock. PCA is the third largest.

Combined, IP and PCA make almost half the boxes shipped in the US, based on company reports and market contacts.

If linerboard prices increase in March, it would be the first price increase for linerboard in North America since February 2025, according to Fastmarkets’ pricing survey.

Sources told Fastmarkets on January 12-15 that the IP containerboard and corrugated box system had firmed up in terms of supply and demand.

In 2025, IP permanently retired 1.8 million tons of containerboard capacity. The IP shutdowns represented about half of more than 3.8 million tons of total permanent shutdowns of containerboard machine in the US last year – equivalent to 9% of North American containerboard capacity.

At the end of January 2025, IP completed the $9 billion acquisition of DS Smith.

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