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Prices for US old corrugated container (OCC) and new double-lined kraft corrugated cuttings (DLK) increased by $5-10 per short ton at the FOB seller’s dock in May. Domestic demand faced trucking slowdowns, prompting mills to reach further for bulk grade tons, according to Fastmarkets’ May 5 pricing survey.
Export prices also increased for No11 OCC and No12 double-sorted OCC (DSOCC) in May, by $7 per short ton FAS and by $10 per short ton FAS respectively, and increased by $15 per short ton FAS for DLK.
Strong domestic demand kept more export-bound OCC and DLK tons in the US market. Higher demand from the largest integrated containerboard producers was driven mainly by inventory management rather than stronger orders for finished products, sources said.
Large buyers and sellers of US bulk grades pointed to increased demand “mostly from replenishment rather than business improvement,” as one large seller said on Tuesday. “Nonetheless, prices are up and we’ll take it,” the seller added.
The biggest consumers of OCC were said to be searching for bulk grade tons for May orders, both domestic and export. Major domestic mill groups increased their premiums by $5 per short ton for OCC in some trades, with most regions topping $30 per ton for OCC’s premium this month.
“The increase in demand is not so much stronger [due to] orders but keeping enough inventory on-hand to avoid shortages,” a supplier source said on Tuesday of domestic OCC and DLK in May.
As Fastmarkets previously reported, mills supported demand, in part, to protect volumes within their regions. Higher freight rates and a lack of truck availability since at least late December prompted mills to pull back on how far they reached out for supply, curbing lanes and boosting demand in their respective buying regions.
Mills in recent weeks stretched out their buying reach again in search of material. One seller source said mills are “poaching” tons from other regions.
A major containerboard producer said as much on Friday May 1 when discussing logistic troubles related to reduced trucking availability in recent months that continues to affect transportation of raw materials.
“We overbought in some situation because some regions were not coming in [with trucks],” the producer source said. “We had to pull from other regions to make sure we got enough fiber.”
Pricing for OCC increased by $5 per short ton at the FOB seller’s dock in the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and Southwest regions and by $10 per short ton in the Pacific Northwest, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The rises boosted OCC pricing in the Northeast to $70-75 per ton at the FOB seller’s dock, in the Midwest to $65-70 per ton, to $75-80 per ton in the Southeast, to $55-60 per ton in the Southwest, to $50-55 per ton in Los Angeles, to $30-35 per ton in San Francisco and to $55-60 per ton in the Pacific Northwest.
The national US average of OCC prices rose to $62.50 per ton in May, up by 42% from the December 2025 average of $44 per ton, a five-month increase of $18.50 per ton.
DLK prices increased to $90-95 per ton in the Northeast, to $85-90 per ton in the Midwest, to $90-100 per ton in the Southeast, to $75-80 per ton in the Southwest, to $80-85 per ton in the Pacific Northwest, to $65-70 per ton in Los Angeles and to $45-50 per ton in San Francisco.
“DLK is limited,” a supplier source said on Monday. “The pinch on DLK is really due to the lack of generation on OCC. Everybody has clawed their DLK back in. When [a major containerboard or corrugated producer] is looking for DLK hot and heavy, and paying stupid premiums on it, you’ know they’ve exhausted [other avenues for raw materials].”
Firm domestic demand for brown bulk grade, along with strong export demand for DLK, pushed up prices by $15 per ton FAS in May.
Buyers in Southeast Asia and India increased prices for bulk grade this month. “There are not too many tons available on the spot market,” one seller said on Monday. Lower inventories in Southeast Asia and curbed buying in the last month helped to raise prices for May orders, sources said.
Export bulk grade prices held firm in April. A month ago, staggered bunker rates rose due to the Middle East conflict, while emergency bunker surcharges have been less burdensome for traders than anticipated at the start of April.
In May, prices for No11 OCC increased to $127-130 per ton FAS out of the New York/New Jersey ports and to $125-128 per ton FAS out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports.
For No12 DSOCC, prices increased to $137-140 per ton FAS out of the New York/New Jersey ports and to $135-138 per ton FAS out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports.
For DLK, prices in May increased to $164-167 per ton FAS out of the New York/New Jersey ports and to $162-165 per ton FAS out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports.
Export mixed paper prices were steady again, remaining at $77-80 per ton FAS out of the New York/New Jersey ports and at $67-70 per ton FAS out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports.
Boosted demand and prices for high deinking grades again led to price increases in May, of $10-15 per ton FAS, after a $10-15 per ton rise in April. Sorted office paper (SOP) prices out of the New York/New Jersey ports reached $217-220 per ton FAS and $202-205 per ton FAS out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach ports.
Domestic prices for SOP, all deinking grades and pulp substitutes mostly held firm in May, save for rises on the West Coast.
SOP, coated book stock and all white grades rose by $10 per ton in the Pacific Northwest region, in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. Prices held steady in all other regions. Pulp substitutes prices increased by $5 per ton in the same three regions this month.
Groundwood grades were mostly stable month-on-month in May, with coated groundwood sections and old magazines rising by $5 in every region.
Mixed paper and No56 sorted residential papers and news (SRPN) prices held firm in every region, except for $5 per ton increases in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest regions.
For a deeper understanding of shifting market dynamics and future forecasts, explore our comprehensive data and analysis of US prices for pulp, paper, packaging, and tissue.