U.S. Paperboard Scrap Exports Tumbled 30%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau suggests substantial decline in exports of paper and paperboard scrap by the country during the initial quarter of 2020. The exports declined by nearly 30% during this period.

The exports totalled $553.87 million in Jan-Mar ‘20 as compared with $788.45 million a year before. The top export destination was China, accounting for over 30% of total U.S. shipments. However, the exports to China dropped by nearly 38% year-on-year. The Chinese paperboard scrap imports were valued at $167.44 million. The other key importers were India ($105.88 million), Mexico ($56.77 million), South Korea ($33.86 million) and Taiwan ($31.95 million). Almost 71.48% of all exports by the U.S were to the above five countries.

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The U.S. paper and paperboard scrap imports were valued at $15.63 million in Jan-Mar ‘20. The imports recorded sharp decline by over 48% from the previous year. The imports had totalled $30.26 million during the similar three-month period last year. The largest source of import was Canada, which supplied $14.8 million worth of paper and paperboard scrap to the U.S. The other primary sources of import were Mexico ($789,060) and China ($22,420), said Census Bureau data.

The monthly exports and imports of paperboard scrap totalled $195.46 million and $15.63 million respectively in the month of March this year.