US containerboard inventories hit five-year high as snow chills box shipments and mills boost production to 96.4%

摘要

US containerboard inventories jumped to their highest level in five years at the end of February, as snow put a chill on box shipments, while containerboard mills ramped up production in anticipation of spring mill maintenance outages, latest industry statistics indicate. Containerboard inventories hit 2.539 million tons, or 4.6 weeks of supply, as box shipments sagged 0.7% and mills stepped up operating rates to 96.4% from 94.6% in January, according to the latest Fibre Box Association (FBA) and American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) statistics.