Market Report
Concerns finished paper market dampen optimism
NL-Tilburg, 11 oktober 2026
Following the local price increase in Europe for various cardboard grades, things remained quiet in Asia for a while. While we had expected a reaction from Asian buyers, none has materialized so far. The reasons cited range from weak order books in the paper and board industry due to economic headwinds in China to uncertainty regarding the timely arrival of ordered volumes of waste paper for blackout periods and the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated in various Asian countries and falls early on February 6, 2027. Given the current uncertainty surrounding shipments, mill buyers are therefore holding off on price increases for purchases from Europe for the time being. The preference is for American occ (cardboard) and shipments from Japan and Australia, from where arrivals are much more certain
That certainty, however, will come at a higher price. In the U.S., demand for cardboard grades is strong, and prices have risen in various regions ahead of this weekend, which is one day longer due to the Columbus Day holiday on October 12.
However, middle and high grades are also in strong demand in the U.S., and mill buyers must look further afield to find the desired volumes. This is a result of declining collection volumes. Higher transportation costs and increased demand have therefore driven those prices up.
What this means for the European market remains unclear for now. The optimism in the recycled paper sector is not yet a guarantee for further price increases. In Europe, too, there are complaints about insufficient orders for packaging paper producers, with converters in particular facing difficulties. It’s no wonder, then, that the price increases for testliner and fluting implemented last month have not yet been accepted everywhere, and that further increases—which the paper and board industry needs due to ever-rising energy costs and, now, higher purchase prices for recycled paper—are by no means a foregone conclusion.
Demand is also rising for middle and high grades. Just as in the U.S., collection volumes are falling short of expectations, so producers in
some sectors—such as tissue, but also, surprisingly, producers of certain graphic paper grades—may still have to dig deeper into their pockets to secure the necessary raw materials.
It remains to be seen whether this will happen—and whether it might lead to structurally higher prices for recovered paper.
The optimists among us are certain of it, while the pessimists—or perhaps we should say realists—point to a persistently challenging situation in the global paper and board industry, where price increases for raw materials, auxiliary materials, or energy costs cannot be passed on to sales prices.
Price indication
Price indication in Europe for low grades of recovered paper, sorted, baled and ex works are now between € 80 and € 100 per tonne. These prices are depending on quality, available volume, region and loaded weight.
Look here at the Price chart >>
The price chart gives an indication of the price of mixed paper, separately collected, in the Netherlands free delivered mill over the last 10 years.
Scrolling over the top of the columns gives the exact price indication in Euro's per ton.