Printed material imports were valued at AUD968.6 million in 2018 Local printers missing work as ‘Other printed matter’ continues to assert itself Printed book import value slips 1.7% to AUD470 million At almost one billion dollars in 2018, Australia’s imports of printed material have proved to be very resilient over… Read More
Hardwood chip export price tops AUD230 per tonne
Monthly Woodchip Export Market Briefing: Australia’s average hardwood chip export price to China hit an all-time peak of AUDFob230.64 per bone dried metric tonne (bdmt) in January 2019. That price is a substantial 24.8% higher than in January 2018, underscoring the additional value being placed on fibre of all types… Read More
Recycled paper price nonsense: Analyst Insight
Incorrect export declarations falsely dragging average prices down In the course of our regular close examination of international trade data, it has become apparent that there are serious anomalies in official customs export declarations for recycled paper and paperboard. These misreported declarations are having the effect of falsely dragging down… Read More
Trade war worries loom over supplies to China
Recent news that Australian coal shipments to the northern Chinese port of Dalien have been halted, brought home concerns that the escalating trade war could finally impact Australia. Though it is by no means certain the immediate curtailment of Australian shipments is directly linked to trade disputation, some of the… Read More
Australia’s hardwood log exports rose 35% in 2018
Australia’s log exports lifted 34.6% in 2018, totalling 793,130 m3. After supply-chain challenges, the month of December saw exports lift to almost 86,000 m3, very close to the monthly average of the last year. Exports of hardwood logs are strategically different from softwood logs. They are not about ‘right-sizing’ the… Read More
Woodchip exports up 8.6% in 2018
Despite being 8.6% higher than in 2017, Australia’s total woodchip exports were softening by late 2018, totalling 7.354 million bone dried metric tonnes (bdmt). Year-end exports peaked in November 2018 at 7.455 million bdmt, just more than 100,000 bdmt higher than the December 2018 result. Hardwood chip exports totalled a… Read More
Waste paper exports lower, but stabilising
Australia’s exports of OCC recovered paper (Old Corrugated Containers) plunged 21.0% in 2018, falling to 710.2 kt compared with 2017. The fall in exports of 188.6 kt is directly attributed to the much-discussed Chinese restrictions on imports of lower quality recovered material. As recent news out of Victoria reminds us,… Read More
A4 imports slumped to a record low in December
Imports of A4 White Copy Paper slumped to their lowest recorded monthly volume in December 2018, plummeting to just 879 tonnes. On an annualized basis, imports continue to plunge, collapsing to 28,790 tonnes for the 2018 calendar year. The chart below shows the incredible change in fortunes for A4 White… Read More
2018 printing paper trade deficit below $500 million
Australia’s balance of trade in printing and communication grade papers fell to AUD488.3 million in 2018, ending below AUD500 million for the first time in at least two decades. The deficit declined 2.6% on 2017’s previous low. The value of imports was also down 2.3% over the year, totalling AUD578.9… Read More
Structural softwood consumption under spotlight – NEW ANALYSIS
Sawn structural softwood consumption in Australia was more than 30% higher in October 2018, than in October 2017, new analysis by IndustryEdge shows. At 210,186 m3 in October 2018, apparent consumption of structural grades was at its second highest ever monthly level, bested only by August 2018’s 237,774 m3. The… Read More