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
Sustainable paper industry continues performance: latest report
Australia’s pulp and paper industry continued its sustainability performance over the last year, a new report demonstrates. The 2018 National Pulp & Paper Industry Sustainability Report provides summary analysis of major sustainability measures, and is consistent with similar reports from other countries. From reductions in energy use sufficient to power… Read More
Woodchip export prices surged in September
Australia’s woodchip exports were valued at AUD1.377 billion on a free-on-board basis over the year-ended September 2018. Almost 91% of the value was delivered by the massive hardwood chip export trade. In September, hardwood chip exports averaged AUDFob207.70/bdmt (bone dried metric tonnes). In US dollar terms, hardwood chips averaged USDFob150.00/bdmt,… Read More
Unintended consequences: How being shut out of the US market has worked for Australian packaging producers
Australia’s exports of Kraftliner and Corrugating Medium to the USA were wiped out in the September Quarter, because of the trade dispute between the USA and China. Following June Quarter shipments to the USA that totalled in excess of 46.0 kt, exports of the two-containerboard grades plunged to literally zero. Read More
Import data delay linked directly to confidentiality restrictions – what’s going on?
In a departure from the normal consistency of data provision, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) was unable to deliver import data on the scheduled date in November. The cause was technical challenges created by what can only be described as an explosion in requests for confidentiality restrictions to be… Read More
House prices are falling – and the size of owner-occupier loans proves it
The total number of housing loans fell in September – but for the usually stable owner-occupier loans, the falls were quite steep. Over the year-ended September 2018, the total number of loans to owner-occupiers was 2.8% lower than the prior year. However, the average size of loans grew from September… Read More