United States pulp and paper industry - statistics & facts
The paper and pulp industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and the United States plays a major role in it. The U.S. was the largest producer of pulp for paper and the second-largest producer of paper and paperboard worldwide as of 2022, after China, which surpassed the U.S. as the top producer in the late 2000s. The U.S. paper production is larger than its consumption, and the North American country is a net exporter of paper and paperboard.
Despite still being a major player in the global paper market, the size and the revenue of U.S. paper sector are declining, while the country is losing ground to China.
Paper production in the US is declining
The production of pulp for paper in the U.S. has fallen by roughly 15 percent over the past 20 years, to less than 50 million metric tons in 2022. The amount of pulp for paper produced in the U.S. has been declining since the early 1990s, when production reached a high of 65 million metric tons. This decline has coincided with the decrease in paper and paperboard production, which fell by almost 25 percent between 2000 and 2022. As the digital transformation has increasingly impacted numerous areas of human activities, the consumption of paper in the United States has also been on the decline over the past decades.What is the most produced paper product in the US?
The U.S. paper industry produces a wide range of paper and paperboard grades, but packaging types are the most produced, by weight. In 2022, case materials accounted for more than half of U.S. paper and paperboard production. Case materials, or containerboard, are a type of paperboard used in corrugated board production and have experienced growing demand in recent years. In contrast, the production of graphic papers, such as newsprint and printing and writing papers, has plummeted more than 70 percent since 2000 due to increased digitalization.Leading U.S. paper companies
The U.S. is home to some of the largest paper companies in the world, such as Kimberly-Clark, WestRock, and International Paper. Kimberly-Clark, with a revenue of over 24 billion U.S. dollars, is one of the major personal care paper products’ producers worldwide, owning some well-known brands such as Kleenex and Scottex. International Paper is a leading paper packaging producer and reported revenue of almost 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. That year, it accounted for 30 percent of the North American containerboard market. Other major companies in the U.S. paper industry include Domtar, Packaging Corporation of America, and Graphic Paper International.Despite still being a major player in the global paper market, the size and the revenue of U.S. paper sector are declining, while the country is losing ground to China.
