Paperboard Prognostications: June Containerboard Price Increase Fully Recognized

Research evidence excerpt

Paperboard Prognostications: June Containerboard Price Increase Fully Recognized

Global Research

22 June 2026ab

N.A. Chems & Pkg’g Equities

North AmericaPaperboard Prognostications: June

Containerboard Price Increase Fully Recognized Chemicals, Commodity

Anojja Shah

Analyst

anojja.shah@ubs.com

Containerboard prices +$50 m/m in June (IP, PKG, SW) +1-312-525 4310

Pulp & Paper Week reported June paperboard prices on Friday evening. Containerboard Andrew Jones

prices were up $50/ton m/m. This means the industry saw full recognition of the June Analyst

price increases (Cascades and IP were exceptions with $60-70/ton increases). In other andrew-i.jones@ubs.com

words, the price index is now $100/ton higher in the first half of this year (Figure 1). The +44-20-7901 6545

10% capacity reduction last year is having an impact. For context, during Covid, the Joshua Spector, CFA

price index increased by $220/ton in 17 months. Analyst

joshua.spector@ubs.com

Price increases across all categories of containerboard +1-212-713 6188

In kraft linerboard, 55% of respondents surveyed by PPW noted higher pricing in June Gaurav Sharma

vs. May. For recycled linerboard, 60-65% of respondents noted higher pricing in June. Associate Analyst

Corrugating medium seems particularly strong, with 70-80% of respondents reporting gaurav-l.sharma@ubs.com

higher pricing (20% of those respondents reported price increases >$50/ton). There +1-212-713 4312

were also reports of IP looking to buy medium on the open market. Christopher Perrella

Improvement in demand...world cup? christopher.perrella@ubs.com

+1-212-713 1443

PPW noted some respondents attributing demand strength to the world cup. Perhaps,

but our checks with private companies imply a more broad based pickup. PKG has noted Lucas Beaumont