FBA Reports Board Shipments, Consumption End Year Strongly

The shipment of corrugated products ended the year on an upswing, with December's figure up sharply, according to the Fibre Box Association. For December, shipments stand at 33.436 billion square feet, a 3.8 percent improvement from December 1998's shipment totals. Leading the surge was shipments in the West, which jumped by 7.8 percent for the month. Other large gainers for the month were the East Central, which moved up 7.7 percent; the North Central, up 5.4 percent; and the South Central, up 2.3 percent.

The total for the month brought 1999's shipment total to 405.086 billion square feet, a 2.4 percent improvement from shipments the prior year. The only segment that saw a drop between the two years was the Northeast, which reported a 1.9 percent decline in shipments between the two years. Gainers included the North Central, increasing its shipments by 4.3 percent; the South Central, up 3.9 percent; the West, up 3.7 percent; and the East Central, increasing shipments by 3.2 percent. The Southeast moved up a slighter 1.5 percent between the two years.

Along with shipments, containerboard consumption increased between the two years, according to the FBA. December 1999's consumption total stands 2.4 million tons, a 1.9 percent increase from the previous year's consumption level of 2.355 million tons. For the full year consumption stands at 30.73 million tons, a 2.7 percent increase from 1998's consumption level.

While these areas increased, the inventory of containerboard moved up 5.1 percent to 2.494 million tons from the previous month's inventory level.