Pulp and paper industry in the United States

Contents

Industry overview

The United States is one of the biggest consumers of paper in the world. Between 1990 and 2002, paper consumption in the United States increased from 84.9 million tons to 97.3 million tons.

U.S. Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Statistics, 2001[1]
Number of employees Total payroll ($1,000) Total cost of materials ($1,000) Total cost of shipments ($1,000)
Pulp mills 7,218 414,452 1,847,086 3,238,832
Paper mills 114,670 6,162,914 22,108,471 46,852,538
Paperboard mills 48,773 2,601,324 10,915,434 21,895,908

In 2006, there are approximately 450 paper mills in the United States, accounting for $68 billion. [2]

Leading companies

The top 20 forest and paper products companies in the United States in 2002 were:[3]

Rank Company 2002 Net Sales
(US$M)
2002 Net Income (Loss)
(US$M)
1 International Paper 24,976 (880)
2 Georgia-Pacific 23,271 (735)
3 Weyerhaeuser 16,771 16
4 Kimberly-Clark 13,566 1,675
5 Procter & Gamble (Paper) 11,877 954
6 Smurfit-Stone 7,483 65
7 Boise 7,412 11
8 MeadWestvaco 7,242 (389)
9 Temple-Inland 3,374 53
10 Sonoco 2,812 135
11 Bowater Newly AbitibiBowater Inc. 2,581 (142)
12 Louisiana-Pacific 1,943 (62)
13 Packaging Corp. of America 1,736 48
14 Universal Forest Products 1,640 37
15 Rock-Tenn 1,437 27
16 Potlatch 1,286 (234)
17 Riverwood International 1,247 (11)
18 Plum Creek Timber 1,137 233
19 Rayonier 1,117 54
20 Caraustar 950 (18)

Exports

U.S. Total Pulp and Paper Exports (US$ million)[4]
Product 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Pulp, Paper & Paperboard Mill Products 9,752 8,947 8,850 10,276 8,849 7,809
Converted Paper Products 4,842 4,873 5,281 5,702 5,647 6,299

See also

References

External links