LOS ANGELES, December 29, 2015 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – Note: a typographical error in the original posting of this article has been corrected to show that uncoated freesheet paper accounted for 50.1% of the production in the printing-writing and related papers category.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released its November 2015 Monthly Statistics of Paper, Paperboard & Wood Pulp today.

The total production of paper and paperboard edged down 0.2% in November 2015 over November 2014. The total operating rate was 91.1%, falling from 92.0% a year ago. From January through November 2015, the output declined 0.8% on an operating rate of 92.6%, down from 93.0% during the year-ago period.

Paper production dropped 1.0% year-over-year in November 2015 but the 87.4% operating rate was marginally higher than the year-ago rate of 87.0%.

Paperboard output increased slightly year-over-year, by 0.3%, while the operating rate of 93.4% was below that of November 2014’s 95.2%.

In the first 11 months of 2015, the operating rates were 88.5% for paper, down from 89.4% in the year-ago period, and 95.3% for paperboard, down from 95.4%.

Paper statistics. The November 2015 production of printing and writing and related papers slipped 1.8% from that of November 2014. The year-to-date output fell 5.3% from the year-ago period.

However, there was a noticeable increase of 7.7% in the output of uncoated freesheet (UFS) paper in November 2015 compared to November 2014; UFS accounted for 50.1% of the total in the printing and writing and related papers sector. Cumulatively the production has fallen 1.1%, compared to the first 11 months of 2014.

The November 2015 production of total coated papers declined 11.3% year-over-year and the year-to-date total fell 9.9% compared to the year-ago period.

The output of coated groundwood (CGW) paper slid 22.3% in November 2015 over November 2014 and the total so far this year fell 15.1% from the first 11 months of 2014.

The November 2015 output of coated freesheet (CFS) paper also showed a year-over-year decline, of 2.5%, and the cumulative total dropped 6.0%.

The production of uncoated groundwood (UCGW) paper fell 4.2% year-over-year in November 2015 and for the first 11 months it was down 7.2%.

There was a 9.3% year-over-year decline in the small “other printing and writing papers” category, which accounted for 4.0% of the printing and writing and related paper sector’s output in November 2015. The year-to-date production declined 4.7%.

The tissue sector also saw a year-over-year production decline in November 2015, of 0.8%, although the year-to-date production increased by 1.0%.

For the second straight month there was a year-over-year increase in the monthly production of newsprint, with November 2015 up 0.3% (in October 2015 it rose 10.4% year-over-year). These were the first increases since August 2012. The year-to-date output remains well behind that of a year ago, though, by 14.5%.

The output of “total packaging and other paper” rose 1.1% year-over-year in November 2015 and it was ahead of the year-ago period by 0.8%.

Breaking out the category’s individual sectors, the production of specialty packaging and other papers, which accounted for 62.4% of the category’s November 2015 production, was unchanged year-over-year as well as year-to-date. Both the monthly and year-to-date percentages have shown no change since April of this year.

There was a 4.7% rise in the output of unbleached kraft papers and a 21.2% decline in that of the small bleached kraft papers sector in November 2015. The respective year-to-date output changes were 3.0% and -9.8%, compared to the first 11 months of 2014.

Paperboard statistics. The November 2015 production in the paperboard sector’s containerboard category increased 1.1% year-over-year, and also it rose 1.7% cumulatively. The production of boxboard declined 1.7% in November 2015 from a year ago and it fell 1.2% in the first 11 months of 2015 compared to the year ago period.

The November 2015 output of total linerboard, which accounted for 70.7% of the containerboard produced during the month, edged up 0.5% year-over-year, while rising 1.2% year-to-date.

The November 2015 output of corrugating medium moved up 2.4% over that of November 2014 and it increased 3.0% year-to-date.

In the boxboard sector the November 2015 output of total folding boxboard decreased 2.7% from a year ago and it was down 0.9% so far this year.

The November 2015 output of unbleached kraft boxboard increased 2.6% year-over-year and it was up 1.1% in the first 11 months of 2015.

Recycled boxboard output saw a 2.0% decline in November 2015 compared to November 2014, and the year-to-date production dropped 2.5%.

The output of solid bleached boxboard in November 2015 sank 9.6% from that of November 2014 and it was down 1.5% cumulatively.

In November 2015 there was a 2.6% year-over-year drop in the output of liquid packaging and food service boxboard and a 3.1% decline year-to-date.

In the “other” boxboard category, the November 2015 output increased 1.0% year-over-year but fell 0.2% cumulatively.