AF&PA Releases 66th Annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey

Though U.S. paper and paperboard production declined 3.7% in 2025, to 66.3 million tons, several sectors showed continued resilience. Containerboard operating rates held firm at 91.9%, while printing-writing operating rates improved to 82.8%, reflecting continued capacity adaptation to demand changes. Packaging paper production increased 1.7%, boxboard production was essentially flat at 12.4 million tons and tissue production remained near 7.8 million tons.

Overall fiber consumption used to make paper and paperboard products in 2025 decreased by 3.5% compared to 2024. Wood pulp decreased by 3.2% and recovered fiber decreased by 4.0%.

"U.S. mills continue to produce the packaging, tissue and other paper products that people and businesses rely on every day," said Brock. "The data shows an industry that continues to operate at significant scale, adapt to changing market conditions and serve strong demand for fiber-based products."

U.S. Paper-Based Packaging Capacity

Containerboard production fell 4.4% to 36.1 million tons, and containerboard capacity declined 5.1% in 2025. Despite that reduction, containerboard continued to account for more than half of total U.S. paper and paperboard capacity, and mills maintained a 91.9% operating rate.

U.S. Printing-Writing and Tissue Capacity

Printing-writing capacity fell 13.9% in 2025 to 7.7 million tons. Capacity has fallen from nearly 18 million tons in 2015, reflecting a long-term adjustment in this segment. However, operating rates for Printing-Writing increased from 76.8% in 2024 to 82.8% in 2025.

Tissue production declined 0.8% in 2025 to 7.8 million tons, underscoring the essential role tissue continues to play in the industry's product mix. Over time, tissue has also represented a growing share of total U.S. paper and paperboard capacity.

What is Capacity?

Capacity is the tonnage of paper, paperboard or pulp that could be produced with full use of equipment and adequate supplies of raw materials and labor, assuming full demand.

AF&PA's Capacity Survey details U.S. industry capacity data for 2025 and 2026 for all major grades of paper, paperboard and pulp, as well as fiber consumption. It is based on a comprehensive survey of U.S. pulp and paper mills. It includes production data for 2025.

AF&PA data represent about 87% of U.S. paper and paperboard industry capacity, with estimates completing the data set.

How to Purchase the AF&PA Capacity Survey?

The complete Survey is available for purchase online. Please visit our website afandpa.org/statistics-resources/reports or contact [email protected] or 202-463-4716 for this report and other industry reports.