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Raw materials & energy 10 Nov 2026

BIR reports 35-45% rise in European and US OCC prices since early 2026

The Bureau of International Recycling's October 2026 Paper Quarterly Report says domestic Old Corrugated Containers prices in Europe and the US have risen 35-45% from early-year lows, with European export values to Asia up 15-25%. The rises reflect tight collection volumes, stronger Indian and Southeast Asian demand, higher freight costs, and US-Canada tariff uncertainty.

Why this mattersTighter, costlier recovered fibre raises input costs for recycled containerboard producers while analysts project 2026 containerboard demand growth of only 1-1.5%.

  • Domestic European OCC prices rose approximately 35-45% from early-2026 lows, per BIR's October 2026 Paper Quarterly Report
  • US OCC prices also rose approximately 35-45% since early 2026, according to the report
  • European OCC export values to Asia increased approximately 15-25%
  • Germany exported 678,000 tonnes of recovered paper in H1 2026, after full-year 2025 exports fell 15% to 1.46 million tonnes, a 20-year low
  • Analysts projected full-year 2026 containerboard demand growth of 1-1.5%
Bureau of International Recycling
Sources thepulpandpapertimes.com
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-11-11 · Edited before publication: The visible source text does not contain the US mixed-paper figure, the USD 10-15/t monthly rise, the freight and road cost percentages or the US-Canada tariff range. The 1-1.5% forecast applies to containerboard demand, not packaging demand generally.
  • 2026-11-11 · Edited before publication: The 35-45% rise applies to OCC only; mixed paper rose more slowly. The headline now names OCC instead of recovered paper in general. The rating of 2 for a price index move follows house style.