Recycled Paperboard Price Increase Hits EMEA Industrial Packaging Buyers
Sourcing teams in Europe face a 60 euro per ton increase for uncoated recycled paperboard starting in September.
Uncoated Recycled Paperboard
Material Specification
Multi-ply paperboard produced entirely from recovered paper fibers lacks a surface clay coating and offers a sustainable option for rigid packaging. Utilizing uncoated recycled paperboard provides manufacturers with a dense, stiff material suitable for folding cartons and tubes. This material is classified by its caliper and basis weight, which determine its strength and stiffness.
Its natural grey or brown finish reflects its recycled origin.
Manufacturing Process
Converting waste paper into this heavy-duty material involves pulping, cleaning and multi-vat forming on a cylinder machine. To produce uncoated recycled paperboard, mills blend old corrugated containers and mixed paper with water to create a slurry. This pulp is screened to remove contaminants like plastics or metals before it is formed into layers on a series of rotating cylinders.
The wet sheet is pressed and dried through steam-heated drums to achieve the desired thickness and moisture content, which is followed by calendering to smooth the surface without adding chemical coatings.
Industrial Utilization
High structural integrity makes this heavy-weight material ideal for protective packaging and industrial cores. Uncoated recycled paperboard is used to manufacture paper tubes, solid-fiber boxes and partition dividers for shipping fragile items. Its excellent winding strength supports the high-speed winding processes used to make heavy-duty shipping tubes.