Pulp and paper industry in the United States explained

The United States is one of the biggest paper consumers in the world. Between 1990 and 2002, paper consumption in the United States increased from 84.9 million tons to 97.3 million tons. In 2006, there were approximately 450 paper mills in the United States, accounting for $68 billion.^[1]

Leading companies

The top 10 forest and paper products companies in net sales in the United States in 2012 were:^[2]

Rank	Company	2012 Net Sales (US$M)	2012 Net Income (Loss) (US$M)
1	International Paper	21,833	799
2	Kimberly-Clark	21,063	1,750
3	RockTenn	9,208	249
4	Weyerhaeuser	6,221	385
5	MeadWestvaco	5,459	205
6	Sonoco	4786	196
7	Graphic Packaging	4,337	123
8	NewPage	3,131	1258
9	Packaging Corporation of America	2,844	164
10	Boise Cascade	2,779	41

Manufacturing statistics

!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

Exports

**U.S. Total Pulp and Paper Exports (US$ million)**^[3] !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

External links

TAPPI Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry
American Forest and Paper Association
EPA profile of the pulp and paper industry

Notes and References

Book: 2006 U.S. Industry & Market Outlook. Barnes Reports. 2006.
Web site: 2013. PricewaterhouseCoopers. Top 100 Global Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Companies.
Web site: U.S. Total Exports, 1997-02 (Table 38).