Q2 Paper Outlook — Run of the Mill Demand

The capacity survey found similarities and differences in the numbers for individual paper grades.

At 27.3 million tons, printing/writing paper capacity in 2002 declined 2.7 percent from 2001 levels and was off 7 percent from the record year of 2000. This represents a loss of about 2.1 million tons in just two years, AF&PA notes. Capacity is now at its lowest level since 1994 and is scheduled to remain essentially unchanged in 2003 before rising by 1.6 percent in 2004 and 0.5 percent in 2005, the reports says.