Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp Price Trend and Forecast

NBSK Pulp Regional Price Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp Price Trend for the First Half of 2024

In the first half of year 2024, Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp experienced notable fluctuations in pricing, reflective of both regional and global market dynamics. The demand for NBSK pulp, a crucial component in the production of high-quality paper products including tissues, printing papers, and packaging materials, saw a steady increase due to rising consumer and industrial needs. This uptick was driven by a recovery in the global printing and packaging sectors, which have been pivotal in the demand for high-grade pulp.
 

Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp Price Chart

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However, the price trajectory was also influenced by disruptions in supply chains, including increased fuel costs and logistical challenges similar to those affecting the softwood lumber sector. The pulp market faced intermittent supply constraints due to shipping delays and port congestion, which were exacerbated by geopolitical tensions affecting global trade routes. Additionally, the industry encountered fluctuations in production costs related to energy prices and raw material availability.

Despite these challenges, NBSK pulp prices exhibited a trend of gradual appreciation, reflecting the sector's resilience and its critical role in the manufacturing of essential paper products. The end of the half-year saw a stabilizing effect on prices as supply chain issues began to ease and production normalized, though fluctuations persisted due to ongoing economic uncertainties. Concurrently, the elevated manufacturing costs influenced by the heightened raw material rates also kept the Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp market anchored.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, with the rising environmental concerns and preventing norms, the prices for softwood lumber and derivative industries are likely to remain fluctuating on the higher side in the coming months as well.
 

Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp Price Trend for the Second Half of 2023

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Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp market trend differed in both the third and the fourth quarter, leading to an overall underwhelming performance. Initially, the Indian Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp market continued its falling trajectory throughout the third quarter as the prices depreciated by around 14% within the first three months.

After this, the prices started to rise once again as the supplies got constricted. And, as time progressed, the supply curtailments kept building up owing to the poor freight dynamics. This led to a rise of around 4% in the prices in the latter three months. In the Indian market, the monthly average prices went from around 1350 USD/MT in July’23 to about 1250 USD/MT in December of 2023. Overall, a fluctuating price trend was observed.

Analyst insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend for Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp is expected to continue its upward journey in the coming months, given the current market dynamics and pricing fundamentals.
 

Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

The Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp market directly depends on the demands from downstream paper industries. The paper industry was under constant pressure from the COVID-19 restrictions and then the Russia-Ukraine crisis. However, at the start of 2023, when the supply chains were restored along with normalization in energy and shipment prices, the upstream costs started to subside after a long time. As the demands for NBSK Pulp were still stable, the prices started declining as they were running wildly high for a very long time.

In Europe, the prices of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft Pulp went from about 1405 USD/MT (DAP, Europe) in January’23 to about 1360 USD/MT (DAP, Europe) in June’23. Similar depreciating trend were observed in the American market as well.

Analyst insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp prices are expected to continue declining in the upcoming months, given the trade and supply normalization as the market strives to achieve equilibrium.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) Pulp. Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.