The number of Chinese factories producing fibreboard and their overall production capacity dipped in 2023, according to the International Tropical Timber Organisation’s (ITTO) latest bulletin.
ITTO’s bulletin, quoting statistics from the Academy of Industry Development and Planning under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the China Forestry Products Industry Association (CFPIA), cited more than 278 fibreboard manufacturing enterprises (down 19% year on year) at the end of 2023 with a production capacity of 46 million cubic metres, down 4% over 2022.
The statistics show Shandong Province was the largest in terms of fibreboard production capacity at 6.4 million cubic metres exceeding Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2023 but down 5% over 2022.
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s production capacity dropped 15% to 5.9 million cubic metres, dropping from the top production ranking for the first time but still accounting for 13% of the national total.
Meanwhile, Chinese Customs data cited by ITTO shows fibreboard exports totalled 2.205 million tonnes valued at US$1.194bn, up 10% in volume but down 0.5% in value over 2022.
Mexico, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia were the top 3 destinations in 2023.
In addition, China’s fibreboard exports to Vietnam and Canada in 2023 increased 17% and 37% respectively, while China’s fibreboard exports to the US in 2023 fell 23%.
