Recycled fibre
Recycled fibre is pulp derived from recovered paper: old corrugated containers (OCC), old newspapers (ONP), and mixed paper grades. It is a major input to containerboard, especially for medium and lighter linerboard grades.
OCC, ONP, and mixed paper are the three primary recovered grades. OCC is the highest-value because corrugated boxes are predominantly long-fibre kraft. ONP is mid-value. Mixed paper is the lowest and includes a range of office paper, magazines, and other paper waste.
Recycled fibre quality is lower than virgin in two ways: fibres are shorter (each pulping cycle breaks them further) and contaminants accumulate (inks, adhesives, plastics). Most paper can only be recycled four to seven times before fibre length becomes too short for use.
Recovered paper trades as a commodity. OCC bale prices are tracked weekly and respond to global containerboard demand. Falling OCC prices usually signal slowing demand for new boxes a few weeks downstream.
Related terms
- LinerboardLinerboard is the flat, smooth paper layer bonded to either side of a corrugated medium to form a corrugated board. It provides the strength, printability, and outer surface of a cardboard box.
- Mechanical pulpMechanical pulp is pulp produced by grinding or refining wood physically rather than dissolving the lignin with chemicals. It retains nearly all of the wood's mass — high yield, low cost — at the price of shorter fibres and remaining lignin.
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