Oct 19, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. European consumer pulp inventories fell 7.2% in September, according to UTIPULP. Stocks were 90,389 tonnes lower than the year-earlier level.

Pulp consumption soared 17% last month to 1.213 million tonnes, but was 1.2% lower than the 1.229 million tonne level seen in September 2003.

                           EUROPEAN CHEMICAL MARKET PULP STATISTICS

                          (tonnes)

                                Consumption at Month End

 

Sep-04

Aug-04

Jul-04

Sep-03

Change From

 

 

 

 

 

Month Ago

Year Ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

1,213,105

1,037,608

1,217,855

1,228,694

16.9%

-1.3%

Bleached Sulfit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Softwood

27,802

19,334

28,898

54,245

43.8%

-48.7%

Hardwood

14,992

11,492

15,281

27,260

30.5%

-45.0%

Bleached Kraft

 

 

 

 

 

 

Softwood

529,514

467,845

537,139

541,834

13.2%

-2.3%

Hardwood

628,668

527,862

625,230

593,795

19.1%

5.9%

Unbleached

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sulfite

585

511

563

637

14.5%

-8.2%

Kraft

11,614

10,565

10,744

10,923

9.9%

6.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     Consumer Stocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

1,166,202

1,206,318

1,194,063

1,256,591

-3.3%

-7.2%

Bleached Sulfit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Softwood

16,755

23,231

21,803

35,204

-27.9%

-52.4%

Hardwood

4,593

3,649

5,785

11,831

25.9%

-61.2%

Bleached Kraft

 

 

 

 

 

 

Softwood

522,826

539,217

529,997

513,875

-3.0%

1.7%

Hardwood

609,442

627,134

622,132

681,371

-2.8%

-10.6%

Unbleached

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sulfite

307

293

287

335

4.8%

-8.4%

Kraft

12,278

12,794

14,059

13,974

-4.0%

-12.1%

Stocks (Days)

29

30

30

31

-3.3%

-6.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statistics include information from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

SOURCE: Group of European Market Wood Pulp Users (UTIPULP).