Cardboard Market Update: What’s Happening in July 2026

The OCC (cardboard) market is having a good year — and if you're generating or handling cardboard waste, that's worth knowing.

Prices Are Climbing

After a rough stretch through 2024 and into 2025, cardboard pricing has turned a corner. Mills in the U.S. Southeast paid roughly 12% more for OCC and other brown grades at the start of June compared to May, and sorted office paper and news grades saw similar gains.

Why the Rebound

A few things are driving the tighter market:

• Domestic demand is strong. New recycled-content containerboard mills that came online over the past couple of years are hungry for fiber, and older, less efficient capacity has been shutting down — tightening supply even as demand holds steady.

• Exports are picking up too. OCC exports rose over 6% in early 2026, with buyers in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam all in the market for U.S. material. Major Chinese packaging producers have been buying as well.

• Truck availability is good, which has helped mills secure material without paying steep freight premiums.

What This Means for You

If you're generating cardboard waste, now is a good time to make sure your recycling program is capturing full value — pricing that's moving up means the difference between an efficient program and a lackluster one shows up directly on your bottom line. If you haven't reviewed your recycling contracts or collection setup recently, it's worth a conversation.