These are the latest HMRC export figures for December 2023 for key paper and cardboard grades. Only destinations of more than 1,000 tonnes per month are included.
OCC – Commodity code 470710
Exports of OCC in December remained steady to the majority of deep sea destinations when compared to November.
A total of 169,423 tonnes was exported in December, only slightly up from 166,851 tonnes in November. This confirms reports that the last two months of 2023 saw weak exports compared to the norm.
Exports to Turkey and India remained strong. Indeed, exports to Turkey remain higher than December 2022.
It was a mixed picture across Europe with Germany remaining steady, whereas the Netherlands and France saw a decrease compared to November.
| December 2023 | November 2023 | December 2022 | |
| Turkey | 40,349 | 38,954 | 38,250 |
| Malaysia | 34,718 | 44,584 | 54,524 |
| India | 33,444 | 27,238 | 44,766 |
| Thailand | 17,525 | 15,754 | 13,429 |
| Vietnam | 13,993 | 17,896 | 36,676 |
| Indonesia | 13,510 | 5,909 | 18,259 |
| Germany | 4,623 | 4,334 | 4,357 |
| Netherlands | 3,854 | 5,039 | 6,788 |
| France | 2,010 | 3,013 | 1,273 |
| Taiwan | 1,617 | 283 | – |
| Belgium | 1,456 | 1,534 | 860 |
Mixed paper – Commodity code 470790
India remained the dominant destination for mixed paper exports in December 2023, even though tonnage fell compared to November. It was still stronger than in December 2022 though.
Exports to Vietnam and Thailand continued to see strong figures too, and were up on levels we saw in November.
Across Europe, mixed paper exports saw increases broadly across the region, with the exception of Germany and Belgium that saw slight decreases in imported material. Netherlands remained strong and received the most mixed paper material compared to the rest of Europe.
Overall, a total of 106,255 tonnes left our shores down slightly from 108,207 tonnes in November.
| December 2023 | November 2023 | December 2022 | |
| India | 46,934 | 56,854 | 39,964 |
| Thailand | 15,295 | 11,541 | 4,971 |
| Vietnam | 14,848 | 12,688 | 17,911 |
| Malaysia | 6,759 | 4,340 | 1,990 |
| Netherlands | 6,098 | 5,556 | 5,783 |
| Indonesia | 3,786 | 1,915 | 6,557 |
| Germany | 3,720 | 5,036 | 4,737 |
| Pakistan | 2,717 | 1,105 | 1,012 |
| France | 2,189 | 3,731 | 588 |
| Belgium | 1,448 | 3,738 | 869 |
| China | 1,300 | 13 | 55 |
News & Pams – Commodity code 470730
Exports of this grade have seen steady increases in December compared to November, but still remain lower compared to earlier in 2023.
A total of 8,296 tonnes left the UK in November, slightly lower than compared to 7,596 leaving the UK in November.
| December 2023 | November 2023 | December 2022 | |
| India | 6,680 | 3,840 | 9,578 |
| Netherlands | 1,211 | 1,613 | 1,671 |
