Containerboard outside shipments are sales of linerboard and corrugating medium to customers outside an integrated packaging company's own corrugated-products network.
They are different from containerboard consumed internally to make boxes.
Why outside shipments matter
An integrated packaging producer has two broad outlets for mill production:
- internal consumption by its own converting plants; and
- outside sales to domestic or export customers.
The mix between those outlets changes exposure to merchant containerboard markets.
Lower outside shipments do not always mean weaker production
Packaging Corporation of America reported second-quarter 2026 export and domestic containerboard outside shipments down 19.0% year over year.
The company explained that more containerboard was being integrated into its corrugated-products system.
That means lower outside sales can reflect higher internal consumption rather than weaker mill output.
Domestic and export shipments can have different economics
Outside shipments may be split between domestic and export markets.
Pricing, freight, currency exposure, and demand can differ materially between them.
PCA separately discusses domestic and export containerboard prices and volumes because those markets can move differently.
Outside shipments are not corrugated shipments
Corrugated Products Shipments per Day measure finished-box volume.
Containerboard outside shipments measure intermediate paper sold outside the internal conversion system.
A more integrated producer can have strong box shipments while outside containerboard shipments decline.
Primary-source examples
- Packaging Corporation of America second-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q
- Packaging Corporation of America 2025 annual report
Outside shipments are most useful for understanding how an integrated packaging company allocates mill output between internal conversion and merchant markets.
Part of the Packaging Operating Model
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