Paper & Packaging Mill Raw Materials Hub
Market pulp, recovered paper, fillers, starch, sizing and bleach chemicals for paper and board machines
A paper machine buys fibre and it buys the chemistry around the fibre. FAO reported world wood pulp production of 189 million tonnes in 2024 and pulp trade at a record 73 million tonnes, with China, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay carrying the growth; on the recycled side China (31%), the United States (12%), Germany (6%) and Japan (6%) are the largest consumers of recovered paper. Around that fibre a mill runs a chemical basket: size-press starch at 30-50 kg of dry starch per tonne of paper, roughly 35 kg of caustic soda per tonne of market pulp, hydrogen peroxide in the range of 3-30 kg per tonne of dry pulp in peroxide bleaching stages, sodium sulphate as the sulphur make-up of the kraft cycle, kaolin at 20-30% of a coating formulation by weight, and calcium carbonate as the filler that carries brightness above 95% ISO. A non-integrated fine-paper or tissue mill that buys all of its fibre in is exposed to pulp and chemical arrivals in the same way a steel mill is exposed to ore. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company. We broker the fibre and the chemicals for the same mill against the producer's certificate of analysis and SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas inspection at load, and because CBIL also runs a chartering desk (LaycanDesk) the breakbulk pulp parcels, the containerised bales and bags, and the parcel-tanker liquids are quoted with the cargo. Pulp moves in 200-250 kg bales strapped in units of 6, 8 or 12; recovered paper in wire-strapped bales that must be kept dry against self-heating; caustic soda and hydrogen peroxide in chemical parcel tankers and ISO tanks.
Procurement & Freight Structure
Dual-loop execution: physical commodity brokerage + ocean charterparty.
One desk covers the pulp breakbulk parcel, the container programme for bales, bags and big bags, and the parcel-tanker liquids, so fibre and chemical arrivals are planned against the same machine schedule.
Procured Feedstocks & Maritime Profiles
Each raw material is contracted on chemical purity, physical particle sizing, and mandatory IMO/IMSBC code stowage factors to prevent liquefaction or contamination.
| Feedstock | Grade & Purity Spec | Form / Carriage | IMSBC Code | Stowage Factor | Typical Parcel | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bleached Kraft Pulp (BHKP & NBSK) | ISO brightness 88 – 90% (ISO 2470-1); viscosity 700 – 900 mL/g and CSF 650 – 730 mL for standard NBSK | Air-dried sheets in 200 – 250 kg bales, strapped in units of 6, 8 or 12 | Group C | 44 – 67 cu.ft/MT (bales, per TIS-GDV 1.25 – 1.90 m³/t) (1.25 – 1.39 m³/t unitised · 1.65 – 1.90 m³/t loose bales) | 1,000 – 20,000 MT breakbulk or 20 – 100 TEU | Spec →Ship → |
| Dissolving Pulp (Viscose Grade) | Alpha-cellulose 92 – 94% (acid sulphite) / 94 – 96% (prehydrolysis kraft) | Air-dried sheets in bales | Group C | 44 – 67 cu.ft/MT (as chemical pulp bales) (1.25 – 1.90 m³/t (as chemical pulp bales)) | 1,000 – 10,000 MT or container strings | Spec →Ship → |
| Recovered Paper (OCC 11 & DS OCC 12) | ReMA (ISRI) OCC 11: prohibitives ≤ 1%, outthrows + prohibitives ≤ 5%; DS OCC 12 tighter | Wire-strapped compressed bales | Group C | 95 – 145 cu.ft/MT (TIS-GDV 2.69 – 4.10 m³/t by grade and bale) (2.69 m³/t (ONP bales) – 4.10 m³/t (loose wire-strapped bales)) | 20 – 200 TEU container strings; breakbulk on request | Spec →Ship → |
| Coating & Filler KaolinAl₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄ | Paper-grade brightness 83 – 90%+ ISO; premium coating grades 94%+ | Dry powder or spray-dried in 25 – 50 kg bags, 500 – 1,500 kg big bags, or bulk; slurry by tank | Group C | 27 – 35 cu.ft/MT (bulk, from 1.0 – 1.3 t/m³ density) (0.77 – 1.0 m³/t (bulk kaolin, IMSBC Clay, Group C)) | 20 – 100 TEU or Handysize bulk parcel | Spec →Ship → |
| Ground & Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (GCC / PCC)CaCO₃ | CaCO₃ > 98% for printing and writing grades; brightness > 95% ISO | Micronised powder (325 mesh coated grades) in big bags or bulk; slurry by tank | Group C | Per pack (big bags) / bulk per shipper's declaration (Per pack (big bags) / bulk per shipper's declaration) | 20 – 100 TEU or Handysize bulk parcel | Spec →Ship → |
| Papermaking Starch (Native, Cationic & Oxidised) | Native tapioca, corn and wheat starch; cationic and oxidised modified grades (HS 1108 / 3505.10) | Powder in 25 – 50 kg bags and 850 kg jumbo bags | Group C | Per pack (bags / jumbo bags in containers) (Per pack (bags / jumbo bags in containers)) | 20 – 100 TEU | Spec →Ship → |
| AKD Wax & Rosin Size | AKD for neutral/alkaline sizing (pH 7 – 9); rosin size with alum for acid sizing | AKD wax flakes or 15 – 20% emulsions; rosin size as dispersions or solid | Group C | Per pack (drums, IBCs, bags in containers) (Per pack (drums, IBCs, bags in containers)) | 1 – 20 TEU | Spec →Ship → |
| Caustic Soda 50% (Pulping & Bleaching)NaOH (aq) | 50% membrane-grade solution; flake and pearl 99% for container supply | Liquid in parcel tankers and ISO tanks; solid in 25 kg bags | IMO Liquid / Chemical | 23.6 cu.ft/MT (50% liquid) (0.66 m³/t (SG 1.52)) | 2,000 – 10,000 MT liquid / 5 – 40 TEU solid | Spec →Ship → |
| Sodium Sulphate Anhydrous (Kraft Make-up)Na₂SO₄ | Anhydrous, technical grade on the producer's certificate | White crystalline powder in 50 kg bags or 1 MT big bags; bulk on request | Group C | Per pack (bags / big bags) or bulk per shipper's declaration (Per pack (bags / big bags) or bulk per shipper's declaration) | 10 – 100 TEU or Handysize bulk parcel | Spec →Ship → |
| Hydrogen Peroxide 50% (ECF / TCF Bleaching)H₂O₂ | 50% w/w stabilised technical grade (35% and 60% by enquiry) | Clear liquid in passivated aluminium or stainless ISO tanks and IBCs | IMO Liquid / Chemical | Per ISO tank / parcel tanker (Per ISO tank / parcel tanker) | 20 – 200 MT (ISO tanks) / parcel tanker by enquiry | Spec →Ship → |
| LDPE Extrusion Coating Resin(C₂H₄)ₙ | LDPE extrusion-coating grades, MI 3.5 – 15 g/10 min, density 0.915 – 0.923 g/cm³ | Pellets in 25 kg bags on pallets or 1 MT big bags | Group C | Per pack (bags / big bags in containers) (Per pack (bags / big bags in containers)) | 10 – 100 TEU | Spec →Ship → |
Bleached Kraft Pulp (BHKP & NBSK)
Eucalyptus BHKP from Brazil and Uruguay and northern softwood NBSK from Canada and the Nordics, bought on ISO brightness, viscosity, dirt count and air-dry moisture on the mill's certificate. Packaged cargo: IMSBC does not apply; kept at 60 – 65% relative humidity to avoid condensation.
Dissolving Pulp (Viscose Grade)
Prehydrolysis-kraft and sulphite dissolving pulp for viscose staple fibre, lyocell and cellulose derivatives; Brazil (Bracell's Lençóis Paulista line, up to 1.5 million t/y) and South Africa are the large exporters. Bought on alpha-cellulose, viscosity, ash and reactivity.
Recovered Paper (OCC 11 & DS OCC 12)
Old corrugated containers from US and European collection for testliner and fluting machines in Asia, the Mediterranean and India. Waste-code cargo: shipments follow the Basel Convention and, from the EU, Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, whose export conditions for non-OECD destinations apply from 21 May 2027. Bales kept dry (6 – 12% moisture) against self-heating.
Coating & Filler Kaolin
Georgia (USA) and Amazon Basin (Brazil) coating clays and filler clays for coated woodfree and board. Kaolin runs at 20 – 30% of a coating colour by weight; bought on ISO brightness, particle size (% < 2 µm) and viscosity.
Ground & Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (GCC / PCC)
Filler and coating carbonate from Egyptian, Omani, Turkish and Vietnamese marble and limestone, plus on-site PCC where a satellite plant runs. Bought on CaCO₃ content, brightness, particle size distribution and abrasion.
Papermaking Starch (Native, Cationic & Oxidised)
Size-press and wet-end starch from Thai and Vietnamese tapioca mills and US, Indian and Turkish corn and wheat starch plants. A size press runs 3 – 9% solids and picks up 30 – 50 kg of dry starch per tonne of paper; total starch use is around 40 – 60 kg per tonne of fibre.
AKD Wax & Rosin Size
Internal sizing chemistry. Alkyl ketene dimer is the reactive size for neutral and alkaline papermaking with calcium carbonate filler, dosed in the order of 0.05 – 0.5% on dry fibre; rosin size saponified with alkali and fixed with papermakers' alum remains the acid-sizing route. No dedicated page yet: quoted by enquiry; CMC and cellulose ethers (linked) carry the wet-end additives page.
Caustic Soda 50% (Pulping & Bleaching)
White-liquor make-up, oxygen delignification and alkaline extraction stages. Around 35 kg of caustic soda goes into a tonne of market pulp, and kraft accounts for over 90% of the caustic consumed by chemical pulps; a single mill can draw 50 – 100 t/day.
Sodium Sulphate Anhydrous (Kraft Make-up)
Salt cake: the sulphur and sodium make-up of the kraft recovery cycle, replacing losses so the cooking liquor keeps its NaOH/Na₂S balance. Bought on Na₂SO₄ assay, moisture, chloride and insolubles.
Hydrogen Peroxide 50% (ECF / TCF Bleaching)
Peroxide stage oxidant in ECF and TCF sequences and brightness top-up on mechanical pulps. Dosage runs from 3 up to 30 kg per tonne of dry pulp, calculated as 100% H₂O₂, with 2 – 3 kg enough for additional brightness points on a bleached kraft.
LDPE Extrusion Coating Resin
Barrier and heat-seal layer for cup stock, liquid packaging board and sack kraft, laid down at 12 – 25 g/m². Bought on melt index, density and neck-in on the producer's data sheet.
Ocean Chartering & Laycan Programme
Plant downtime and demurrage at loading/discharge terminals can rapidly exceed commodity trading margins. LaycanDesk synchronizes vessel size matching, Notice of Readiness (NOR) tenders, and continuous laytime tracking.
COA & Maritime Execution Rules
Pulp Bales: Condensation and Unitisation
Chemical pulp bales are shipped at 5 – 10% water content and stored at 60 – 65% relative humidity; a 2°C difference between pulp and container wall is enough to condense water on the steel. Breakbulk parcels are stowed in units of 6, 8 or 12 bales with dunnage clear of bilges.
Recovered Paper: Dry Bales and Waste-Shipment Papers
Compressed waste-paper bales that are damp or oil-contaminated are a self-heating risk (IMDG Class 4.2 where applicable); moisture is held at 6 – 12%. Shipments carry Basel Annex VII information and, from the EU, the Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 audit and destination-country conditions.
Kaolin and Carbonate in Bulk: IMSBC Clay Schedule
Bulk kaolin and carbonate move under IMSBC Group C clay-type schedules: fine, dusty, and prone to caking if wetted, so holds are dry and loading stops in rain. Bagged and big-bag grades move in containers on liner terms.
Liquid Chemicals: Heated Caustic and Passivated Peroxide Tanks
Caustic soda 50% crystallises near 12°C and is carried in heated coated or stainless tanks; hydrogen peroxide 50% (UN 2014, Class 5.1) needs passivated aluminium or stainless tanks with venting, and is never stowed with reducing agents or combustibles.
- • Santos, Paranaguá & Itaqui (Brazil - eucalyptus BHKP, dissolving pulp)
- • Vancouver & Prince Rupert (Canada - NBSK)
- • Montevideo (Uruguay - BHKP)
- • US East & Gulf Coast, Rotterdam & Antwerp (recovered paper OCC)
- • Georgia ports & Munguba/Amazon (USA & Brazil - kaolin)
- • Alexandria & Salalah (Egypt & Oman - calcium carbonate)
- • Bangkok / Laem Chabang (Thailand - tapioca and modified starch)
- • China & East Asia (Qingdao, Changshu, Shanghai, Busan)
- • India (Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Chennai, Kolkata)
- • Southeast Asia (Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Port Klang, Manila)
- • Türkiye & Mediterranean (Izmir, Mersin, Genoa)
- • Red Sea & Oman (Jeddah, Sohar)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can CBIL supply both the fibre and the chemical basket to one mill?
Yes. The desk works BHKP, NBSK, dissolving pulp and OCC alongside kaolin, GCC/PCC, starch, sizing agents, caustic soda, sodium sulphate, hydrogen peroxide and PE coating resin, so a non-integrated mill can plan pulp breakbulk parcels, container programmes and parcel-tanker liquids from one schedule.
How is quality certified?
Against the producer's certificate of analysis and third-party inspection at load (SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas): ISO brightness, viscosity and moisture on pulp; ReMA grade, moisture and prohibitives on OCC; assay, brightness and particle size on minerals; assay and stabiliser on liquid chemicals.
What paperwork does recovered paper need?
Recovered paper is a waste shipment. It moves with Basel Convention information and the importing country's licence where one applies; EU exporters follow Regulation (EU) 2024/1157, whose conditions for non-OECD destinations apply from 21 May 2027. Buyer and seller documents are checked before a booking is made.
Which vessels carry market pulp?
Producers ship on open-hatch box-shaped pulp carriers under liner or COA terms; spot parcels of 1,000 – 20,000 MT move on geared Handysize and Handymax tonnage fixed through LaycanDesk, and smaller lots in 20-ft and 40-ft containers.
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