The US imports $30B+ in paper and packaging products annually — corrugated boxes, paperboard, commercial printing papers, labels, flexible packaging, and specialty papers. The e-commerce boom has made packaging a high-growth import category. Track who is importing what with CBP manifest data.
| Country | US Market Share | Products Exported |
|---|---|---|
| China | ~22% | Corrugated, specialty paper, labels, flexible packaging |
| Canada | ~18% | Newsprint, groundwood, kraft paper, tissue |
| Finland | ~8% | Coated paper, specialty papers, printing grades |
| Germany | ~7% | Specialty papers, technical papers, filtration |
| Brazil | ~6% | Pulp, kraft paper, tissue base stock |
Amazon, Shopify sellers, and D2C brands import corrugated boxes, mailers, void fill, and branded packaging from Asian manufacturers. The e-commerce packaging market is one of the fastest-growing import sub-categories.
Commercial printers, book publishers, and magazine companies import specialty coated papers and printing grades. Declining in volume but still substantial — offset by growing specialty paper niches.
Label manufacturers, flexible packaging converters, and food packaging companies import specialty films, label stock, and flexible materials. High-value, relatively low-weight, very consistent volume.
Representative records from US CBP public manifest filings
| Shipper | Product | US Consignee | Port | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NINE DRAGONS PAPER CHINA | CORRUGATED MEDIUM | PACKAGING CORP USA | Long Beach | 184,000 KG |
| STORA ENSO FINLAND | COATED PAPERBOARD | GRAPHIC PACKAGING INT | New York | 126,000 KG |
| ARAUCO PULP CHILE | BLEACHED KRAFT PULP | WEYERHAEUSER CO | Savannah | 256,000 KG |
| SHENZHEN PACKAGE CO | FLEXIBLE PACKAGING FILM | US PACKAGING DIST LLC | Los Angeles | 28,400 KG |
"corrugated" or "cardboard box" imports from China, Vietnam"kraft paper" or "paperboard" imports from Canada, Brazil"flexible packaging" or "packaging film" imports to converters"label stock" or "pressure sensitive" imports from Europe"tissue" or "hygiene paper" imports from China, MexicoE-commerce package volume in the US has grown 15–20% annually since 2020. Every package needs a box, mailer, or bag. Many D2C brands import custom branded packaging from Asia. Manifest data surfaces these emerging importers before they appear on any lead list.
Brands replacing plastic packaging with paper-based alternatives are importing new materials from European specialty paper mills. These new trade flows represent new freight relationships ready to be established.
Paper and pulp shipments are among the heaviest per container — a single container can carry 20+ metric tons of paper. High-density loads command good rates, and paper importers ship consistently year-round.
Yes — pharmaceutical packaging, food-grade packaging, and luxury packaging all appear with distinct product descriptions. Filtering by product type and then by consignee industry helps narrow to specialty packaging importers.
Search for "corrugated box," "mailer," "poly mailer," or "ecommerce packaging." Many D2C brand importers appear as consignees with consistent, growing import volumes.
Yes. Wood pulp (bleached kraft, BCTMP, dissolving pulp) is a major ocean freight category from Brazil, Canada, and Chile, and fully covered in manifest data. Pulp mills are among the largest-volume shippers.
Most manifest data captures the consignee (importer) rather than the end use. Large commercial printers appear as direct importers; print-on-demand volumes are typically embedded within distribution company imports.
10M+ manifest records covering paper & packaging and every other US import category. Find importers, track volumes, and build your freight prospect list.
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