With the exponential boom of e-commerce delivery and FMCG packaging, corrugated cardboard and paper packaging scrap have become essential raw materials for paper mills. Recovered fibers can be repulped up to 5 to 7 times before losing structural integrity.
Major Commercial Paper Scrap Grades
1. OCC Grade 11 (Old Corrugated Containers)
Clean corrugated cardboard boxes with jute, kraft, or testliner fluting. This is the industrial standard traded in millions of tons worldwide. OCC Grade 12 (Double Sorted OCC) refers to boxes that are hand-sorted to guarantee zero plastic liners or boxboard contamination.
2. Kraft Paper Waste & Cutting Scrap
Clean virgin unprinted kraft cuttings from bag manufacturing and box converting plants. Because of long, strong unbleached wood fibers, kraft cuttings command the highest price among all brown paper grades.
3. Sorted Office Paper (SOP) & White Record
Office printer papers, ledgers, notebooks, and letterheads. Prized by tissue mills and writing paper manufacturers for its high cellulose brightness and low lignin content.
4. Old Newsprint (ONP) & Magazines (OMG)
Daily newspapers and glossy magazines. Used primarily for producing fresh newsprint sheets, egg trays, and molded fiber packaging.
The Critical 10% Moisture Threshold
Paper mills test core bale moisture using digital probe meters upon arrival. Moisture exceeding 10% to 12% causes bacterial mold, weakens fiber tensile strength, and leads to immediate weight deductions or outright load rejection at the mill weighbridge.
Optimizing Bale Density to Slash Logistics Costs
Cardboard is bulky. If you ship loose or poorly baled cardboard, you pay high transport freight for hauling empty air. Use high-density auto-tie horizontal balers to pack each bale tightly. A standard 40-foot container or multi-axle truck should carry at least 20 to 24 metric tons of baled OCC to achieve maximum shipping profit margins.
