U.S. Stationery Imports In December 2023, stationery imports into the United States shrank remarkably to 13K tons, reducing by -26% on November 2023 figures. Over the period under review, imports saw a relatively flat trend pattern. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in April 2023 when imports increased by 69% m-o-m.

In value terms, stationery imports dropped remarkably to $47M (IndexBox estimates) in December 2023. Overall, imports showed a slight decrease. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in April 2023 when imports increased by 44% month-to-month.

Imports by Country

China (4.3K tons), Vietnam (2.5K tons) and Mexico (1.8K tons) were the main suppliers of stationery imports to the United States, with a combined 68% share of total imports. India and Taiwan (Chinese) lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 17%.

From December 2022 to December 2023, the biggest increases were in Taiwan (Chinese) (with a CAGR of +3.5%), while purchases for the other leaders experienced mixed trend patterns.

In value terms, China ($16M) constituted the largest supplier of stationery to the United States, comprising 35% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was held by Vietnam ($7.6M), with a 16% share of total imports. It was followed by Mexico, with a 14% share.

From December 2022 to December 2023, the average monthly growth rate of value from China totaled -1.2%. The remaining supplying countries recorded the following average monthly rates of imports growth: Vietnam (-1.5% per month) and Mexico (+0.8% per month).

Imports by Type

In December 2023, registers, account books, order books and receipt books (8.9K tons) constituted the largest type of stationery supplied to the United States, with a 70% share of total imports. Moreover, registers, account books, order books and receipt books exceeded the figures recorded for the second-largest type, paper binders, folders and file covers (3.4K tons), threefold. The third position in this ranking was taken by blotting pads and book covers (194 tons), with a 1.5% share.

From December 2022 to December 2023, the average monthly growth rate of the volume of import of registers, account books, order books and receipt books was relatively modest. With regard to the other supplied products, the following average monthly rates of growth were recorded: paper binders, folders and file covers (-1.2% per month) and blotting pads and book covers (+2.2% per month).

In value terms, registers, account books, order books and receipt books ($34M) constituted the largest type of stationery supplied to the United States, comprising 72% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was held by paper binders, folders and file covers ($11M), with a 23% share of total imports. It was followed by albums for samples, collections, stamps or photographs, with a 2.2% share.

Import Prices by Country

In December 2023, the stationery price stood at $3,663 per ton (CIF, US), stabilizing at the previous month. Overall, the import price, however, continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in August 2023 when the average import price increased by 14% against the previous month. Over the period under review, average import prices reached the maximum at $3,931 per ton in October 2023; however, from November 2023 to December 2023, import prices stood at a somewhat lower figure.

Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin: the country with the highest price was Taiwan (Chinese) ($3,792 per ton), while the price for Cambodia ($2,102 per ton) was amongst the lowest.

From December 2022 to December 2023, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by India (+0.5%), while the prices for the other major suppliers experienced mixed trend patterns.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform