Corrugated boxes (US): cost structure and price drivers
Materials 65%, labour 14%, energy 1% of the cost. A price set 12 months ago justifies about +5.4% today (+3.8% to +6.9%).
Cost structure
NAICS 322211 · Data 2026-09
| Element | Share | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | 65% | US Census, Economic Census 2022 (NAICS 322211) |
| Labour | 14% | US Census, Economic Census 2022 (NAICS 322211) |
| Energy | 1% | US Census, Economic Census 2022 (NAICS 322211) |
| Other | 20% | US Census, Economic Census 2022 (NAICS 322211) |
What each driver did
| Driver | Share | Series | 3 months | 12 months | 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| paper and paperboard | 65% | PPI Commodity data for Pulp, paper, and allied products-Converted paper and paperboard products, not seasonally adjusted (WPU0915) | +2.7% | +4.7% | +7.6% |
| electricity | 1% | PPI Commodity data for Fuels and related products and power-Industrial electric power, not seasonally adjusted (WPU0543) | +3.3% | +4.2% | +7.6% |
| natural gas and fuels | 1% | PPI Commodity data for Fuels and related products and power-Industrial natural gas, not seasonally adjusted (WPU0553) | −2.2% | +0.7% | +16.4% |
| wages | 14% | Average hourly earnings of all employees, manufacturing, not seasonally adjusted (CEU3000000003) | +1.1% | +3.9% | +8.1% |
| producer prices (overhead and margin) | 20% | PPI industry data for Corrugated and solid fiber box manufacturing, not seasonally adjusted (PCU322211322211) | +5.1% | +8.9% | +15.4% |
What increase is justified today
| Price set | Justified today | Range |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months ago | +5.1% | +3.6% to +6.6% |
| 12 months ago | +5.4% | +3.8% to +6.9% |
| 24 months ago | +9.3% | +6.6% to +11.9% |
What producers charged
| Producer price index | Latest | 3 months | 12 months | 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPI industry data for Corrugated and solid fiber box manufacturing-Corrugated and solid fiber boxes, including pallets, not seasonally adjusted (PCU3222113222110, Index Mar 1980=100) | — | — | — | — |
Sources
- US Census, Economic Census 2022 (NAICS 322211)
- PPI Commodity data for Pulp, paper, and allied products-Converted paper and paperboard products, not seasonally adjusted (WPU0915, bls)
- PPI Commodity data for Fuels and related products and power-Industrial electric power, not seasonally adjusted (WPU0543, bls)
- PPI Commodity data for Fuels and related products and power-Industrial natural gas, not seasonally adjusted (WPU0553, bls)
- Average hourly earnings of all employees, manufacturing, not seasonally adjusted (CEU3000000003, bls)
- PPI industry data for Corrugated and solid fiber box manufacturing, not seasonally adjusted (PCU322211322211, bls)
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Fill in {requestedChange} as a fraction (0.09 is +9 %), or replace it with oldPrice, newPrice and currency; {oldPriceDate} and {effectiveDate} as YYYY-MM.
Method
The cost structure splits what producers in this industry spend into materials, labour, energy and the rest, from public statistics where they exist and labelled as an estimate where they don't. Each driver is a public index. A justified increase is each share times its driver's move since the old price, summed, with a range for how sure the shares are. The producer price index shows what producers actually charged over the same time.