The market price of cultural paper is affected by raw material costs, supply and demand, and industry concentration, and has recently shown a fluctuating upward trend. According to market dynamics, from the end of 2025 to the beginning of 2026, several leading paper companies (such as Shanying, Nine Dragons, and APP) raised the price of cultural paper (such as copy paper and offset paper) by 200 yuan per ton, with some companies seeing a cumulative increase of over 400 yuan per ton throughout the year. As of March 2026, the average market price of 70g high-whiteness offset paper was approximately 4725 yuan per ton, and 157g coated paper was approximately 4690 yuan per ton.
The main reasons for the price increase include:
Rising raw material costs: Imported wood pulp prices have increased by over 20% year-on-year, accounting for 70%-80% of production costs;
Demand driven by the industry's peak season: September to November is the publishing bidding season, creating rigid demand for textbook and supplementary material paper;
Supply-side contraction: Stricter environmental policies and shutdowns for maintenance by some leading companies have led to tight supply.
Although paper companies have frequently raised prices to improve profitability, actual gross profit margins remain low, with some products even showing negative theoretical gross profit margins, reflecting that cost pressures have not yet been fully passed on to end users. Future price trends will depend on wood pulp supply, the US dollar exchange rate, and the recovery of domestic demand.
