40 



TIMBER TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES 



major displacement of nailed, lock-corner, and 

 wirebound boxes by corrugated and other fiber 

 boxes, metal and fiber drums, and multiwall paper 

 bags. Recent trends in use of various types of 

 containers are indicated by the changes in manu- 

 facturers' sales between 1952 and 1962, as shown 

 in the tabulation below. 



Percent 

 change 

 in sales 



Nailed and lock-corner boxes —57 



Wirebound boxes — 5 



Veneer containers —15 



Corrugated and solid fiber boxes +92 



Fiber cans, tubes, and drums +104 



Shipping sacks and multiwall bags +36 



Metal barrels, drums, and pails +37 



Lumber Use for Dunnage Has Not 

 Changed Appreciably in Last Decade 

 But Some Increase Likely 



About 840 million board feet of lumber was 

 used as dunnage, blocking, and bracing in the 

 loading of railway cars, ships, and trucks in 1962. 

 Reductions in such uses have been relatively 

 minor during the past decade in spite of trends 

 toward palletized shipping by truck and increased 

 bulk shipments. The demand for lumber for 

 dunnage, blocking, and bracing has been projected 

 to rise to about 1.1 billion board feet in 2000 

 (table 29j. 



The loss of markets for wooden boxes was at- 

 tributable to several factors, including high cost of 

 materials per unit of capacity, relatively heavier 

 weight of wooden containers, and greater difficulty 

 in automating packaging and shipping operations. 

 In addition, the increasing transportation of 

 merchandise by truck and greater use of pallets 

 have permitted use of containers that offer less 

 protection to merchandise than wood containers. 

 Wooden boxes and related containers have, how- 

 ever, continued to be used where products require 

 special protection, as in the shipment of instru- 

 ments, glass, and ceramics. 



In view of continuing improvements in use and 

 performance of corrugated and other containers, 

 including development of wet strength fiber 

 products, and plastic materials for shipments 

 requiring special protection, some further substitu- 

 tion for nailed and lock-corner boxes is expected 

 to occur. For all types of containers lumber use 

 in 2000 was projected at 0.8 billion board feet — 

 about 55 percent below the level of 1962 (table 29) . 



Plywood Use in Shipping Expected to Double 

 by 2000 — Not Much Change in Veneer 



Approximately 520 million square feet of ply- 

 wood (?8-inch basis) was used for the manufacture 

 of boxes, crates, pallets, and dunnage in 1962 — 

 an increase of nearly 27 percent over 1952 (table 

 30). During the same decade, consumption of 

 veneer for baskets, hampers, wirebound boxes and 

 crates, and other containers dropped from about a 

 billion square feet to 700 million square feet 

 (%-inch basis). 



On the basis of these recent trends and pro- 

 spective increases in industrial and farm output, 

 use of plywood in shipping has been projected 

 to rise to about 1.1 billion square feet by 2000. 

 Use of veneer has been assumed to remain at 

 about the 1962 level. 



Use of Wood for Pallets 

 Growing Steadily 



Between 1952 and 1962, lumber consumption in 

 pallets rose from 0.8 billion board feet to 1.7 billion 

 board feet, mainly as a result of new methods of 

 materials handling, the development of new types 

 of pallets, and expanded construction of facilities 

 geared to use of pallets. Although in the future 

 several factors such as improved design may tend 

 to reduce consumption of lumber for pallets, the 

 increase in number of pallets built is expected to 

 more than compensate. Lumber use for pallets 

 built has therefore been projected from 1.7 billion 

 board feet in 1962 to 3.5 billion board feet in 2000 

 (table 29). 



Table 30. — Plywood and veneer consumed in ship- 

 ping, 1H8-2000 



[Million square feet, ^i-inch basis] 



Year 



Total 



Plywood 



Veneer 



1948 



1,672 

 1,440 

 1,140 

 1,220 



312 

 410 

 480 

 520 



1,360 



1952 



1960 



1,030 

 660 



1962 



700 









PROJECTIONS 





1970 



1980 



1,400 



1,600 



,1,700 



1,800 



700 



900 



1,000 



1,100 



700 

 700 



1990 



700 



2000 



700 



