430 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTLTRB 



100 110 120 130 140 150 



POPULATION !N MILLIONS 



60 



160 220 280 340 400 



GNP (BILLION 1953 DOLLARS) 

 SOURCE: Paperboord; 19M-1938 ond 1940-1941; Ameman PapEt and Pulp 

 Association, STATISTICS OF PAPER , reporting stotistits of the 

 Bureoi, of the Census. 1939 ond 1942-1955: U.S. Deportment of 

 Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Gross National Product ond 

 Population: joint Committee on the Economic Report, POTENTIAL 

 ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE NEXT 

 DECADE, Washington, D. C. 1954. 



Figure 124 



creased from about 1.8 million tons in 1925, to 7.3 

 million tons in 1955 (fig. 125), somewhat faster 

 than gross national product and population. 

 Indicated demand for container board in 1975, 

 on the basis of that relationship, is estimated at 

 12.9 million tons. However, a large part of the 

 displacement of nailed wooden boxes by fiber 

 packing cases and cartons has already occurred, 

 and consumption may not continue to increase 

 quite as rapidly in the future. On the other hand, 

 there is the definite possibility that container 

 board capable of withstanding high humidity and 

 water condensation ^v^ll be perfected and become 



available at low cost, with consequent increases in 

 demand. 



With consideration of the above factors, medium 

 demand for container board in 1975 is estimated 

 at 12.5 million tons, 71 percent above 1955 

 consumption. 



Bending board, one of the newer paperboard 

 products, is used largely for cereal boxes, frozen 

 food wrappers, milk cartons, toothpaste tube 

 boxes and hundreds of similar packages for con- 

 sumer goods. Consumption increased from 796 

 thousand tons in 1927 to 3.9 million tons in 1955. 

 If the consumption of bending board continues to 

 maintain its relationship with gross national prod- 

 uct and population, medium demand in 1975 may 

 amomit to 7.5 million tons, an increase of 92 

 percent over consumption in 1955. 



Nonbending board, one of the older paperboard 

 products, is typically used for shoe boxes, hat 

 boxes, filing boxes, and book covers. Consump- 

 tion increased from 444 thousand tons in 1927 to 

 1.0 miUion tons in 1955. The trend has been 

 different from the trend in consumption of other 

 classes of paperboard, principally because of dis- 

 placement by bending board in a number of 

 important uses.'^° In the past, there has been 

 very little relation between consumption of non- 

 bending board and changes in gross national 

 product and population. However, with respect 

 to many uses, displacement of nonbendmg board 

 by other types of board does not seem likely and 

 a moderate increase in demand can be reasonably 

 anticipated. The estimate of medium demand is 

 1.5 million tons in 1975 or 50 percent above the 

 level of consumption in 1955. 



Building board, in Census paperboard statistics, 

 includes a variety of products ranging from very 

 low density acoustical tile to high density hard- 

 boards.^''^ Because the mix of these products has 



1^" Bending board containers are shipped to user flattened 

 out and require less protection in shipment and occupy 

 less storage space. The box made of nonbending board 

 is normally set up before shipment to the user, and such 

 shipments are bulky, require rigid packing cases and 

 occupy a considerable amount of storage space. Yet, for 

 a number of uses, the disadvantages associated with 

 nonbending board cannot very well be avoided. Hats, 

 for instance, require a rigid package to keep them from 

 being crushed out of shape. 



1^' Resin-bonded particle board — another type of sheet 

 material — is ordinarily manufactured by pressing a blend 

 of wood particles and thermosetting resins in multiplaten 

 hot presses or by forcing the material through an extrusion 

 press. It is adaptable for many uses in construction and 

 fabricated products as a substitute for lumber and ply- 

 wood and is used interchangeably with conventional 

 hardboard. It is a relatively new product developed 

 almost entirely since 1948. While the annual productive 

 capacity of the industry in 1956 was estimated in excess 

 of 700 million square feet, % inch basis, no data on actual 

 production exist. Because it is produced from residues 

 from other wood-using plants at some relative cost ad- 

 vantage over competing materials, and technological 

 improvements in the product may possibly open new 

 fields of use, the demand for particle board, as for other 

 sheet materials, is expected to grow rapidly in the years 

 ahead. 



