Ten myths about pulp

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Uruguay's own 2024 filing to the UN lists one pulp export entry, worth $52,244. FAO records 4.1 million tons of pulp exports from Uruguay in that year ^1,2. This post tests ten beliefs about pulp. Each one gets a verdict, a sourced fact and a link to the post that explains it.

Published October 27, 2026 · Facts as of October 27, 2026 · 10 min read · Sources listed at the end

Facts as of October 27, 2026. This page states the facts as they stood on that date. Figures, rules and company plans may have changed since publication. We review this guide every six months and update the pages.

$52,244The only pulp entry in Uruguay's own 2024 filing to the UN, against 4.1 million tons in FAO data ^1,2

52.7%Share of China's 2024 pulp use covered by imports, down from 66.0% in 2015, our calculation from FAO data ³

7 vs 60 to 80Years between planting and harvest: about 7 in Brazil (Suzano), a normal 60 to 80 in southern Finland (Finnish Forest Association) ^4,5

7.5%Brazil's share of India's 2025 pulp imports, against 32.1% of China's, as reported by each importer ⁶

The 60-second version

What is it?

Pulp is easy to get wrong. Prices, trade data, trees and new products all have popular stories attached. This post takes ten of them and gives each a verdict: Myth, Mostly myth or Partly true.

Why does it matter?

A trader, buyer or lender who repeats a myth can misjudge a price, a supplier or a risk. Every fact below comes from a source already cited in the series, and each myth links to the post that gives the full evidence.

How does it work?

The ten myths sit in four groups: numbers and data, trees and mills, China, and new products and rules. A table or chart shows each group. A short checklist at the end gives five questions to test the next pulp claim you hear.

Myth or fact?

"Uruguay sells very little pulp, because its customs data show almost none."

See the answer

Myth. FAO records 4.1 million tons of pulp exports from Uruguay in 2024. China's customs alone recorded 1.64 million tons from Uruguay in that year. Uruguay's own filing to the UN lists one pulp entry, worth $52,244 ^1,2.

In this post

1. Which myths come from how pulp numbers are quoted?
2. Which myths are about trees and mills?
3. Is China about to stop buying imported pulp?
4. Which myths are about new products and new rules?
5. How can a reader test the next pulp claim?

01Which myths come from how pulp numbers are quoted?

Three of the ten myths come from reading a number without asking where it comes from.

The first is price. Mercer, a pulp exporter, reported an average of $1,710 a ton on list in North America and $722 a ton net in China for 2025 ⁷. The first number is before discounts and the second is after them. Fastmarkets says discounts off gross and list prices in Europe and North America stand at over 50% ⁸. Compare the two prices only after you know which one you hold.

The second is Uruguay. Its own customs filing leaves out nearly all of its pulp, so the filing says little about what the country ships ². The mirror data of its buyers and the FAO figure show the real size. The post on data gaps explains how to read both sides.

The third is India. Importers differ, and so do their suppliers. South Africa, not Brazil, is India's largest source ⁶. India's largest single grade is dissolving pulp, at 30.5% of its 2025 imports ⁶.

Myths 1 to 3

Numbers and data

Verdicts are ours. Each fact carries the number of its source.

Myth	Verdict	What the sources say	Read more
Pulp in China sells at less than half the price paid in North America.	Mostly myth	The $1,710 North American figure is a 2025 list price before discounts. The $722 China figure is a net price after discounts. Mercer says its net sales prices in China end up generally similar to other markets 7.	One ton of pulp, two prices
Uruguay sells very little pulp, because its customs data show almost none.	Myth	FAO records 4.1 million tons of pulp exports from Uruguay in 2024. China's customs alone recorded 1.64 million tons from Uruguay. Uruguay's own filing lists one pulp entry, worth $52,244 1,2.	Chile and Uruguay
India buys its pulp mostly from Brazil, as China does.	Myth	Brazil supplied 7.5% of India's 2025 pulp imports, about 204,000 tons, and was sixth. South Africa was first with 19.4%. Brazil supplied 32.1% of China's imports. Dissolving pulp was India's largest grade, at 30.5% 6.	India: the buyer that makes clothes

FAO records 4.1 million tons of pulp exports from Uruguay in 2024. Uruguay's own filing to the UN lists one entry ^1,2.

02Which myths are about trees and mills?

The next three myths are about how pulp is made.

The tree myth is about time. Suzano says its forestry cycle in Brazil lasts about seven years, and Ibá gives an average eucalyptus cycle of 6.7 years in its report on 2022 data ^4,9. The Finnish Forest Association gives 60 to 80 years as the normal rotation in southern Finland ⁵. The tree race looks at what that gap means for where new mills are built.

The energy myth says a pulp mill is a heavy user of fossil fuel and grid power. Metsa states 240% electricity self-sufficiency for Aanekoski and 250% for Kemi ^10,11. These are company statements, and older or smaller mills can differ. See mills that make their own power.

The size myth says a very large mill takes years to reach full output. The sources show a mixed picture. A trade article reports that Suzano's Cerrado mill reached rated output in under six months ¹². Metsa's Kemi mill had an evaporation plant explosion that stopped production until June 2024 ^13,14. So the verdict is Partly true. Why new pulp mills are so big gives the full record.

Myths 4 to 6

Trees, energy and mill size

Energy figures are company statements. Verdicts are ours.

Myth	Verdict	What the sources say	Read more
A pulp tree takes the same long time to grow everywhere.	Myth	Suzano says about 7 years in Brazil, and Ibá gives 6.7 years for eucalyptus in its report on 2022 data. The Finnish Forest Association gives 60 to 80 years as the normal rotation in southern Finland 4,9,5.	The tree race
A pulp mill is a heavy user of fossil fuel and grid power.	Mostly myth	Modern kraft mills burn the wood residue they make. Metsa states 240% electricity self-sufficiency for Aanekoski and 250% for Kemi 10,11. UPM reports 92% biogenic fuels at Fray Bentos in 2024 25.	Mills that make their own power
A mega mill takes years to reach full output.	Partly true	A trade article reports that Cerrado reached rated output in under six months. Metsa's Kemi mill lost production to an evaporation plant explosion until June 2024 12,13,14.	Why new pulp mills are so big

03Is China about to stop buying imported pulp?

The data show that China's reported imports rose from 19.8 million tons in 2015 to 32.5 million tons in 2025 ¹⁵. Over the ten years imports rose. China's own production grew faster, so imports covered a smaller share of use: 66.0% in 2015 and 52.7% in 2024, our calculation from FAO data ³.

So the myth has a true part. China builds mills, and the import share is falling. The false part is the word "stop". A trade blog reported that a PPPC speaker said at a 2026 conference that some announced capacity may be delayed or cancelled ¹⁶. All FAO figures for China's own production are estimates ³. Verdict: Mostly myth. Read the post on China for the builders and the pipeline. The chart shows both lines: own production and imports, as FAO records them.

Chart

China (mainland): own production against imports, 2000 to 2024

• Own production (FAO estimate)
• Imports

Million tons. Source: FAOSTAT Forestry, item 1875 Wood pulp (downloaded October 2026). All FAO figures for China's production are FAO estimates.

04Which myths are about new products and new rules?

Pulp news often mixes plans with plants. Three myths in this group come from that mix.

Sappi says viscose staple fiber provides more than 80% of global wood-based cellulosic fiber ¹⁷. New fibers have had setbacks. Spinnova said in February 2026 that demo production was halted for the time being and began trial runs in April 2026, Infinited Fiber has a permit but no investment decision, and Metsa Group's Kuura mill was reported cancelled on August 13, 2026 ^18,19,20. See clothes from trees.

Paper bottles are real, and the numbers we found are small. A wine trade site reported that more than 4 million Frugal Bottles have been made in total, relaying a bottle plant's statement ²¹. Paboco's target of over 20 million bottles by the end of 2025 was a statement made in February 2024, and we found no published output ²². See pulp against plastic.

The EU rule reaches further than its country list suggests. Canada, Chile, Uruguay, the US, Finland and Sweden are low risk ²³. Importers of pulp from low-risk countries skip the risk assessment and mitigation steps, and still collect the information and file the statement ²³. The rule applies to medium and large companies from December 30, 2026 ²⁴. Dates and rates are kept in pulp watch.

Myths 8 to 10

New fibers, paper bottles and the EU rule

Myth 7 is the China chart above. Verdicts are ours.

Myth	Verdict	What the sources say	Read more
New wood-based fibers are about to replace viscose and cotton.	Mostly myth	Sappi says viscose staple fiber provides more than 80% of global wood-based cellulosic fiber. Spinnova said in February 2026 that demo production was halted for the time being and began trial runs in April 2026, Infinited Fiber has a permit but no investment decision, and Metsa Group's Kuura mill was reported cancelled on August 13, 2026 17,18,19,20.	Clothes from trees
Paper bottles are already made in large numbers.	Partly true	A wine trade site reports that more than 4 million Frugal Bottles have been made in total, relaying a bottle plant's statement. Paboco's target of over 20 million by the end of 2025 was a statement made in February 2024, and we found no published output 21,22.	Pulp against plastic
The EU deforestation rule only affects pulp from high-risk countries.	Myth	Pulp from low-risk countries such as Canada, Chile, Uruguay, the US, Finland and Sweden skips the risk assessment and risk mitigation steps. The importer still collects the information and files the statement 23,24.	Tracing the tree

05How can a reader test the next pulp claim?

The ten myths have one thing in common. Each one is a sentence that sounds right, and each one fails a simple check against a named source. Some are Myth, some are Mostly myth, and two are only Partly true. That mix is the point: a verdict is a label for what the sources show, and it can change when the data change.

Each myth above fails one simple test. The checklist turns those tests into five questions. Ask them before you repeat a number, sign a contract, agree payment terms or approve a loan.

For how price and buyer risk enter a deal, see how trade finance is priced and structured commodity finance in the Ossiano Trade Finance Guide.

Checklist

Five questions to test a pulp claim

• List or net?A list price is before discounts. A net price is after them. Mercer's 2025 gap was $1,710 against $722 ⁷.
• Whose data?Check both sides of a trade. Uruguay's own filing shows one entry while China's customs show 1.64 million tons ². See why countries' numbers differ.
• Which stage?Ask whether a product is in production, being built, planned, a pilot or in the lab. Kuura was reported cancelled on August 13, 2026 ²⁰.
• Which date?Rules change. The EU rule applies to medium and large companies from December 30, 2026 ²⁴. Check pulp watch.
• Which share?A rise in imports can sit beside a fall in import share. China's imports rose while their share of use fell from 66.0% to 52.7% ³.

Each question matches one or more of the ten myths.

What this means for traders

• Ask what a pulp number measures before you compare it: list or net, which reporter, which year.
• Check the stage of any new product or mill before you rely on its volume. Plans, pilots and plants carry different risk.
• Check dates and country risk lists in pulp watch before you assume a rule does not reach your cargo.

Questions traders ask

Does Uruguay export very little pulp?

No. FAO records 4.1 million tons of pulp exports from Uruguay in 2024. Uruguay's own filing to the UN lists only one pulp entry, so that filing understates the trade.

Is pulp in China really less than half the price of pulp in North America?

Mostly no. Mercer's 2025 averages were $1,710 a ton on list in North America and $722 net in China. The first number is before discounts and the second is after them.

Will China stop importing pulp?

The data show imports rose from 19.8 million tons in 2015 to 32.5 million tons in 2025. Imports covered 52.7% of China's pulp use in 2024, down from 66.0% in 2015, because China's own output grew faster.

Why do pulp trees grow faster in Brazil than in Finland?

The sources give the times and not the cause. Suzano says about 7 years in Brazil. The Finnish Forest Association gives 60 to 80 years as the normal rotation in southern Finland.

Does the EU deforestation rule apply to pulp from low-risk countries?

Yes. Importers of pulp from low-risk countries skip the risk assessment and risk mitigation steps. They still collect the information and file the due diligence statement.

Read next

• Money and rulesOne ton of pulp, two prices: $1,710 or $722?
• Makers and buyersChile and Uruguay: big mills, small countries
• Makers and buyersChina: the largest buyer is building its own mills
• Inside the millMills that make their own power: energy, water and the recovery boiler
• InnovationClothes from trees: dissolving pulp, viscose and new fibers
• Money and rulesPulp watch: every rule and date in one place
• Ossiano Trade Finance GuideHow each trade finance instrument works
• GlossaryTrade finance terms in plain English

Buying or selling pulp across borders? Ossiano Capital works on trade finance for pulp and paper trades.

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Sources and notes

1. FAOSTAT Forestry, item 1875 Wood pulp, production and export quantities for Chile and Uruguay, 1961 to 2024 (downloaded October 2026). https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FO
2. UN Comtrade, exports reported by Chile (HS 4702, 470311, 470321, 470329), 2015 to 2025; imports reported by China from Chile and Uruguay, 2015 to 2025; Uruguay's own 2024 filing. Rows with usable weights only; downloaded October 2026 and checked by us. https://comtradeplus.un.org/
3. FAOSTAT Forestry, item 1875 Wood pulp, China mainland and World, production and imports, 1961 to 2024; downloaded October 2026. FAO figures for China's production are FAO estimates. Shares are our calculation. Use is production plus imports minus exports. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FO
4. Suzano, Behind our innovation, there is BIO, Suzano Biopulp, June 1, 2026; and Suzano sustainability center, Planting (5 to 7 years from planting to harvest). https://biopulp.suzano.com.br/news/behind-our-innovation-there-is-bio
5. Finnish Forest Association, forest.fi glossary, Periodic cover silviculture (normal rotation 60 to 80 years in southern Finland), undated. https://forest.fi/glossary/periodic-cover-silviculture-jaksollinen-metsankasvatus/
6. UN Comtrade, imports reported by India, HS 470100, 470200, 470311, 470319, 470321, 470329 and 470500, 2015 to 2025, partner rows with usable weights; imports reported by China, HS 470200 and all pulp codes; exports reported by Indonesia to India and China, 2025; downloaded October 2026 and checked by us. 2025 data may be revised. https://comtradeplus.un.org/
7. Mercer International Inc., Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, Item 1, NBSK pulp pricing (annual average prices, 2025 and 2024; list and net basis). https://de.mercerint.com/wp-content/uploads/MERC_10K_2025_DEC31.pdf
8. Fastmarkets, FAQs: North American pulp prices, July 2026. https://www.fastmarkets.com/uploads/2026/07/FAQs-NA-pulp-prices.pdf
9. Ibá (Indústria Brasileira de Árvores), Relatório Anual 2023 (data for 2022), 2023, p. 49: average eucalyptus cycle of 6.7 years. https://static.poder360.com.br/2024/05/Relatorio_Anual_2023_Iba.pdf
10. Metsa, Aanekoski bioproduct mill page (undated); Pulpapernews, Metsa Group inaugurates new Aanekoski pulp and bioproducts mill (inauguration October 18, 2017). https://www.metsagroup.com/metsafibre/about-metsafibre/pulp-production/aanekoski-bioproduct-mill/
11. Metsa, Kemi bioproduct mill brochure (undated; mill started September 20, 2023): 250% electricity self-sufficiency, bark gasification. https://metsagroup.com/globalassets/metsa-fibre/attachments/brochures/metsa-fibre-kemi-bioproduct-mill-en-lowress.pdf
12. The Packaging Portal, Suzano reaches nominal capacity and 1 million tons of production in record time, February 20, 2025, and EUWID, Suzano's Cerrado pulp mill to exceed nominal capacity, June 15, 2026. https://www.euwid-paper.com/news/companies/suzanos-cerrado-pulp-mill-to-exceed-nominal-capacity-150626/
13. Metsa Group, Kemi bioproduct mill moves towards full capacity production, December 5, 2023. https://www.metsagroup.com/metsafibre/news-and-publications/news/2023/metsa-groups-kemi-bioproduct-mill-moves-towards-full-capacity-production/
14. Metsa Group, Metsa Group Kemi bioproduct mill inaugurated, October 23, 2024. https://www.metsagroup.com/news-and-publications/news/2024/metsa-group-kemi-bioproduct-mill-inaugurated/
15. UN Comtrade, imports reported by China, HS 470100, 470200, 470311, 470319, 470321, 470329 and 470500, 2015 to 2025, partner rows with usable weights; 2025 is provisional; downloaded October 2026 and checked by us. https://comtradeplus.un.org/
16. Treefrog Creative, International Pulp Week 2026: China and Asia in Focus, May 12, 2026, reporting Li Meng of the PPPC Beijing office (a trade blog report of a presentation). https://treefrogcreative.ca/international-pulp-week-2026-china-and-asia-in-focus/
17. Sappi, Pulp products page (undated, read October 17, 2026). https://www.sappi.com/en-gb/products-services/products/pulp-products
18. Spinnova Plc, financial statements bulletin January to December 2025, February 12, 2026; Textile World, Spinnova Begins Trial Runs At Woodspin Demo Factory And Prepares To Restart Production, April 12, 2026. https://mfn.se/cis/a/spinnova/spinnova-plcs-financial-statements-bulletin-january-december-2025-spinnova-developed-its-technology-to-be-more-cost-efficient-and-advanced-the-consortium-building-186073c6
19. EUWID, Infinited Fiber plans EUR400m investment at Stora Enso Veitsiluoto mill, June 30, 2022; Yle, 400 million euro factory investment in Kemi is on ice, May 28, 2025; Uusiouutiset, March 24, 2026. https://yle.fi/a/74-20164396
20. Textile World, report on the start of pre-engineering of Metsa Group's Kuura mill, February 2025; Packaging Insights, Metsa pivots from textile fibers to food packaging as market conditions reshape strategy, August 13, 2026. https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/metsa-pivots-textiles-fiber-food-packaging.html
21. Wine Industry Advisor, California Paper Bottle Facility Marks Two Years of Growth as US Brands Move Beyond Glass, October 22, 2026. https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2026/10/22/california-paper-bottle-facility-marks-two-years-of-growth/
22. Packaging Europe, Paboco commences full-scale production for fiber-based bottles, February 20, 2024. https://www.packagingeurope.com/paboco-commences-full-scale-production-for-fibre-based-bottles/
23. EUR-Lex, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 of May 22, 2025 (country risk list) and Article 13 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32025R1093
24. EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, consolidated text as at December 26, 2025 (Articles 2, 3, 4, 9 and 25; Annex I). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02023R1115-20251226
25. UPM, UPM Fray Bentos Environmental and Societal Responsibility 2024 (EMAS statement), published September 2025. https://www.upm.com/siteassets/reporting-hub/emas-reports/emas-report-2024---upm-fray-bentos-mill-english.pdf

Trade figures come from UN Comtrade (2015 to 2025, as reported by 10 countries) and FAOSTAT (1961 to 2024), checked and recalculated by us; each chart names whose data it uses. All tons are metric tons. All facts on this page are as of October 27, 2026, the date of publication, and may have changed since. For rules and tariffs, check the pulp watch before you act.

About this post. Prepared for Ossiano Capital. People planned, researched, wrote and checked this post, using AI tools to help with research and checking. You are welcome to quote or reuse it: please credit Ossiano Capital and link to this page.