The pulp trade map: who ships to whom, 2015 to 2025

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In 2015, Canada sent China more pulp than any other country: 4.4 million tons. In 2025, Brazil sent China 10.6 million tons, and seven of the ten largest pulp routes in our data ended in China ¹. This post shows each route, the data rule behind it, and how the pulp travels.

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.

10.6 million tonsBrazil to China in 2025, the largest route in our data, as reported by Brazil ¹

80.5%Share of tons on the ten largest routes that ended in China in 2025, up from 64.8% in 2015 (our calculation) ¹

41.9%China's share of world pulp imports in 2024: 30.26 of 72.24 million tons, per FAO ²

2.54 million tonsPulp that left the Port of Vancouver in containers in 2024; 0.67 million tons left on breakbulk ships ³

The 60-second version

What is it?

A pulp route is the tons that one country sends to another in one year. We rank routes from the customs data of ten reporting countries, for every year from 2015 to 2025 ¹.

Why does it matter?

The map moved in ten years. Brazil to China is now the largest route, and Canada to China, the largest in 2015, fell to fourth ¹. A buyer or lender who still pictures the 2015 map misjudges who supplies whom.

How does it work?

For each route we use the exporter's data when the exporter is one of our ten reporters and its weights pass our checks. Otherwise we use the importer's data ¹. The pulp then goes to a port and sails in containers or on breakbulk ships ^3,6.

Myth or fact?

"Canada is still the largest pulp supplier to China."

See the answer

Myth. Canada to China was the largest route in 2015, at 4.4 million tons. In 2025 it was fourth, at 3.2 million tons, behind Brazil, Indonesia and Chile ¹.

In this page

1. Which pulp routes were the largest in 2025?
2. How did the map look ten years earlier?
3. Which country's data draws each route?
4. Which exporters rose and which fell?
5. Who are the largest buyers?
6. How does the pulp travel from mill to port to buyer?
7. What should a reader check before using a route number?

01Which pulp routes were the largest in 2025?

The largest route in 2025 was Brazil to China: 10.6 million tons, as reported by Brazil ¹. Three more routes into China followed: Indonesia (5.5 million tons), Chile (3.5 million) and Canada (3.2 million) ¹. The fifth was Brazil to the US, at 3.0 million tons ¹.

Seven of the ten largest routes ended in China. Together they carried 28.2 of the 35.1 million tons on the ten routes, or 80.5% (our calculation from ¹). The other three routes were Brazil to the US, Canada to the US and Brazil to Italy.

The data come from ten reporting countries: Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, India, Indonesia, Sweden, the US and Uruguay ¹. A route between two countries outside the ten does not appear. The map therefore shows the routes our data can see, and it gives no world total. Data for 2025 are provisional and may be revised ¹.

Chart

The 10 largest pulp routes in 2025

Million tons. Source: UN Comtrade. Each route uses the exporter's data when the exporter is one of our 10 reporting countries and its weights pass our checks; otherwise the importer's data. Routes between two countries outside the 10 are not shown.

02How did the map look ten years earlier?

In 2015 the largest route was Canada to China: 4.4 million tons, as reported by Canada ¹. Brazil to China was second, at 3.8 million tons. Canada to the US (2.9 million) and Indonesia to China (2.1 million) came next ¹.

Six of the ten largest routes ended in China, and they carried 15.5 of the 24.0 million tons on the ten routes, or 64.8% (our calculation from ¹).

Two routes changed most. Brazil to China grew from 3.8 to 10.6 million tons, about 2.8 times ¹. Canada to China fell 27.1%, from 4.4 to 3.2 million tons ¹. US to China was the fifth route in 2015, at 2.1 million tons. It is no longer in the top ten. China's own filing shows US pulp falling from 2.0 million tons in 2015 to 0.9 million in 2025 ¹. For the rules that apply to each origin today, see the pulp watch.

Chart

The 10 largest pulp routes in 2015

Million tons. Source: UN Comtrade. Each route uses the exporter's data when the exporter is one of our 10 reporting countries and its weights pass our checks; otherwise the importer's data. Routes between two countries outside the 10 are not shown.

03Which country's data draws each route?

Every trade flow is reported twice: once by the exporter and once by the importer. The two reports rarely match. We choose one report per route with a fixed rule ¹.

The rule is this. When the exporter is one of our ten reporters and its weights pass our checks, we use the exporter's data. In every other case we use the importer's data, which is called mirror data ¹. In 2015, nine of the ten largest routes used the exporter's data. In 2025, eight did ¹.

The two exceptions in 2025 are Russia to China (1.74 million tons) and Uruguay to China (1.80 million tons). Russia is outside our ten reporters, so China's data draw the route. Uruguay is one of the ten, but its own filing for 2024 shows one pulp entry of about 51 tons to Brazil, while China's filing shows 1.64 million tons from Uruguay ¹. All three Uruguayan pulp mills sit in free trade zones, and Uruguay's export agency builds its pulp figures from customs and company data ⁸. The sources we read do not say whether this explains the gap. For the full list of gaps between countries' numbers, see why numbers differ. For the mills themselves, see Chile and Uruguay.

Data rule

Which report we use for each route

Rule from our method note, applied to the ten reporters ¹. Tons are as reported for 2025.

Case	Report used	2025 example
The exporter is one of the ten reporters and its weights pass our checks	The exporter's data	Brazil to China: 10.6 million tons
The exporter is outside the ten reporters	The importer's data (mirror data)	Russia to China: 1.74 million tons
The exporter is one of the ten, and its own filing does not show the flow	The importer's data (mirror data)	Uruguay to China: 1.80 million tons
A route between two countries outside the ten	Not shown	None

04Which exporters rose and which fell?

Brazil's own customs data show exports of 12.0 million tons in 2015 and 22.3 million tons in 2025, up 86.0% ¹. Indonesia's exports about doubled, from 3.4 to 6.9 million tons ¹. Chile's rose from 4.3 to 5.4 million tons, up 25.9% ¹.

Canada went the other way. Its exports fell from 9.7 million tons in 2015 to 6.9 million tons in 2025, down 28.5% ¹. Sweden and Finland together exported 6.7 million tons in 2015 and 8.1 million in 2025, in years with usable data ¹.

The chart has gaps on purpose. US weights for 2018 and 2025 and Finland's weights for 2019 failed our checks, so those years are left out. Most US weights are estimates made by the UN ¹. For Brazil's side of the story, see Brazil: can the largest pulp exporter keep growing?

Chart

Pulp exports by country, 2015 to 2025

• Brazil
• Indonesia
• Canada
• Chile
• United States
• Sweden and Finland

Million tons. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by each exporting country; partner rows; weights that failed checks are left out. 2025 data may be revised. Gaps: US 2018 and 2025, Finland 2019 (weights failed our checks). Most US weights are UN estimates.

05Who are the largest buyers?

FAO data for 2024 put China first by a wide margin: 30.26 million tons out of 72.24 million tons of world pulp imports, or 41.9% ². The US was second at 6.28 million tons (8.7%) and Germany third at 4.74 million tons (6.6%) ².

Six European Union members are among the 12 largest importers: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Poland. Together they imported 14.10 million tons, or 19.5% of the world total (our calculation from ²). India imported 2.51 million tons ².

This chart uses FAO data, and the route charts use UN Comtrade data. The two sources count slightly differently. For 2024, China's imports are 30.3 million tons in FAO data and 30.2 million tons in China's own Comtrade filing ^1,2. The post China: the largest buyer is building its own mills shows how much of China's pulp use still comes from imports.

Chart

The 12 largest pulp importers in 2024

Million tons. Source: FAOSTAT Forestry, item 1875 Wood pulp (downloaded October 2026). European Union members in orange. China (mainland) excludes Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

06How does the pulp travel from mill to port to buyer?

Pulp ships as baled units. Mercer's datasheet for its Stendal mill lists 250 kg bales and a 2-ton unit of eight bales ⁷. Mercer delivers the overseas-bound pulp from its Canadian mills first by rail to the Port of Vancouver ⁹. From a port, pulp goes by sea in one of two ways.

The first way is breakbulk: the carrier loads units loose into the hold of a ship. The second is the container. At the Port of Vancouver in 2024, 2.54 million tons of pulp left in containers and 0.67 million tons on breakbulk ships ³. In Brazil, HMM's Hyundai Paramount carried 150 containers of 26 tons each, 3,900 tons in total, from Santos to Ningbo in February 2022, a single-vessel container record for the producer Bracell ⁶.

Some cargoes are very large. In 2024, the Green Santos, then the world's largest specialized pulp ship, carried 72,000 tons of Suzano pulp to China in one cargo. The ship has a deadweight of 77,000 tons ^4,5. It left Santos on March 4 and arrived in China on April 9, about five weeks later (our count of the days between the two dates) ⁴.

During the voyage, someone holds the value of the cargo, and that money is working capital tied up at sea. See cash in the chain, inventory finance and the cash conversion cycle in the Ossiano Trade Finance Guide.

1. Bale and unit250 kg bales, eight to a 2-ton unit, wired together ⁷.
2. Rail to the portMercer's overseas-bound pulp from its Canadian mills goes first by rail to the Port of Vancouver ⁹.
3. ContainerAt Vancouver in 2024, 2.54 million tons left in containers ³.
4. Breakbulk shipAt Vancouver in 2024, 0.67 million tons left on breakbulk ships ³.
5. Large dedicated cargoThe Green Santos, then the world's largest specialized pulp ship, carried 72,000 tons from Santos to China in 2024 ⁴.

Pulp travels in wired units of eight bales, by breakbulk ship or in containers ⁷.

07What should a reader check before using a route number?

A route number is only useful with its basis. The checklist sets out five questions. For a first introduction to the whole market, see pulp in five minutes, and to follow one bale step by step, see follow one bale.

Checklist

Five questions before you use a route number

• Whose data?Check whether the route comes from the exporter's or the importer's filing. The two usually differ.
• Which year?Data for 2025 are provisional and may be revised ¹.
• Tons or value?A route can rise in tons and fall in value. Price changes can move value while tons stay the same. See two prices for one ton.
• Which products?Our routes add seven customs codes of pulp together ¹. Grades are priced differently.
• Inside the ten?A route between two countries outside the ten reporters is missing from the map ¹.

What this means for traders

• In 2025, seven of the ten largest routes ended in China, so a change in Chinese demand reaches sellers on several continents.
• Supply moved to Brazil and Indonesia, and Canada's exports fell. Check any old supplier map before you price a deal.
• Always ask whose data a route number comes from. The exporter's and the importer's numbers differ.

Questions traders ask

What was the largest pulp trade route in 2025?

Brazil to China, at 10.6 million tons as reported by Brazil. It was almost twice the next route, Indonesia to China at 5.5 million tons. These figures come from UN Comtrade data for ten reporting countries.

What was the largest pulp trade route in 2015?

Canada to China, at 4.4 million tons as reported by Canada. Brazil to China was second at 3.8 million tons.

Which country's data do you use for each route?

The exporter's data, when the exporter is one of our ten reporting countries and its weights pass our checks. In every other case, the importer's data.

How much of the world's pulp does China import?

In 2024, China imported 30.26 million tons out of 72.24 million tons of world pulp imports, or 41.9%, according to FAO data.

How does pulp travel by sea?

It sails in containers or loose in the hold of breakbulk ships. At the Port of Vancouver in 2024, 2.54 million tons of pulp left in containers and 0.67 million tons on breakbulk ships.

Read next

• Start hereWhy countries' pulp numbers don't match
• Start hereFollow one bale: from a Brazilian tree to a tissue roll in China
• Makers and buyersChina: the largest buyer is building its own mills
• Makers and buyersBrazil: can the largest pulp exporter keep growing?
• Start herePulp in five minutes: what it is and why the world ships 73 million tons of it
• 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.

Start the Conversation

Sources and notes

1. UN Comtrade Plus, HS 470100, 470200, 470311, 470319, 470321, 470329 and 470500, yearly data reported by Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, India, Indonesia, Sweden, the US and Uruguay, 2015 to 2025; partner rows; weights that failed checks left out; 2025 provisional; downloaded October 2026 and checked by us. https://comtradeplus.un.org/
2. FAOSTAT, Forestry Production and Trade, item 1875 Wood pulp, 1961 to 2024 (2024 imports used here), downloaded October 2026. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FO
3. Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, 2024 Port of Vancouver Statistics Overview, March 2025 (outbound woodpulp: 2.54 million tons in containers, 0.67 million tons breakbulk). https://www.portvancouver.com/sites/default/files/2025-03/2024%20Port%20of%20Vancouver%20Statistics%20Overview%20%28EN%29.pdf
4. Pulpapernews, The world's largest woodpulp specialized vessel completes its first journey to China, April 12, 2024; IPIM Macao, Suzano sends the world's largest pulp cargo by ship to China, April 12, 2024 (72,000 tons; left Santos March 4, arrives April 9). https://pulpapernews.com/en/node/15569
5. EUWID Pulp and Paper, Suzano receives first vessel for pulp transport from Cosco, January 10, 2024 (deadweight 77,000 tons). https://www.euwid-paper.com/news/companies/suzano-receives-first-vessel-for-pulp-transport-from-cosco-100124/
6. Datamar News, Bracell scores new single-vessel container shipment record, March 2, 2022 (150 containers of 26 tons, Santos to Ningbo). https://datamarnews.com/noticias/bracell-scores-new-single-vessel-cointainer-shipment-record/
7. Mercer International, Mercer Stendal ECF Product Datasheet, June 2025 (250 kg bales; unit of 8 bales, 2 tons). https://mercerint.com/wp-content/uploads/MPP.MS-Product-Datasheet-ECF-202505.pdf
8. Uruguay XXI, Informe de Comercio Exterior, April 2025 and February 2025 (export figures built from customs, Nueva Palmira free zone, UPM and Montes del Plata data); Uruguay XXI, Exportaciones de bienes con zonas francas 2023, July 2023 (the three pulp mills sit in free zones). https://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/uploads/informacion/9e5d5c9b048b90b725e964653e91c852e2d1a625.pdf
9. Mercer International Inc., Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (overseas pulp from Canadian mills delivered by rail to the Port of Vancouver). https://de.mercerint.com/wp-content/uploads/MERC_10K_2025_DEC31.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 page. Prepared for Ossiano Capital. People planned, researched, wrote and checked this page, 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.