According to the monitoring of the Commodity Market Analysis System of SunSirs, the prices of softwood pulp and hardwood pulp pulp have shown a trend of going against each other recently, with softwood pulp experiencing a weak downward trend and hardwood pulp pulp experiencing a strong upward trend. On October 16th, the average market price of softwood pulp in Shandong Province was 5,550 RMB/ton, a decrease of 1.48% compared to the average price on October 1st. On October 16th, the average market price of hardwood pulp pulp in Shandong Province was 4,250 RMB/ton, an increase of 0.39% compared to the average price on October 1st.

In terms of supply: Recently, the global pulp market has shown a pattern of oversupply, with stable production and operation of overseas pulp plants, and stable shipping volume. In addition, the increase in external quotations from top pulp factories has provided support for costs, while domestic port inventory pressure continues, and old warehouse receipts still exert pressure on recent contracts. As of October 13, 2025, the pulp inventory of major ports in China was 2.6841 million tons, an increase of 65,600 tons from the previous period and a month on month increase of 2.51%. Due to slower port shipments during the National Day holiday, there is an increased risk of oversupply in the spot market after the holiday.

In terms of demand, the downstream paper market is showing a differentiated state, with plans to increase the white cardboard market, but weak demand for cultural paper and a lower operating rate for mid-range products; The demand for household paper or inventory is favorable for the strengthening of paper prices, but the future market demand will weaken, and paper prices may be mainly under pressure. There are slight differences in the price trends of various paper types, and overall procurement is still dominated by rigid demand, with relatively weak support for pulp prices.

In terms of futures: Recently, pulp futures prices have fallen more or risen less. As of October 16th, the opening price of the main pulp futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was 5,172 RMB/ton, the closing price was 5,152 RMB/ton, the highest price was 5,190 RMB/ton, the trading volume was 123,600 lots, and the position was 170,927 lots.

SunSirs wood pulp analysts believe that after the end of the National Day holiday in the near future, paper mills are in a state of resuming production, and demand may gradually recover. However, the high inventory in ports still has a restraining effect on the rise of wood pulp prices, and it is expected that wood pulp prices will continue to fluctuate at the bottom in the short term.

If you have any enquiries or purchasing needs, please feel free to contact SunSirs with support@sunsirs.com.