£3.1bn
£XXX.Xm
9,811
244
£XXX.Xm
The Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing industry faces the ever-growing threat and pressure of IT and telecommunications adoption, reducing paper usage. As such, over the five years through 2024-25, industry revenue is expected to slump at a compound annual rate of 2.8% to £3 billion. Some leading manufacturers like AW UK Holdings Ltd have exited the industry, while others have seen factory closures, such as the Stoneywood paper mill in Aberdeen in 2023-24, contributing to the industry's downfall. Following some companies’ exits, the industry is consolidating, with many more prominent manufacturers acquiring smaller businesses.
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 2.3 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated £3.1bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2025 | Revenue (£m)
2025 |
---|---|---|
DS Smith Paper Ltd | 555.1 | |
Smurfit Kappa UK Ltd | 477.9 | |
Holmen Iggesund Paperboard Ltd | 251.7 |
To view the market share and analysis for all 5 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.
Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Uncoated paper and paperboard, Newsprint and Coated paper and paperboard. Uncoated paper and paperboard is the largest segment of the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK.
Uncoated paper and paperboard sales expand as people return to work
Companies in this industry manufacture paper and paperboard products from wood pulp and recycled materials. A large proportion of the industry’s output is intended for processing by downstream manufacturers, like cardboard packaging manufacturers. However, the industry also supplies finished products like newsprint, writing paper and paperboard liners.
Purchase this report to view all 5 major companies in this industry.
SIC 17.12 - Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Brexit and the pandemic have disrupted industry performance. Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to falling business confidence, reduced sales and supply chain disrupti...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Uncoated paper and paperboard sales are on the rise. As employees return to offices post-pandemic, the demand for business printing, stationery and book publishing has booste...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
The North West is prime location for manufacturing sector. The region's excellent supply chain infrastructure and access to downstream markets make it an ideal location for p...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Competition pressures paper prices in the industry. The surge in both import and internal competition has led to a downward trend in prices, impacting profitability.
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
DS Smith Paper Ltd is the leading industry player. The company's success is attributed to its high profitability, operational efficiencies and ability to increase selling pri...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
The ISO 14001 certification enhances environmental performance in the industry. This standard encourages efficient use of resources and waste reduction, providing a competiti...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
The Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing industry faces profitability challenges. Factors such as the energy crisis, supply chain disruptions and internal competition are exertin...
Including values and annual change:
IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.
Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.
IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.
Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.
Key data sources in the UK include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.
Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.
Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.
The market size of the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom is £3.1bn in 2024.
There are 244 businesses in the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom, which has grown at a CAGR of 1.4 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom has been declining at a CAGR of 2.3 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing market in United Kingdom are DS Smith Paper Ltd, Smurfit Kappa UK Ltd and Holmen Iggesund Paperboard Ltd
Uncoated paper and paperboard and Coated paper and paperboard are part of the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK industry.
The company holding the most market share in United Kingdom is DS Smith Paper Ltd.
The level of competition is high and steady in the Paper & Paperboard Manufacturing in the UK industry in United Kingdom.