What’s Happening to Packaging Costs Right Now And What Brands Should Know
If paperboard costs have felt unpredictable lately, you’re not imagining it. The materials that go into making folding cartons and printed packaging such as SBS board, inks, coatings, adhesives are being affected by a combination of forces that show no sign of stabilizing anytime soon.
Here’s what’s driving it, and how companies can respond.
Tariffs are hitting materials hard.
SBS board, the solid bleached sulfate paperboard used in most premium folding cartons is sourced globally, and tariff changes are creating real cost pressure across the supply chain. Major North American producers pushed through a $60 per ton price increase in June 2026.
Inks are feeling it too. Many pigments and chemical components used in printing inks are imported, and tariff fluctuations are pushing ink prices in ways that are difficult to predict or absorb without passing some of it along. The instability runs deeper than tariffs. The Middle East conflict has disrupted the supply of naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock for printing inks, forcing major ink manufacturers including Flint Group and Hubergroup to announce immediate price increases.
Energy costs are compounding the problem.
Gas and energy prices affect packaging costs in ways most companies don’t think about. Manufacturing facilities run on energy. Freight runs on fuel. When energy prices spike, the cost of producing and shipping packaging moves with them even if the raw material prices haven’t changed.
The result is a pricing environment where multiple inputs are moving at once, making it harder than ever to get a stable number and plan around it.
What about CRB?
Not all paperboard is moving in the same direction. CRB is coated recycled board, the boxboard made from recycled fiber that's common in cereal boxes and other everyday folding cartons is behaving very differently than SBS right now.
Where SBS has been squeezed by tight virgin fiber supply and rising energy costs, CRB producers are actually seeing some relief. Recycled fiber and energy inputs have eased for CRB mills in several markets, and in parts of India and Southeast Asia, CRB prices have actually dropped 4 to 7% so far in 2026. Food and beverage packaging remains the largest use case for CRB, accounting for roughly half of all demand, and that segment has held steady.
The short version: SBS and CRB are telling two different cost stories at the same time, driven by different fiber sources and different regional cost pressures. It's a reminder that "paperboard costs" isn't one number and it depends heavily on which substrate you're actually buying.
What this means for brands.
The instinct for many brands is to wait it out or go with the lowest price, which is understandable. Both approaches often backfire. Chasing the lowest quote in a volatile market can mean sacrificing quality, lead time, or supplier reliability at exactly the moment when there’s so little room for any errors.
It’s also worth resisting the urge to make long-term substrate decisions based on short-term pricing pressure. Switching materials to chase savings can create its own costs — retooling dies, requalifying specs, potential impact on shelf presence. The volatility driving prices today may look different in six months. Hasty structural changes to packaging rarely pay off.
How to approach it.
A few things worth considering when navigating the current paper packaging environment:
Build more lead time into planning.
The earlier you're in the market, the more room you have to shop around and compare. When you're up against a deadline, you lose that flexibility, and are more likely to end up taking whatever price is available from whatever supplier can move fast enough. Start the conversation as early as possible. Then, when a price that works comes across purchasing’s desk, you’ll be ready to move on it quickly.
Look at run sizes.
In a volatile market, larger runs can create a defense. If pricing is favorable today, ordering more now means you're not going back to market when prices are higher. It's a simple way to protect yourself against what's coming next. If you’re worried about storage, most manufacturers will warehouse product for a few months to help alleviate some of the constraints in ordering larger volume.
Stay close to what’s happening.
Tariff situations evolve quickly. Companies that are paying attention to trade policy and energy markets, even at a high level, are more likely to be positioned to make decisions proactively rather than reactively.
Published by the Alpine Printing and Packaging team.
If paperboard costs have felt unpredictable lately, you’re not imagining it. The materials that go into making folding cartons and printed packaging such as SBS board, inks, coatings, adhesives are being affected by a combination of forces that show no sign of stabilizing anytime soon.
Here’s what’s driving it, and how companies can respond.
Tariffs are hitting materials hard.
SBS board, the solid bleached sulfate paperboard used in most premium folding cartons is sourced globally, and tariff changes are creating real cost pressure across the supply chain. Major North American producers pushed through a $60 per ton price increase in June 2026.
Inks are feeling it too. Many pigments and chemical components used in printing inks are imported, and tariff fluctuations are pushing ink prices in ways that are difficult to predict or absorb without passing some of it along. The instability runs deeper than tariffs. The Middle East conflict has disrupted the supply of naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock for printing inks, forcing major ink manufacturers including Flint Group and Hubergroup to announce immediate price increases.
Energy costs are compounding the problem.
Gas and energy prices affect packaging costs in ways most companies don’t think about. Manufacturing facilities run on energy. Freight runs on fuel. When energy prices spike, the cost of producing and shipping packaging moves with them even if the raw material prices haven’t changed.
The result is a pricing environment where multiple inputs are moving at once, making it harder than ever to get a stable number and plan around it.
What about CRB?
Not all paperboard is moving in the same direction. CRB is coated recycled board, the boxboard made from recycled fiber that's common in cereal boxes and other everyday folding cartons is behaving very differently than SBS right now.
Where SBS has been squeezed by tight virgin fiber supply and rising energy costs, CRB producers are actually seeing some relief. Recycled fiber and energy inputs have eased for CRB mills in several markets, and in parts of India and Southeast Asia, CRB prices have actually dropped 4 to 7% so far in 2026. Food and beverage packaging remains the largest use case for CRB, accounting for roughly half of all demand, and that segment has held steady.
The short version: SBS and CRB are telling two different cost stories at the same time, driven by different fiber sources and different regional cost pressures. It's a reminder that "paperboard costs" isn't one number and it depends heavily on which substrate you're actually buying.
What this means for brands.
The instinct for many brands is to wait it out or go with the lowest price, which is understandable. Both approaches often backfire. Chasing the lowest quote in a volatile market can mean sacrificing quality, lead time, or supplier reliability at exactly the moment when there’s so little room for any errors.
It’s also worth resisting the urge to make long-term substrate decisions based on short-term pricing pressure. Switching materials to chase savings can create its own costs — retooling dies, requalifying specs, potential impact on shelf presence. The volatility driving prices today may look different in six months. Hasty structural changes to packaging rarely pay off.
How to approach it.
A few things worth considering when navigating the current paper packaging environment:
Build more lead time into planning.
The earlier you're in the market, the more room you have to shop around and compare. When you're up against a deadline, you lose that flexibility, and are more likely to end up taking whatever price is available from whatever supplier can move fast enough. Start the conversation as early as possible. Then, when a price that works comes across purchasing’s desk, you’ll be ready to move on it quickly.
Look at run sizes.
In a volatile market, larger runs can create a defense. If pricing is favorable today, ordering more now means you're not going back to market when prices are higher. It's a simple way to protect yourself against what's coming next. If you’re worried about storage, most manufacturers will warehouse product for a few months to help alleviate some of the constraints in ordering larger volume.
Stay close to what’s happening.
Tariff situations evolve quickly. Companies that are paying attention to trade policy and energy markets, even at a high level, are more likely to be positioned to make decisions proactively rather than reactively.
Published by the Alpine Printing and Packaging team.