What is newsprint paper?
Newsprint is a low-grammage, low-cost paper designed for high-speed offset and flexographic printing of newspapers. The furnish is mostly mechanical pulp, typically thermomechanical pulp (TMP) blended with a fraction of recycled newsprint and magazine pulp. Mechanical pulp keeps the fiber lignin in place, which keeps production cost low but causes the yellowing every older newspaper shows after a few weeks of daylight.
The functional target is simple: carry ink at 1000 meters per minute across a press cylinder, tolerate folding and perfect-binding without cracking, and cost as little per tonne as physics allows.
How is newsprint made?
Most newsprint mills run integrated with a mechanical pulp line. Logs (usually softwood spruce or pine) go to a disc refiner where they are fiberized under pressure and steam. The pulp is screened, bleached lightly with hydrogen peroxide or dithionite, and sent to the paper machine. Recycled fiber is added from a deinking line that processes old newspapers, magazines, and office waste.
The paper machine is a conventional Fourdrinier with a hybrid former for better formation at high speed. A typical newsprint machine runs 1500 to 1800 m/min. A single machine can produce 300,000 to 450,000 tonnes per year.
What grammages does newsprint come in?
Standard newsprint comes in 40, 42, 45, 48.8, and 52 g/m². 45 g/m² is the European default. 48.8 g/m² (the historic North American 30-lb) remains common in the US. Indian and Southeast Asian mills also run 42 g/m² for extreme cost sensitivity. A specialty lightweight at 38 g/m² exists for telephone directories where they still print.
Why is newsprint demand falling?
Print readership is declining across almost every developed market. US newsprint consumption fell from roughly 12 million tonnes in 2000 to under 3 million tonnes in 2023. European demand halved over the same period. Per RISI's 2024 newsprint outlook, Western demand continues to fall 5 to 8% per year, with partial offset from India and Southeast Asia where newspaper circulation is still growing.
Mills respond by closing machines, converting to lightweight packaging papers, or moving to recycled containerboard. Norske Skog Golbey in France, for example, repurposed one of its newsprint machines to recycled containerboard in 2023.
Who are the main newsprint producers?
The global newsprint market is now concentrated. Norske Skog, UPM, and Stora Enso lead the European supply. White Birch, Resolute Forest Products, and Kruger anchor Canadian output. Indian mills, led by JK Paper and Khanna Paper, produce the bulk of Asian newsprint. Chinese production is mostly for domestic consumption and is in structural decline.
Expect continued consolidation. Browse newsprint mills by country in the World Paper Index.
What are newsprint alternatives?
Two grades compete with standard newsprint: improved newsprint (INP) and SC-A paper. Improved newsprint has a 4 to 6 g/m² heavier grammage and a smoother surface, making it suitable for flyers and direct-mail inserts. SC paper (supercalendered) sits in the zone between newsprint and LWC, used for Sunday inserts and catalog applications where a better print surface is worth the extra cost.
Frequently asked questions
What GSM is standard newsprint?
45 g/m² is the European standard newsprint grammage. US newspapers traditionally use 48.8 g/m² (formerly 30-lb). Indian and Southeast Asian mills also produce 42 g/m² as a cost-optimized grade.
Is newsprint recyclable?
Yes. Newsprint is recovered through municipal paper collection and is one of the highest-yield recycled furnishes. Over 70% of European newsprint collection is recycled back into new newsprint or packaging paper per CEPI.
Why does newsprint turn yellow?
Newsprint contains lignin from the mechanical pulp. Lignin oxidizes when exposed to light and oxygen, producing the yellowing you see in older newspapers. Bleached newsprint slows this, but does not eliminate it.
What is the difference between newsprint and SC paper?
Newsprint is uncoated and rough-surfaced for cost-efficient press work. SC (supercalendered) paper passes through multiple calender nips to produce a smoother surface that accepts halftone printing better. SC grammages run 45 to 65 g/m² and cost 30 to 60% more per tonne.
Who is the largest newsprint producer?
By volume, Resolute Forest Products in Canada and Norske Skog in Norway and France are the largest Western producers. Jindal Paper and JK Paper lead Indian output.
What is newsprint used for besides newspapers?
Paperback books, direct mail, store flyers, exam papers, and industrial interleaving all use newsprint grade stock. It is also the raw input for egg cartons and molded fiber packaging in some plants.