China Paper Industry 2025: Growth, Consolidation & Market Leaders

Executive Summary

The Chinese paper and paperboard industry continued its recovery and expansion in 2025, driven by resilient domestic demand, industrial consolidation, and capacity expansion among leading manufacturers. Total industry production reached 141.35 million tons, up 3.74% year-over-year, while consumption rose to 138.79 million tons, reflecting stable downstream demand.

Industry Overview

Top Paper Producers in China (2025)

The top three companies by production volume were Nine Dragons Paper, Sun Holdings Group, and Lee & Man Paper. Together, the top 30 companies represented approximately 74% of total national production, indicating continued market concentration.

Key Product Segment Leaders

Coated Board Producers:

· Nine Dragons Paper

· Shanying International

· Lee & Man Paper

· Sun Holdings Group

Containerboard Producers:

· Nine Dragons Paper

· Wuhan Golden Phoenix Paper

· Shanying International

Bamboo Pulp Producers:

· Taison Technology Group

· Huanlong Industrial Group

· Chongqing Lee & Man Paper

Strategic Insights

1. Industry concentration remains high, with leading players continuing to expand production capacity and strengthen economies of scale.

2. Wuzhou Special Paper recorded the strongest growth at 46.99%, highlighting rapid expansion in specialty paper demand.

3. Chenming Holdings experienced the largest decline due to prolonged shutdowns, negatively impacting aggregate industry growth.

4. Excluding Chenming Holdings, the remaining top 29 companies achieved 6.15% growth, significantly outperforming the overall industry average.