OCC and cardboard bale prices
OCC is old corrugated containers, and a bale is a wire-tied cube of flattened OCC; a reusable gaylord is worth more than its fiber, which is why we sort before anything is baled.
The words
OCC stands for old corrugated containers. It is the name of the material, not of a price. A bale is OCC that has been flattened and compressed in a baler, then tied with wire so it holds a cube. Bale weight is just what the cube weighs when it is scaled.
Searching for the cardboard bale price turns up charts and weekly reports. We do not repeat them here because they change, and anything on this page would be stale before the day ended. What we can explain is what moves the figure.
What moves a bale price
| Driver | Effect |
|---|---|
| Demand from paper mills | Mills buy OCC to make new liner and fluting; strong demand lifts price |
| Quality of the bale | Clean OCC fetches more than loads mixed with plastic or trash |
| Moisture | Wet OCC weighs more and the buyer discounts it |
| Volume | A full truck costs less to move per ton than a part load |
| Distance to the mill | Freight is part of the net |
| Season | Peak shipping seasons produce more OCC |
Anyone quoting you a fixed number without asking about moisture and contamination is guessing. We will not guess either.
Why a reusable box beats its fiber
A box that can make another trip is worth the trips it will make, not the pennies per pound of its paper. A Grade A gaylord that goes back into use may make several more trips, each of which saves the buyer a new-box cost. Baling it throws all that value away for the price of its fiber.
That is the whole argument for sorting first. A pile that goes straight to the baler is a pile you have taken the cheapest possible value from. Use the per-trip ticket to see the gap with your own numbers.
Where the fiber goes
The EPA reports a corrugated box recycling rate of 96.5 percent in 2018, which means most OCC returns to mills as feedstock. Your bale is raw material for the next liner. It does not need to look new, but it does need to be paper: no plastic, no loose strapping, no liners.
If your pile is mostly wet or torn, see what goes to the baler. To ask for pickup, see pickup. We state no prices on this site; ask on the form.
Terms you will see on a bale sheet
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OCC | Old corrugated containers |
| Baled | Flattened and tied into a block |
| Loose | Not baled; usually moves at a discount |
| Mixed paper | A lower grade that includes office and magazine paper |
| Contamination | Anything that is not paper in the load |
| FOB | Free on board; the point at which the buyer takes over the freight |
| Net weight | Weight of the paper after the tare is subtracted |
Reading a bale report without being fooled
If you do check a report, read the fine print. A price for baled OCC is quoted per ton, for a given grade, in a given region, for a given week. Mixed paper is a different grade. Delivered and picked-up prices differ. A national average may say little about a Delaware Valley dock.
What matters to you is net: what you receive after freight, handling and any contamination discount. A pile of clean, flat, dry boxes nets more than a pile of the same weight that is wet and mixed with strapping. That difference is under your control, and it is the one number we can help you move.
Questions people ask
What is OCC?
Old corrugated containers: used cardboard boxes that go to recycling.
How is bale weight figured?
By weighing the tied bale on a scale. The weight is whatever the cube comes to.
Why do bale prices change?
Mill demand, bale quality, moisture and freight all move.
Sources
- EPA: paper and paperboard, material-specific data, last reviewed November 11, 2026
- Corrugated and humidity, Paper Index academy, last reviewed November 11, 2026