Cardboard box index
Box output +0.6% a year, last good reading Jun 2026. Box output vs a year ago (Jun); prices +8.9% (Sep). Cardboard box index and the other weird recession indicators are on one page, each with its latest reading.
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Cardboard boxes carry most goods, so box demand is watched as an early read on shipping. Output: the Fed industrial production index for paperboard containers (FRED IPN32221S). Prices: the producer price index for corrugated and solid fiber boxes (FRED PCU322211322211).
Each is compared with the same month a year before, and each has its own latest month.
Source: FRED. Last good reading Jun 2026.