--- title: Why Shipping Carton Costs Are Rising, and What Publishers Can Do About It description: Corrugated carton prices are rising 7% to 9% this fall. Here's what's driving it and four ways publishers can limit the impact on print budgets. image: https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/hubfs/boxes.jpg --- [Skip to Content](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/blog/why-shipping-carton-costs-are-rising-and-what-publishers-can-do-about-it#body) **[InSite Login](https://insite.bradford-bigelow.com/PortalSite/) *•* [Customer Portal](http://portal.bradford-bigelow.com/) *•* [Request a Quote](https://resources.bradford-bigelow.com/quote)** [![BB-Logo](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BB-Logo.png?width=250&height=67&name=BB-Logo.png "BB-Logo")](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/) Toggle Menu - Who We Are Toggle children for Who We Are - [The B&B Story](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/the-bb-story) - [Meet the Team](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/meet-the-team) - [Build a Career](https://careers.bradford-bigelow.com) - [What's New](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/whats-new) - [Ink, Insight & Impact Blog](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/blog) - Printing Toggle children for Printing - [Long-Run 4-Color Printing](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/manroland) - [Long-Run 1 and 2-Color Printing](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/timson) - [Medium Run 4-Color Printing](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/hp) - [Short Run 4-Color Printing](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/screens) - Finishing & Logistics Toggle children for Finishing & Logistics - [Binding Styles](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/binding-styles) - [Warehousing & Fulfillment](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/warehousing-fulfillment) - Quality & Sustainability Toggle children for Quality & Sustainability - [Leading Quality Solutions](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/leading-quality-solutions) - [ISO 9001:2015](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/iso-9001) - [G7 Master](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/g7-master) - [Environmental Initiatives](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/environmental-initiatives) - [FSC & SFI](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/fsc-sfi) - Open Search Search Submit Search - [Get In Touch](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/contact) [back to blog](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/blog) [Industry Insights](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/blog/topic/industry-insights) # Why Shipping Carton Costs Are Rising, and What Publishers Can Do About It Read Time **3 mins** ![](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/hubfs/boxes.jpg) Why Shipping Carton Costs Are Rising, and What Publishers Can Do About It 4:11 If you're budgeting for a spring or fall list right now, there's a line item worth a second look: the cartons your books ship in. Corrugated box prices are climbing again this fall, and the increases are landing between mid-October and early November 2026. Cartons are a small share of what a book costs to make. But they touch every title, every reprint and every shipment, so the increase is easy to miss and hard to avoid. Here's what's going on and what you can do about it. ## What's happening Corrugated suppliers across the Northeast have notified customers of price increases of roughly 7% to 9% on boxes and cartons. Effective dates fall between October 19 and November 2, 2026, and they apply to shipments on or after those dates. The increases follow a containerboard (the paper used to make corrugated boxes) price increase at the mill level in September. Box makers are now passing that cost along. ## What's driving it The short version: supply dropped faster than demand did. Box demand is soft, but there's less board to go around and it costs more to move. - **Mill closures.** U.S. containerboard capacity fell 5.1% in 2025, according to the American Forest & Paper Association. Counting shutdowns announced in 2025 that took effect in early 2026, analysts put the loss closer to 10%. North American containerboard production fell 8% year over year in the first quarter of 2026. - **Freight.** The U.S. average diesel price hit an all-time record of $5.85 per gallon on September 4, 2026, per AAA, topping the June 2022 high. Fuel feeds into every leg of the corrugated supply chain, from mill to box plant to your dock. - **Labor and general inflation.** Higher wages and operating costs at mills and converting plants are adding to the pressure. ## What it means for your print projects Packaging is a smaller share of a book's manufacturing cost than paper, press time or binding. A 7% to 9% increase on cartons won't reshape a project budget on its own. It does add up across a large list, a high-volume K-12 program or frequent short-run reprints. The timing matters most. Quotes and jobs that ship after the effective dates may reflect higher packaging costs. If you have titles scheduled to ship in November or later, it's worth asking your B&B rep how packaging is handled on those quotes now, rather than at invoice time. ## Four ways to limit the impact Nobody can change the board market. But several packaging and shipping decisions are in your hands, and each one can take some cost back out. 1. **Lock in timing early.** If a title can ship before the effective dates without hurting your launch plan, talk to your rep about the schedule now. B&B's early release program can help here, so ask whether your upcoming titles qualify. 2. **Fill your cartons.** Partial cartons cost the same as full ones. Ask your rep for the books-per-carton count on each trim and page count, and set order quantities or reprint runs in multiples of it where you can. 3. **Standardize carton specs.** Custom carton sizes, special labeling and mixed-title packs all add cost. If your specs have grown over the years, it's a good moment to see which ones you still need. 4. **Cut down split shipments.** Every extra ship-to address means more partial cartons, more pallets and more freight. Consolidating deliveries to fewer locations saves on both packaging and transportation. ## Plan ahead with B&B We'd rather you hear about cost changes from us now than discover them on an invoice. If you have projects shipping this fall or winter, reach out to your Bradford & Bigelow sales representative. We'll walk through your schedule, your carton specs, and your shipping plan, and help you find the savings that make sense for your list. ## Sources - [AF&PA capacity data shows containerboard decline in 2025](https://www.packagingdive.com/news/afpa-capacity-data-2025-production-decline-containerboard/821910/), Packaging Dive, June 4, 2026 - [Diesel Prices by State (2026): Record $5.85 National Average](https://keepingupwithinflation.com/statistics/diesel-prices-by-state/), Keeping Up With Inflation, citing AAA ## Have titles shipping this fall or winter? Let's talk about timing and carton specs. [Let's Talk](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/contact) ![](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/hubfs/EK%20Headshot%20yellow%20bg.png) [mailto:](mailto:) ##### Emily Kotecki Emily is the Marketing Manager at Bradford & Bigelow, where she leads brand strategy and content development that helps publishers navigate the world of print and fulfillment. Share the Love [mailto:?subject=Why%20Shipping%20Carton%20Costs%20Are%20Rising%2C%20and%20What%20Publishers%20Can%20Do%20About%20It&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bradford-bigelow.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-shipping-carton-costs-are-rising-and-what-publishers-can-do-about-it](mailto:?subject=Why%20Shipping%20Carton%20Costs%20Are%20Rising%2C%20and%20What%20Publishers%20Can%20Do%20About%20It&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bradford-bigelow.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-shipping-carton-costs-are-rising-and-what-publishers-can-do-about-it) You May Like These ## Related Articles ![](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/hs-fs/hubfs/hp%20paper.jpg?width=700&name=hp%20paper.jpg) Industry Insights ### [What Every Educational Publisher Should Know About the Paper Market Right Now](https://www.bradford-bigelow.com/blog/what-every-educational-publisher-should-know-about-the-paper-market) The North American paper market is tighter than it's been in years. Here's what educational publishe... 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