What is the import and export situation of color thermal label paper industry?

Regarding the import and export situation of the color thermal label paper industry, although the specific import and export data directly for color thermal label paper may be scarce, we can infer its general situation from the overall trend of the thermal paper industry and label printing industry.

Export situation

Export growth of thermal paper industry: According to publicly released information, the export volume of pulp, paper and related products (including thermal paper) has shown a significant growth trend in recent years. For example, from 9.38 million tons in 2021 to 14.11 million tons in 2023, the growth rate is as high as nearly 50%. This growth trend reflects the strong global market demand for our pulp, paper and related products.

Thermal printer export volume: China's thermal printer export volume is much larger than the import volume, and the export volume in recent years has shown an overall growth trend. As of 2022, China's thermal printer exports were 12,614,800 units, an increase of 9.5%. The export growth of thermal printers also indirectly reflects the export demand for thermal paper (including color thermal label paper) as supporting consumables.

Global market share: Thermal paper is locally produced worldwide and occupies more than 50% of the market share. This shows that China's thermal paper products have considerable competitiveness in the international market.

Import situation

Thermal paper imports are relatively small: Compared to the export volume, thermal paper imports are relatively small. This may be related to the improvement of China's thermal paper production capacity and the satisfaction of domestic market demand.

Thermal printer imports decline: China's thermal printer imports have shown a downward trend in recent years. As of 2022, China's thermal printer imports were 232,300 units, down 22.0% year-on-year. This may be related to the enhancement of domestic thermal printer production capacity and the domestic substitution trend.

Speculate the import and export situation of color thermal label paper

Exports: Considering the export growth trend of thermal paper and thermal printers, as well as the wide application of color thermal label paper in retail, logistics, medical and other industries, it can be inferred that the export volume of color thermal label paper may also show growth. Especially with the rapid development of e-commerce and logistics industries, the demand for color thermal label paper will further increase.

Imports: Similar to the overall import volume of thermal paper is small, the import volume of color thermal label paper may also be relatively small. However, it should be noted that for some high-end or special performance color thermal label paper, domestic enterprises may still need to rely on imports.

Conclusion

In summary, although there is a lack of specific data directly for the import and export of color thermal label paper, according to the overall trend of the thermal paper industry and label printing industry, the export volume of color thermal label paper may show an increase, while the import volume is relatively small. In the future, with the increasing demand for high-quality and high-performance label paper in the global market, as well as the improvement of the technical level and production capacity of domestic enterprises, the import and export situation of the color thermal label paper industry is expected to continue to maintain stability or growth.