SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22, 2010 (RISI) - Domtar informed customers worldwide today that it will increase prices on all its grades of market pulp by $30/tonne, effective February 1 until further notice, industry contacts told RISI.

Domtar, which earlier this week told US customers it would increase northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) prices by $30/tonne to $880/tonne, now has a $30/tonne export hike slated for markets including Europe and Asia. In Europe that would bring its NBSK price to $860/tonne.  

In addition, Montreal-headquartered Domtar today added $30/tonne price increases on several other grades of market pulp, including hardwood kraft and fluff.

Domtar's Feb. 1 price increase would lift aspen, mixed, and birch northern bleached hardwood kraft (NBHK) to $775/tonne, and maple to $785 in the USA. Its NBHK increase is also effective in Asia.

On southern bleached hardwood kraft (SBHK), Domtar's hike would raise US prices to $760/tonne.

Domtar's $30/tonne price increase also includes fluff pulp, which would bring its price to $910/tonne in the USA. The firm has a conversion planned for the fourth quarter that would increase its capacity at Plymouth, NC, to 440,000 tonnes/yr of exclusively fluff pulp.