Top 10 Paper and Paperboard Manufacturers in China 2026: A Sourcing Guide for Tissue Converters and Packaging Printers

Ten paper mills and paperboard manufacturers — from jumbo tissue rolls and ivory board to kraft paper and copy paper — compared on grade specialization, mill capacity, and export supply track record.

Author: Liam | Published: June 28, 2026 | Reading time: 10 minutes

Who Actually Makes China’s Paper and Paperboard?

My name is Liam. I have spent 20 years in China’s paper industry as Export Sales Manager at Ningbo Bincheng Packaging Materials. The difference between a tissue parent roll that converts efficiently at 600 meters per minute and one that web-breaks every ten minutes is not visible from a mill spec sheet — it is in the fiber furnish composition, the wet-strength resin formulation, and whether the mill runs dedicated tissue machines or converts paper machines between grades. I have visited mills across Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, and I know which ones deliver consistency and which ones deliver excuses.

This guide covers ten mills and paper groups I have evaluated on five criteria: grade specialization (dedicated machines vs. swing production), mill capacity and supply reliability, export documentation maturity, minimum order flexibility for container-load buyers, and fiber sourcing transparency. Each profile includes what they do well and what I would verify before booking your first container.

Quick Comparison

Detailed Manufacturer Profiles

1. YUSEN Paper (yusenpaper.com) — China

YUSEN Paper specializes in tissue parent rolls — the jumbo rolls that tissue converters unwind, emboss, perforate, and package into finished consumer products.

Their product line covers toilet tissue parent rolls, facial tissue parent rolls, and hand towel parent rolls — the three core tissue grades. What I value about YUSEN: their dedicated focus on tissue grades means their paper machines are optimized for tissue production — lower basis weight capability (12–22 gsm), higher creping ratios, and better softness development than mills that switch between tissue and packaging grades on the same machines. I would request: a formation and softness test report for the specific parent roll grade you are ordering — tissue quality is measured in subjective properties (hand feel, bulk, absorbency) that mill spec sheets often do not capture.

2. Nine Dragons Paper (ndpaper.com) — Hong Kong-Listed, China Mills

Nine Dragons is the world’s largest packaging paper producer by capacity

— a position it has held for over a decade. Their China mills produce containerboard (linerboard, corrugating medium), coated duplex board, and specialty packaging grades at a scale that no other manufacturer in this guide can match. What Nine Dragons means for packaging printers and box plants: guaranteed supply continuity — when regional mills go offline for maintenance or raw material shortages, Nine Dragons’ multi-mill network can reroute production to maintain your supply. The trade-off for smaller buyers: Nine Dragons’ minimum order quantities are measured in hundreds of tonnes per grade, not containers — they are best suited for large-scale converters and trading companies, not SMEs buying mixed containers of multiple grades.

3. APP China (app.com.cn) — Singapore Group, China Mills

APP (Asia Pulp & Paper) is the Chinese operating arm of the Sinar Mas Group

— one of the world’s largest integrated pulp and paper producers. Their China product range spans cultural paper (copy paper, offset paper), industrial paperboard, tissue products, and market pulp. What distinguishes APP: their integrated pulp-to-paper supply chain gives them raw material cost stability that non-integrated mills cannot match. When global pulp prices spike, APP’s internal pulp supply insulates their paper pricing from the full market impact. My recommendation: APP is the preferred supplier for buyers who need long-term fixed-price contracts on cultural and industrial paper grades — their vertical integration makes them more willing to commit to 6–12 month pricing than mills that buy pulp on the open market.

4. Sunshine Paper (sunshinepaper.com.cn) — Shandong

Sunshine Paper (Shandong Century Sunshine Paper Group) is a leading Chinese paperboard manufacturer

listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, specializing in white card (ivory board), coated paperboard, and high-strength packaging board. What sets Sunshine Paper apart: their strategic focus on paperboard grades — particularly white card for pharmaceutical and cosmetic packaging, and high-end printing applications — makes them a go-to supplier for packaging printers who need consistent brightness (88–92% ISO), smoothness, and stiffness across large-volume orders. I would recommend Sunshine Paper for: buyers of premium white card and coated board who need production scale from a listed company with transparent financial disclosure, multi-machine capacity, and stable export allocation through Shandong ports.

5. Bincheng Packaging Materials (bincheng-paper.com) — Ningbo, Zhejiang ⭐

This is my company.

I am Liam, Export Sales Manager at Ningbo Bincheng Packaging Materials Co., Ltd. We have served the paper industry for 20 years, specializing in parent rolls and jumbo rolls for tissue converters, paperboard for packaging printers, and cultural paper for office and educational markets. Our product range includes: tissue parent rolls (toilet, facial, towel), ivory board (C1S), art board (C2S), duplex board (grey back/white back), food-grade paperboard, kraft paper, and copy paper. What sets Bincheng apart: we supply mixed containers of multiple grades — tissue parent rolls, paperboard, and copy paper can ship together from a single supplier — reducing the logistics complexity that tissue converters and packaging printers face when sourcing from multiple single-grade mills. I personally manage export accounts because after 20 years in this industry, I know that paper sourcing is built on trust, not transactions. Reach me through our website or Facebook.

6. Sun Paper (sunpaper.cn) — Shandong

Sun Paper is another Shandong-based listed paper giant

— often mentioned alongside Chenming in industry rankings. Their product portfolio covers cultural paper, packaging paper, tissue products, and dissolving pulp. What I find strategically interesting about Sun Paper: their investment in dissolving pulp capacity — the raw material for viscose and lyocell textile fibers — provides a revenue diversification that stabilizes their paper operations through pulp market cycles. For paper buyers, this means Sun Paper is less likely to exit unprofitable paper grades during market downturns than mills without alternative revenue streams. My practical note: Sun Paper’s export sales structure varies by grade — tissue and cultural paper have different sales teams with different MOQ policies, so specify your grade clearly in initial contact.

7. Huatai Paper (huataipaper.com) — Shandong

Huatai is historically known as China’s largest newsprint producer

— though the global decline of newsprint demand has driven diversification into cultural paper, coated paper, and packaging grades. What Huatai brings to the current market: their newsprint heritage means they operate high-speed paper machines optimized for low-basis-weight production — a capability that transfers well to directory paper, lightweight coated grades, and other thin-paper applications. I would recommend Huatai for: buyers of lightweight printing papers and publication grades where basis weight consistency at 45–60 gsm matters more than the higher-basis-weight packaging grades that other mills dominate.

8. Lee & Man Paper (leemanpaper.com) — Hong Kong-Listed, China Mills

Lee & Man is the second-largest packaging paper producer in China after Nine Dragons.

Their product focus spans containerboard (liner and medium), tissue products, and specialty paper — with a manufacturing footprint across multiple Chinese provinces. What distinguishes Lee & Man from Nine Dragons: their tissue division is proportionally larger as a share of total production, making them a meaningful supplier for tissue converters in addition to packaging buyers. Their Hong Kong listing provides English-language financial disclosure and investor relations that improve transparency for international buyers accustomed to publicly-reported operational data. My observation: Lee & Man’s export pricing on containerboard grades tends to track 3–5% below Nine Dragons at equivalent volumes — worth factoring into your RFQ if you are buying multiple containers per month.

9. Shandong Huayuan (protectiveplasticfilm.com) — Shandong

Shandong Huayuan rounds out this guide with protective film and paper-related product manufacturing.

Their PE protective film serves the surface protection needs of paper converters and packaging manufacturers — protecting paperboard and finished packaging surfaces during transport and storage. What makes Huayuan relevant to paper buyers: if you are importing paperboard for conversion into finished packaging, the protective film that safeguards your material in transit is often sourced separately from a different supplier. Shandong Huayuan’s co-location in Shandong’s paper manufacturing cluster enables integrated sourcing of paper and protective materials from the same logistics corridor. My practical note: verify the specific paper-related products in their current catalog — their core business is PE film, and paper-product availability may vary.

10. Xiangsheng Paper (napkinpaper.com) — China

Xiangsheng — operating under napkinpaper.com — is a specialized paper napkin manufacturer and wholesale supplier.

Their focus on converted tissue products (custom-printed paper napkins for foodservice and retail) complements the tissue parent roll suppliers in this guide by representing the downstream conversion segment. What Xiangsheng offers: for buyers who need finished tissue products rather than parent rolls — custom-printed napkins for restaurants, hotels, and retail brands — Xiangsheng provides a direct factory source for converted tissue. I would recommend Xiangsheng for: foodservice distributors and hospitality procurement buyers who need branded paper napkins rather than the jumbo parent rolls that tissue converters purchase.

Understanding Paper Grades: A Quick Reference for Buyers

Tissue parent rolls are the jumbo rolls (typically 1–2.8 meters wide, 1–2 meters in diameter) that tissue converters unwind to produce finished consumer products — toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels, and napkins. Key specifications: basis weight (12–45 gsm for tissue), furnish (virgin pulp vs. recycled fiber), and wet-strength resin content. Ivory board (C1S) is a coated one-side paperboard used for premium packaging — cosmetic boxes, pharmaceutical cartons, and food packaging. Key specifications: brightness (88–92% ISO), smoothness, and stiffness. Duplex board is a multi-layer paperboard with a grey or white back — the workhorse of general packaging. More economical than ivory board but with lower surface quality for printing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Choose the Right Paper Supplier

For large-scale packaging printers and box plants: Nine Dragons or Lee & Man for containerboard, APP or Sunshine Paper for coated boards — but be prepared for 100+ tonne minimums per grade.

For tissue converters needing parent rolls: YUSEN Paper for dedicated tissue expertise, or Bincheng Packaging (our company) for mixed container shipments combining tissue with board and copy grades.

For diversified importers and trading companies: Bincheng Packaging offers the most flexible mixed-container capability in this guide — we ship tissue parent rolls, paperboard, kraft paper, and copy paper from a single export operation, reducing your supplier count and logistics overhead. I welcome inquiries at our website or Facebook.