MOC: Paper Industry — Domain Knowledge

Paper Types

The marketplace covers the major surplus categories produced by European mills:

• wiki/wiki/entities/kraftliner — virgin-fiber linerboard, 100-300 GSM
• wiki/wiki/entities/testliner — recycled-fiber linerboard alternative, 90-170 GSM
• wiki/wiki/entities/fluting — corrugated medium paper (CMP)
• wiki/wiki/entities/uncoated-woodfree — printing/writing grades
• wiki/wiki/entities/coated-paper — coated grades for higher-end print

Other grades referenced in the PRD: duplex board, triplex board, sack kraft, white top testliner, MG kraft, greaseproof, tissue. See wiki/wiki/concepts/paper-types-overview for the catalog.

Quality Grades

wiki/wiki/concepts/quality-grades

• Grade A — Prime / first quality, on-spec
• Grade B — Near-prime / second quality
• Grade C — Off-grade / third quality

Grade is one of the 5 factors in wiki/wiki/concepts/matching-algorithm.

Why Surplus Exists

Mills produce surplus from many sources, each with different economics and buyer pools:

• wiki/wiki/concepts/side-trims-and-jumbo-rolls — primary product vs. byproduct, why mills want separate distribution channels (Varsovia meeting insight)
• Overruns from production schedule overshoots
• Cancelled orders the original buyer didn't take
• Off-spec runs that fall outside customer tolerances
• Non-standard widths from machine setup
• Trial runs from new product development
• Damaged or obsolete inventory

Containers & Freight

wiki/wiki/concepts/container-types-and-weights — 20ft 18-22 MT, 40ft 24-26 MT, 40ft HC 24-28 MT.

wiki/wiki/concepts/container-fill-optimization — the 0-100 scoring algorithm: paper group check, grade proximity (≤1 grade gap), food-contact compatibility check.

wiki/wiki/concepts/container-assembly — combining partial-lot surplus from multiple mills/sources to fill a single container for better freight rates (LCL vs FCL economics).

Trade Terms

wiki/wiki/concepts/incoterms-in-paper-trading — EXW, FCA, FOB, CFR, CIF, DAP, DDP and how mills price differently per term.

Price Discovery (Competitive Context)

wiki/wiki/concepts/foex-and-risi-indices — FOEX and RISI are the established index providers for paper grade pricing. Important context for how the marketplace positions against existing price-discovery infrastructure.

Industry Glossary

Terms scattered across the codebase and docs:

• GSM — Grams per square meter (primary weight measurement)
• Caliper — Paper thickness
• MT — Metric ton (1,000 kg)
• Master roll / jumbo roll — Full-width roll from the paper machine
• Side trim — Leftover strips from cutting jumbo rolls to customer widths
• Eye-to-sky — Roll loading orientation (vertical axis upward)
• Phytosanitary certificate — Required for cross-border wood/paper products
• RCT / SCT — Compression strength tests for corrugated medium
• ISO Brightness — 0-100 brightness scale

Source Summaries

• wiki/wiki/summaries/prd-summary — paper specs + grade definitions
• wiki/wiki/summaries/varsovia-meeting-summary — partner discussion of side-trim economics

Related MOCs

• wiki/wiki/_moc-product — how the platform applies domain knowledge to the marketplace mechanics
• wiki/wiki/_moc-people-and-tools — Morichal's industry expertise (Thierry's 15+ years)