St. Petersburg Stock Exchange started exporting pulp to China: the first transaction and the expert's comment

    The St. Petersburg Stock Exchange has signed the first export contract for the supply of Russian bleached sulfate pulp from softwood to China. Under the terms of the deal, 52 tons of products will be delivered in containers to the Zabaikalsk export station on the border with China. JSC ""Ilim Group" acted as the seller."

    For "Ilim", this is the first sale of pulp through exchange trading. Previously, the company used the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange for purchases, in particular, wood and petroleum products.

"Ilim" sold pulp through the stock exchange for the first time

    The first pulp export deal was the next stage in the development of the "Timber and Building Materials" section of the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange.

    For the Russian manufacturer, the new mechanism creates an additional channel for selling products on foreign markets. The company expects that the exchange-based sales method will eventually become part of its marketing policy. In addition, "Ilim" is considering the possibility of test deliveries through exchange trading to other countries.

    For Russian enterprises interested in selling products on foreign markets, the development of an exchange channel is of practical interest. Offers for the sale of pulp are already available in the commercial segment of the market.

The Chinese direction expands export opportunities

    There are 14 companies from China registered in the section "Timber and Building Materials" of the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange. Several dozen departure points in the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts and four bases of delivery — balance points on the territory of the People's Republic of China are also registered.

    Delivery via Zabaikalsk makes it possible to arrange container delivery of Russian products directly to the Chinese market. For Russian pulp producers, the presence of registered foreign participants and a well-established logistics infrastructure creates additional opportunities for export operations.

    On the part of buyers, the exchange mechanism also expands access to the Russian offer. There are opportunities on the market to buy pulp.

Exchange expands trade in timber products

    Cellulose has become another commodity that is being put on the export exchange. Previously, other types of forest products, including lumber and pellets, were supplied through the mechanism of exchange transactions.

    For participants in the forest market, this means expanding the trading infrastructure in several product areas at once.

    Companies working with timber exports can use specialized trading platforms to find buyers and sell products. In particular, lumber sales offers are presented on the market.

    At the same time, the development of export trade generates demand from companies that need additional channels for purchasing timber. Lumber purchase offers are available for this purpose.

What does the exchange model give to pulp producers?

    Representatives of "Ilim" point out among the advantages of exchange trading transparency of transactions, objective pricing and competitive trading.

    For Russian pulp producers, this format potentially allows:

• expand product sales channels;
• reach out to new foreign buyers;
• use a standardized deal-making mechanism;
• increase the transparency of trading operations;
• to work out export logistics through the exchange infrastructure;
• to scale the experience gained to other countries.

    At the same time, the first transaction is still a single example. Its further importance will depend on the number of new contracts, the volume of supplies and the expansion of the number of participants.

The new "Cellulose" specification

    The development of trade was preceded by the creation of a specialized exchange instrument.

    The "Pulp" commodity specification has been in effect since September 18, 2026 in the "Timber and Building Materials" section of the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange. It includes two types of coniferous bleached sulfate cellulose — the SES and HBEXTRA brands.

    The base of Zabaikalsk has been determined for deliveries, and Ust-Ilimsk and Bratsk can act as departure stations. This creates a separate infrastructure for the organization of trades and the subsequent delivery of products to China.

Expert's comment

Evgeny Rozhentsev, Director of "Lesnoy Resurs" LLC, member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Commodity Market Participants (NAUTOR):

"Thanks to the company's extensive experience in supporting transactions in the framework of auctions in the "Timber and Building Materials" section, we quickly helped the foreign pulp buyer resolve all administrative issues, bring it to auction and bring the transaction to an effective conclusion. The concluded export agreement is an important event not only for producers, for whom a new sales line is being opened, but also for the community of commodity brokers. As part of NAUTOR, we plan to share our experience with colleagues and scale this effect."

    According to Evgeny Rozhentsev, the experience gained can be used by other market participants in organizing export operations with timber products. The very fact of the participation of a foreign buyer in the first transaction also shows the practical relevance of the mechanism for supporting such operations.

Russian pulp export prospects

    "Ilim" is already considering the possibility of test deliveries through the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange to other countries. If the number of such operations increases, the exchange mechanism may become an additional tool for selling Russian pulp on foreign markets.

    The development of the Asian direction remains an important factor for the Russian LPC. According to the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange, in the first half of 2026, exports of Russian wood and paper goods to China exceeded $2.1 billion. At the same time, the Russian sector retained a significant share of the Chinese timber market.

    The first "Ilim" deal shows that the export exchange infrastructure is gradually expanding to products of deep processing of wood.

For the Russian market, the key importance of the deal lies in the emergence of a new practical channel for the sale of pulp to China. So far, this is only the first operation, but the established infrastructure, the presence of Chinese participants and the possibility of test deliveries to other countries create conditions for further development of the direction.

Tags: #Cellulose #Wood cellulose #Russia #China #Cellulose exports #Forestry industry #LPC #RUSSIANLPC #St. Petersburg Stock Exchange #Stock Trading #Export of Wood products #Grouplim #Zabaikalsk #Siberia #Far East #Pulp Industry #Chinese Market #Export to China #Cellulose Market #Lumber

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Edited Moderator (yesterday 09:03:10)