Process diagram: Paper manufacturing

The diagram shows how paper is made from wood, in a process that consists of eight stages.

Overall, the process is linear. Trees are first cut down and reduced to pulp, and the pulp is then pressed and dried into paper, which is finally wound onto reels. The first four stages produce the pulp, while the final four turn it into finished paper.

At the start of the process, trees are felled, and logs are cut from managed forests. The bark is then stripped from the logs, a stage known as debarking. Next, the logs are cut into small wood chips, which are cooked with chemicals to form pulp.

The second half of the process turns the pulp into finished paper. First, the pulp is washed and whitened in the bleaching stage. Water is then squeezed out of it by rollers during pressing. After that, the paper sheet is dried by heated cylinders.

In the final stage, the finished paper is wound onto large reels, ready to be delivered to customers.