Starch is an important ingredient in making paper. It’s the third most used ingredient by weight after cellulose fiber and mineral pigments. Starch has many uses in papermaking and conversion, including as a bonding agent, flucculant and retention aid, surface size, coating binder, and adhesive. In the US, over 2.5 billion pounds (1.1 million metric tons) of industrial corn starch is consumed for paper and paperboard production, with 40% being chemically modified. Another 750 million pounds are used for corrugated and laminated paper products. Data on starch consumption is mainly sourced from the shipment reports of the Corn Refiners Association.
| Application | Starch grade | Actual use 1995a | Projected for 2000a |
| Wet endb | Corn starch | 309 | 424 |
| Potato starch | 287 | 349 | |
| Size pressc | Unmodified starch | 819 | 839 |
| Oxidized starch | 718 | 703 | |
| Hydroxyethylated starch | 735 | 1034 | |
| Cationic starch | 118 | 137 | |
| Coatingc | Unmodified starch | 212 | 203 |
| Oxidized starch | 55 | 81 | |
| Hydroxyethylated starch | 275 | 340 | |
| Corrugating and laminatingd | Unmodified starch | 899 | |
| Modified starch | 134 |
a Million pounds
b Cationic, anionic or amphoteric
c All corn starch
d 1994 demand, members of CRA only