Paperboards having improved MD and CD bending stiffness by including a paperboard binder coalescing agent to cause starch paperboard binder to coat at least some of the paperboard fibers. Also a method for preparing these improved bending stiffness paperboards by combining with an untreated paperboard fiber stream a treated paperboard fiber stream where at least some/at least a portion of the paperboard fibers are coated with a starch paperboard binder due to the coalescing action of a paperboard binder coalescing agent.