Polybutadiene rubber

Butadiene rubber (BR), the second-largest synthetic rubber, used in tyre sidewalls and treads and as the toughener in high-impact polystyrene and ABS.

Pseudo-commodities · Rubbers & elastomers · No. 58

• Single chemical
• Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
• about 3.7 Mt a year (2025, derived: 25% of about 15 Mt butadiene, at about 1.02 t butadiene per t BR)
• 2.2 t CO₂e per t
• HS 400220

Premium tyre rubber needs a rare-earth catalyst, linking your car's tyres to China's neodymium supply.

Chart: Illustration: Polybutadiene rubber

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Butadiene is polymerised alone in solvent. The catalyst sets the result: neodymium gives high-cis tyre rubber, lithium gives low-cis rubber for toughening plastics.

Three things to know

1. Polybutadiene takes about a quarter of world butadiene, roughly 3.7 Mt of rubber a year.
2. Neodymium catalysts give over 97% cis chains, the best grade for tyre wear and rolling resistance.
3. Butadiene in China fell 42% between January and November 2025, to CNY 7,021 a tonne, dragging BR prices down.

The journey

1. 1 ButadieneAbout 1.02 t per tonne BR
2. 2 Solution reactorHexane with neodymium, nickel or lithium
3. 3 StrippingAntioxidant added, solvent steam-stripped
4. 4 BalingDried crumb pressed into 35 kg bales
5. 5 UseTyres, or dissolved in styrene for HIPS

Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full