Natural rubber: Relationships
Every element and industry that Natural rubber is linked to, and how. Each pair has its own card explaining the relationships between the two.
- Styrene-butadiene rubber: Natural rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber split the world rubber market roughly in half and are bought by the same tyre makers, but they cannot be swapped freely: truck tyres need natural rubber, car treads lean on SBR. Natural rubber's price follows tree supply and weather, SBR's follows oil-based monomers, so the gap between them moves a lot while the substitution between them stays limited. (researched)
- Crude oil: Synthetic rubber, made from oil and gas derived monomers, supplies just over half of the world's rubber, so crude oil sets the price of natural rubber's main alternative; but tyres need both, which keeps substitution limited and the price link partial. (researched)
- Plastic and rubber products: Tyres and other vehicle parts take about 70% of India's natural rubber, but India grows only about 62% of what it uses, mostly in Kerala, so tyre makers import the gap from Southeast Asia and West Africa and back new planting in the North East. (researched)
- Apparel and footwear: Apparel and footwear depends on natural rubber.
- Butadiene: Their prices have moved together.
- Carbon black: Their prices have moved together.
- Combustion road vehicles: Their prices have moved together.
- Furniture: Furniture depends on natural rubber.
- Machinery and equipment: Machinery and equipment depends on natural rubber.
- Polybutadiene rubber: Their prices have moved together.
- Rubber chemicals: Their prices have moved together.
- Transport and logistics: Transport and logistics depends on natural rubber.
- Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft: Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft depends on natural rubber.