Natural rubber: Overview
Tyres first, then gloves, hoses and shoes
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car, truck and bus tyres | 67% | about 10.3 Mtbasis | Natural rubber has high tear strength, good tack when building a tyre and low heat build-up under load. Truck and bus tyres, which run hot under heavy loads, use a large share of natural rubber; passenger tyres blend it with synthetic rubbers. No synthetic matches all these properties at the same cost. European Commission, Study on the Critical Raw Materials for the EU 2023 (natural rubber end uses); ANRPC monthly report, Aug 2026 | Styrene-butadiene rubber (passenger treads) Polybutadiene rubber (sidewalls, treads) Synthetic polyisoprene (limited, costlier) |
| Tyres for other vehicles (aircraft, two-wheelers, off-road, farm) | 16% | about 2.4 Mtbasis | Aircraft and large off-road tyres face extreme loads and heat, where natural rubber's strength and low heat build-up are hard to replace. In India, two-wheeler and tractor tyres are a large market for natural rubber. European Commission, CRM study 2023; ANRPC, Aug 2026 | Synthetic polyisoprene Blends with styrene-butadiene and polybutadiene rubber |
| Industrial goods: hoses, belts, seals, profiles | 11% | about 1.7 Mtbasis | Conveyor belts, anti-vibration mounts and hoses need elasticity and fatigue resistance. Natural rubber wins where flexing and tear resistance matter; synthetics win where oil, heat or weather resistance matter. European Commission, CRM study 2023 | EPDM (weather seals) Nitrile rubber (oil hoses, seals) Neoprene (chloroprene) |
| Household appliances, furniture and latex foam | 4% | about 0.6 Mtbasis | Latex foam for mattresses and pillows, and rubber mounts and seals in appliances, use natural rubber for its resilience and feel. Latex is sold as a natural product, which supports a premium. European Commission, CRM study 2023 | Polyurethane foam Synthetic rubber seals |
| Packaging, sports gear and other goods (gloves, balloons, footwear) | 2% | about 0.3 Mtbasis | Dipped latex goods such as gloves and balloons rely on latex concentrate's ability to form thin, stretchy films. Synthetic nitrile has taken much of the medical glove market because it avoids latex allergies. European Commission, CRM study 2023 | Nitrile rubber (gloves) Plastics and synthetic rubber (footwear soles, bands) |
From field to user
- Planting and immature years Hevea trees are planted on smallholdings and estates and need years before tapping; new planting takes at least seven years to raise output (Rubber World, Jan 2025).
- Tapping Tappers cut a thin strip of bark before dawn and latex flows into cups; 13.2 Mha were harvested worldwide in 2024 (FAOSTAT).
- Collection and coagulation Latex is collected as liquid, or left to coagulate in the cup into cup lumps; smallholders sell to dealers or cooperatives.
- Primary processing Factories crumb and dry cup lumps into technically specified blocks (TSR 20), smoke sheets into RSS grades, or centrifuge latex to concentrate for dipped goods.
- Export trade About 88% of output was exported in 2018 (Radetzki and Warell, 2021); world exports were worth $13.9 billion in 2024 (UN Comtrade HS 4001).
- Compounding and vulcanising Tyre and rubber goods plants mix rubber with carbon black, oils and sulphur, shape it and cure it with heat.
- Tyres and rubber goods Tyres take 83% of natural rubber in the EU end-use split (EU CRM 2023); China imported 25.2% of world rubber by value in 2024 (UN Comtrade).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
Rubber, TSR20 (World Bank monthly) 2.41 $/kg Month 2026-09 1 week no daily price 6 months +23.6% World production 14.8 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer Thailand 32.29% of worldThree things to know
- Before Pearl Harbor, natural rubber was the single largest US import, according to Yergin.
- Before US entry into World War II, synthetic rubber was estimated to cost about five times as much as natural rubber.
- Natural rubber output nearly tripled, from 5.23 Mt in 1990 to 14.83 Mt in 2024 (FAOSTAT).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Sticky situation: Tyre industry struggles to clean up its rubber supply chainReuters · 2026-10-08
- Natural rubber prices hit record high of ₹290 per kg on strong demand, tight suppliesBusinessLine · 2026-10-22
- Natural rubber prices scale new peakThe Times of India · 2026-10-14
- Guest column: Why purity matters for critical latex applicationsRubber News · 2026-10-09
- Anay Gupta re-elected as All India Rubber Industries Association presidentBusinessLine · 2026-10-01