This report details how the tire industry will design and produce tires that are stronger and lighter through the use of new and evolving tire raw materials.
Key facts:
- A CAGR of 3.72% in tire raw materials volume is forecast to 2030 to meet changing tire requirements from OEMs and other industry influences
- Tire raw materials will grow in volume, from 57.2 million tonnes in 2025 to reach 67.4 million tonnes in 2030.
Major OEMs and regulators are demanding higher sustainability, performance, more SKUs, and new developments in tire raw materials. This Smithers study analyses the key trends in, and the evolution of, tire raw materials through 2030. The report examines requirements for raw materials from top tire companies over the next five years, as well as new raw materials for non-pneumatic tires.
This report details how the tire industry will design and produce tires that are stronger and lighter through the use of new and evolving tire raw materials. The report delves into the growth rates of tire raw materials including geographic trends and end uses for major material types. Case studies include new sustainable materials production, new tire designs, and industry collaboration to meet the stringent time frames that are required by OEMs and regulators. Prices for over 120 raw materials are also included.
Key Questions:
- How the drive for ever lower rolling resistance, industry sustainability and the move toward electric vehicles is supporting growth in tire raw materials
- Why the top tire producers are moving away from smaller tires to larger more profitable premium tires
- How ongoing disruptions and geopolitical tensions are impacting tire production and global supply chains.
This report is essential to:
- Tire makers and producers of tire materials
- Equipment suppliers to the tire industry
- Participants in the tire markets value chain
Table of Contents
Executive summary
Introduction and methodology
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Vocabulary
Tire industry drivers and dynamics
- Introduction
- Top drivers and trends for tire raw materials from 2025 to 2030
- Population and growing middle class
- Circular tire lifecycle management: a path to sustainability
- Regulations
- Tire-related pollutants (6PPD and TRWP)
- Technological advancements in automotive and tire design and manufacturing
- Lightweighting
- Advanced materials and tailored chemistry
- Digital twins in the tire industry
- Digital factory
- Tire producers
- Tire manufacturing
- 6 Cs in the industry: Colleagues, Competitors, Collaborators, Consumer, same Customers, and seat together in Court
Tire raw materials supply and consumption
- Introduction
- Raw materials
- Elastomers
- Natural rubber (NR)
- Synthetic rubber
- SBR
- Polybutadiene (BR)
- Butyl rubber (IIR/PIB/BR)
- Polyisoprene (IR)
- Process oils
- Textile cords
- Nylon (Ny)
- Polyester (PET)
- Rayon
- Aramid
- Steel
- Steel cord
- Bead steel wire
- Textile adhesion agents
- Steel adhesion agents
- Fillers
- Carbon black (CB)
- Conventional and highly dispersible silica (HDS)
- Silanes
- Antiozonants, antioxidants, and antidegradants
- Resins
- Curing package and zinc oxide
- Peptizers
- Processing aids and other chemicals
- Polyurethane foams
- RFID
Tire raw materials growth
- Introduction
- Tire production
- Tire raw materials
Tire manufacturing raw materials value and market
- Introduction
- General terms
- Complexity of challenges
- Raw materials road map
- Elastomers price and evolution
- Natural rubber
- Synthetic rubber
- Styrene-butadiene rubber
- Polybutadiene rubber (BR)
- Halo butyl
- Isoprene rubber
- Tire processing oils
- Fossil oils
- Soybean oil
- Rapeseed oil
- Textile cords
- Polyester
- Nylon
- Rayon
- Aramid
- Steel cord
- Bead steel wire
- Cord adhesion promoters for textiles and steel
- Carbon black
- Silica
- Conventional silica
- HDS
- Calcium carbonate
- Silanes
- Antioxidants and antiozonants
- Performance resins
- Curing agents
- Sulfur
- Accelerants
- Activators: zinc oxide and stearic acid
- Stearic acid
- Other curing agents
- Paraffin wax
- Fatty acids
- Tall oil fatty acid (TOFA)
- Zinc stearate
- Peptizer
- Polyurethane foam for tires
- Sealant
- RFID patch for tires
- Evolution of freight transportation
- Reliable RM prices and a reference to NR price
- Summary
Opportunities/challenges for tire companies and raw materials suppliers
- Introduction
- China as a tire technology/RM innovation leader
- Mixing matters: the rise of advanced techniques
- New HF TANDEM rotor "cohesive kneading" (TRC)
- Future progress in raw materials
- Conclusion
List of Figures
- Targeting value-accretive market segments
- Pirelli sustainability strategy (% bio-based and recycled materials) 2025-30
- Global light vehicle production, 2016-30
- Global tires market, 2021-30
- Global tire raw material consumption for all vehicle types, 2021-30
- Global tire raw material consumption for all vehicle types, 2021-30
- Types of EV vehicles
- TRL levels
- Population projections, the global share by generation and the middle class
- Hankook Tire's Gauge Index (USA)
- Sustainability of the tire industry: through a material approach
- Circular economy
- Progress of vehicles and tires
- Mastering rubber and Ologic tire
- Illustration of a typical tire construction
- Global consumption of tire RM by type, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of tire RM by market 2025 vs 2024, ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomer consumption by type, 2025 vs 2024 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomer consumption by region, 2025 vs 2024 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance triangle and elastomer selection for radial passenger tires
- Biomotion/bio-sourced butadiene
- Process oils consumption by type, 2025 vs 2024 ('000 tonnes)
- Process oils used by market, 2025 vs 2024 ('000 tonnes)
- Textile & steel cord by type, 2025 vs 2024 ('000 tonnes)
- Textile reinforcements and LRR
- Textile reinforcements and better tire durability
- From plastic bottle to tire
- Aramid compared with other fibers
- Cable bead
- Carbon black consumption by type, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Carbon black consumption by market, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Conventional silica and HD consumption, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Silane consumption by market, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Antioxidants and antiozonants by market, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resins consumption by type, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resins consumption by market, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Curing agents by market, 2024 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Next-generation multifunction processing aids
- RFID, sensors, and microchip communications
- Light vehicles by market, 2021-30 ('000s)
- Light electric vehicles sales by market, 2021-30 ('000s)
- Global tire market by vehicle type, 2021-30 (million units)
- Tire consumption by region, 2030 vs 2025 (millions)
- Responsibly sourced rubber, Continental's green concept
- Square polymer selection matrix
- Global consumption of tire RM by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of tire RM by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of EV tires RM by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomer consumption by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomer consumption by region, 2030 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Bio-SM and bio-SSBR
- Plasticizers, liquid polymers, and resins; Kuraray liquid rubber molecular weight
- Process oils consumption by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Process oils consumption by region, 2030 vs 2025 ('000 tonnes)
- Textile type & steel cord consumption, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Textile consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Bead steel wire consumption, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Cord and steel adhesion promoters by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Cord adhesion promoters consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Steel cord adhesion promoters consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Filler consumption by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Carbon black consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Bridgestone commences pyrolysis test of used tire recycling
- HD silica consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Silane consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Antioxidants and antiozonants consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resin consumption by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resin consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Curing agents consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Processing aids by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Next-generation multifunction processing aids
- Polyurethane foam for tires consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- RFID and connectivity
- Typical materials road map to 2040
- Pirelli circular logo (minimum 50% bio-based and recycled materials)
- Natural rubber prices ($/kg)
- Synthetic rubber price index versus butadiene monomer price and consumer index
- Styrene-butadiene rubber sample quotation
- Rapeseed oil price evolution
- Textile manufacturing flow chart
- Steel wire prices
- Brent Crude price
- CB grades properties comparison by Cabot Corp.
- Multiple regression CB price vs Brent Crude and Consumer price index
- RHA price in India in 2024
- Price of zinc
- Producer Price Index fatty acids
- Global container freight Freightos Baltic Index
- Tire raw material prices, 2025 (prices $/kg = $1,000/ton)
- Pirelli sustainability strategy (% bio-based and recycled materials), 2025-30
- HF TANDEM rotor "cohesive kneading" and Maxam liquid mixing technology
- Lightweighting recipe by Yokohama
- Airless tires and components
- Nakata supporting equipment
- CB/silica evolution in tire compounding
- Functionalization and dispersion
- Linear vs branched elastomers, difunctional and polymer types
- Double-network rubber: elastomer and resin
- Generations of self-healing polymers
List of Tables
- Substances of high concern
- Main challenges and drivers for RM to 2030
- Impact of DPP and right to repair in tire and raw materials
- Progress of vehicles and tires
- Top 10 tire companies in 2024 (estimation by Feb 2025)
- Tire companies oriented to value vs volume oriented
- Some of the latest innovative tire plants in the world
- Typical tire composition by weight for top 10 tire companies' RM cost split
- Typical tire radial components and RM used
- Global consumption of tire RM by type, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of RM for EV tires, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of RM by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomer consumption in the tire industry, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomers by region, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- SBR generations 1930-2030
- Fossil process oils used in the tire industry
- Process oils consumption by type, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Process oils consumption by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Textile & steel cord by type, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Bead steel wire consumption by region, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Analysis of major CBs and their viability
- Carbon black consumption by type, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Carbon black consumption by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- How the typical hybrid/EV passenger tire compositions by weight evolve
- Green passenger tire tread compositions
- HD silica tread - industry trade-offs
- Conventional silica and HD silica consumption, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- HD silica consumption by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Silane consumption in the tire industry by geographic market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Antioxidants and antiozonants by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Types of resin
- Types of performance resin by chemical groups
- Resin consumption by type 2021-25, ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resin consumption by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Curing agents by market region, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Processing aids consumption by region, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Other chemicals consumption by region, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Polyurethane consumption by market, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- RFID or alternative ID by market, 2021-25 (million units)
- Light vehicles (passenger and commercial) sales by market, 2021-30 ('000s)
- Light EV by market, 2021-30 ('000s)
- Global tires by vehicle type, 2021-30 ($ million)
- Global EV tires by vehicle type, 2021-30 ($ million)
- Global tires by vehicle type, 2021-30 (million units)
- Global tire market by vehicle type, 2021-30 (million units)
- Global EV tires by vehicle type, 2021-30 (million units)
- Tire consumption by region, 2021-30 (millions)
- Carbon black production by technology
- Global consumption of tire RM by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of tire RM by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Global consumption of EV tires RM by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomer consumption in the tire industry, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Elastomers by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Technology centers working on liquid mixing
- Process oils consumption
- Textile by type and steel cord consumption, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Bead steel wire consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Cord and steel adhesion promoters consumption by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Cord adhesion promoters consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Steel cord adhesion promoters consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Carbon black production by technology
- Carbon black consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- sCB/sOils/RHA/hurdles to total replacement of traditional materials
- HD silica consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Silane consumption by geographic region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Antioxidant and antiozonant consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resin consumption by type, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Performance resins by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- DRT (les derives resiniques et terpeniques) resins
- Curing agents consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Curing agents in the tire industry by volume and region, 2021-25 ('000 tonnes)
- Processing aids by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Other chemicals consumption by region, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Polyurethane foam for tires consumption by market, 2021-30 ('000 tonnes)
- Automotive tire sealing solutions and materials
- Tire sealant patent technology
- Polymers used in non-pneumatic tires
- RFID or alternative ID by market (million units)
- Incoterm definitions and responsibilities
- Synthetic rubber price values (%) for different regions
- Tire raw materials classification and general characteristics
- Butadiene monomer price
- Updated RM volatility ranking
- Updated RM volatility ranking
- SBR prices
- BR prices
- IR prices
- PET prices
- Nylon prices
- Rayon prices
- Relative CB prices by grade
- Carbon black price
- CB price values, 2021-30 ($/ton)
- HDS prices to 2030
- Typical accelerants prices early 2025 by confidential RM sourcing
- Paraffin wax prices
- Tall oil fatty acid
- Tire raw material prices 2025
- Michelin's supplier expectations: environment, human rights and ethics
- China as a tire technology/RM innovation leader?
- AI impact & strategy to tire and RM industries
- Enso Tyres
- Industry 4.0 tire plants
- Tire industries comparison
- RM characteristics for different technological tire industries
- Linear and branched elastomers examples and use in tires
- RM to 2040
- SWOTT for tire RM industry
- SWOTT for tire RM industry