Synthetic Rubber – Cheaper but Inferior

The latest rubber consumption data from India suggest that high natural rubber prices are causing tyremakers to increase the percentage of synthetic rubber used in their products. Statistics for the period between April and December 2006, in comparison to the same months the previous year, show a 15 per cent growth in synthetic rubber consumption. This contrasts with the much smaller 2.35 increase in the consumption of natural rubber recorded during the same period.

In Europe, the established natural rubber/synthetic rubber ratio is 80:20. This is mainly due to the superior vulcanising qualities of natural rubber, an important consideration in truck and OTR tyres. Indian tyre manufacturers have previously reported that their optimum natural/synthetic rubber ratio is 78:22, but in recent months it appears that this ratio has been stretched to 70:30, about the maximum technically feasible.

However, this change in ratio has been met with limited success and may not be a long-lived state of affairs. According to Mr D. Ravindran, director general of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), the 30 per cent proportion of synthetic rubber is not giving the tyre performance required for Indian conditions, and he expects more natural rubber in the mix very soon.