PRIA Logo™

manufactured · input

Footwear Rubber/TPU Outsole Compound

Vulcanized natural/synthetic rubber and thermoplastic polyurethane compounds molded into shoe outsoles for traction and durability.

8

Source countries

4

Companies

1

Goods affected

0

Claims on record

What depends on it

Goods that need this input

1 essential American goods rely on footwear rubber/tpu outsole compound somewhere upstream in their supply chain.

Materials

Footwear

Sneakers, dress shoes, and boots; ~99% imported, overwhelmingly from Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and Cambodia.

Where it comes from

Source countries

Share of global supply, by country.

CountryShare of supply
FRFrance26%
KRSouth Korea (Republic of Korea)22%
JPJapan16%
MXMexico12%
VNVietnam10%
CNChina6%
BRBrazil3%
TWTaiwan1%

Who makes it

Supplier companies

4 companies produce footwear rubber/tpu outsole compound.

BASF SE(BAS)

HQ DE

World's largest chemical company by revenue; dominant Western producer of food-grade sodium nitrite. BASF expanded sodium nitrite production capacity in Germany specifically to meet growing demand for high-purity pharmaceutical and food applications. Primary production at Ludwigshafen (world's largest contiguous chemical complex). Also produces sodium nitrite catalysts, sulfuric acid, and intermediates for pharmaceutical synthesis. BASF sells food-grade sodium nitrite to meat processors globally through distribution networks and third-party channels.

Covestro AG(COV)

HQ DE

German specialty polymer and coating company (XETRA: 1COV), spun out of Bayer AG in 2015. Became the dominant global fiber optic coating supplier when it acquired DSM's Resins & Functional Materials business for €1.61B (announced Sep 2020, closed April 1, 2021) — absorbing DSM's 40-year legacy in optical fiber coatings. Then acquired JSR Corporation's 30% stake in Japan Fine Coatings Co., Ltd. (Tsukuba) in January 2022, becoming sole owner. Now self-states it "produces more than 50% of the world's optical fiber coatings." Brands: DeSolite® (primary/secondary UV-cure acrylate coatings), Cablelite® (ribbon matrix/inks), Bufferlite® (tight buffer). Key production sites: Elgin, Illinois USA (former DSM Desotech; main global volume plant); Tsukuba, Japan (Japan Fine Coatings, 100% owned, ~65 staff); Zwolle, Netherlands (coating resins). Also a leading polycarbonate and polyurethane supplier for automotive, electronics, and construction — fiber optic coatings are a small but strategically critical business unit.

Sri Trang Agro-Industry(STA)

HQ TH

Largest natural rubber processing company globally by capacity (~3.65M MT/yr stated capacity; ~10-12% global NR market share). Vertically integrated from 7,500 ha plantation through processing and export. Facilities concentrated in southern Thailand rubber belt (Surat Thani, Songkhla, Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat). SET-listed.

Vibram S.p.A.

HQ IT

Maker of branded rubber outsoles (the "yellow octagon") licensed across hiking, work, performance and fashion footwear.

← Browse the supply map