agricultural · input
Tree latex from Hevea plantations; ~40-45% of tire weight in truck/aircraft tires; ~25-30% in passenger tires; Thailand and Indonesia produce ~70% of global supply; no synthetic substitute for high-stress tire applications
6
Source countries
7
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
1 essential American goods rely on natural rubber (nr) — hevea brasiliensis latex somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| THThailand | 32% |
| IDIndonesia | 21% |
| CIIvory Coast | 10% |
| VNVietnam | 9% |
| INIndia | 5% |
| MYMalaysia | 4% |
Who makes it
7 companies produce natural rubber (nr) — hevea brasiliensis latex.
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.
Singapore-based natural rubber trader and processor; 37 processing factories across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Ivory Coast. Annual processing capacity ~1.4M MT (~5-8% of global NR market). H1 2024 sales: 901,780 MT, $1.5B revenue. One of the largest owners of commercially operated rubber plantations globally. SGX-listed.
Major private Thai natural rubber processor and exporter; Surat Thani plant claimed as world's largest natural rubber processing facility. Registered capital ~$700M; ~2,000-2,500 employees. 2011 export: ~500,000 MT, $2.3B sales. Concentrated in southern Thailand (Surat Thani, Chumphon, Trang).
Largest crumb rubber processor group in Indonesia; 15 subsidiary processing companies across Sumatra and Kalimantan. ~720,000 MT/yr capacity; ~18% of Indonesian domestic rubber market. Products: SIR-10, SIR-20 (tire grade). Oldest subsidiary (PT Djambi Waras) established 1964. IDX-listed.
Japanese tire conglomerate (TYO: 5108); world's largest tire company by revenue. Agricultural segment: Firestone Ag brand (acquired with Firestone 1988) + Bridgestone ag tires. Primary North American ag tire facility: Des Moines, Iowa (established 1945, "largest farm tire manufacturing facility in the world," 1,400 employees, $77M expansion 2016). DISRUPTION: June 2024, Bridgestone laid off 118 workers (revised to 89) citing 18% YoY decline in North American ag tire demand and 15% global decline; January 2025 additional voluntary separation program at Des Moines. Also a top-3 rubber track manufacturer: confirmed OEM to Kubota, Yanmar, Takeuchi, Case. Also produces non-ag tires across passenger, truck, and specialty markets. Higher natural rubber production costs cited as compounding factor alongside demand decline.
French tire and materials conglomerate (EPA: ML); world's second-largest tire company. Agricultural segment: Michelin ag tires (premium radial) + Camso rubber tracks. Acquired Camso (formerly Camoplast Solideal, Quebec) in 2019 — making Michelin the #1 global agricultural rubber track manufacturer with 26% market share. Camso holds John Deere "Partner-level Supplier" status and is OEM track supplier for all John Deere 8RX series track tractors (factory-installed). Camso's Loadstar operation in Sri Lanka uses local natural rubber. Also supplies CNH, AGCO, Claas, Deutz-Fahr, Versatile, Caterpillar. Michelin-branded ag tires compete in premium radial segment alongside Trelleborg and Vredestein.
97%+ state-owned Vietnamese rubber producer; established 1975. 377,800 ha plantations across Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. 2024 production target: 445,000 MT latex. Also a major industrial timber producer (1.2M m3/year rubberwood from end-of-life rubber trees) -- timber revenue affects replanting decisions and future NR supply timing.
