Tires remain the largest market for synthetic elastomers, with steady growth in demand from the automotive, industrial and construction sectors

Synthetic elastomers are just as malleable as natural rubber, which is made from latex, but at the same time they are more heat-resistant, more resistant to chemicals, and independent of age or climate
.
"Synthetic rubber is essential in many everyday products and technical applications," explains Ceresana managing director Oliver Kutsch.
"The annual consumption of synthetic elastomers exceeds 11.
8 million tons
.
" This is the fourth time the market research agency has Investigate the global market for these elastic plastics
.

Main use: car tires

The most important application area for synthetic elastomers is in all types of automotive tires: approximately 54% of the total global demand comes from original and replacement tires
.
In addition to this, many other products in the automotive industry require elastic materials: hoses, cables, seals, door and window profiles, and bellows for engine mounts or shock absorbers
.
Analysts at Ceresana expect the global automotive industry's demand for synthetic elastomers to grow at an annual rate of 2.
6% through 2030
.

Technical rubber products

The second largest field of application for synthetic elastomers is dimensionally stable but elastically extensible technical products such as conveyor belts, roller coverings, molded parts and roof panels
.
The chemical industry, mechanical engineering, construction industry, electrical and electronic industry have an increasing demand for rubber products
.
Synthetic rubber is also used to modify materials, i.
e.
as additives to other materials
.
Ceresana predicts that the global demand for elastic plastics in the industrial and construction sectors will grow at an annual rate of 2.
4% through 2030
.

Various grades of synthetic elastomers

Synthetic elastomers are made from petrochemical raw materials, mainly styrene and butadiene
.
Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is currently the most important rubber variety, with a consumption of about 5.
1 million tons in 2020
.
SBR is prepared by emulsion polymerization (E-SBR) or solution polymerization (S-SBR)
.
E-SBR currently accounts for about 62% of total SBR demand
.
However, the demand for S-SBR is developing more actively, with an annual growth rate of 3.
0%
.
The tire industry is the most important market for SBR, butadiene rubber (BR), butyl rubber (IIR) and polyisoprene rubber (IR)
.
On the other hand, other elastomer grades are mainly used for industrial and construction products and the modification of materials: for example, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM), neoprene (CR) and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) )
.