Commodity elastomer demand to pass 9 mmt.Global commodity elastomers demand is forecast to increase 3.6% per year to 9.2 million metric tons in the year 2000. The major tire elastomers - solid styrene-butadiene (SBR SBR - Spectral Band Replication ), polybutadiene (BR) and butyl butyl /bu·tyl/ (bu´t'l) a hydrocarbon radical, C4H9. bu·tyl n. A hydrocarbon radical, C4H9. butyl a hydrocarbon radical, C4H9. (IIR IIR - Infinite Impulse Response ) - will benefit from favorable growth in motor vehicle production and stable expansion in tire replacement. Solid styrene-butadiene will remain by far the leading type of synthetic rubber synthetic rubber: see rubber. , although polybutadiene, which supports a more diverse group of end-uses, will post stronger gains. These trends are presented in the new study "World Commodity Elastomers" published by The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based research company. World demand for commodity elastomers in tires is forecast to increase 3.6% per year to 5.3 million metric tons in the year 2000, with the amount of synthetic rubber used per tire forecast to remain unchanged after declining over the last 10 years. These declines were attributable to many factors, including a generally weak performance in the truck and bus segment, automotive downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing and the collapse of the tire industry in the former Soviet Union. Although all of the above factors remain major considerations in the tire industry, several broad trends currently in play in the segment are serving to stabilize the amount of synthetic rubber used per tire. First, rubber demand will benefit from the popularity of performance tires, which use more rubber in their construction. Secondly, after two decades of intense downsizing efforts, the average size of automobiles in developed regions is increasing, an out-growth of the popularity of sport utility vehicles This page lists sports utility vehicles currently in production (as of April 2007), as well as past models. The list includes crossover SUVs, Mini SUVs, Compact SUVs and other similar vehicles. , full size pick-up trucks and minivans, which use larger tires. Finally, demand for truck and bus tires is improving, an outgrowth of rising output of these types of vehicles, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the study. World demand for commodity elastomers in industrial rubber products (such as hose, belts and mechanical goods) will remain flat due to intense intermaterial competition. Most of the market share lost by commodity elastomers (primarily SBR) over the last decade has gone to specialty types of synthetic rubber with better heat and chemical resistance, or to thermoplastic elastomers. Best opportunities are in nonautomotive applications, such as industrial machinery and equipment. Most rapid gains will arise in other end-uses - polybutadiene rubber is used as an impact modifier (programming) modifier - An operation that alters the state of an object. Modifiers often have names that begin with "set" and corresponding selector functions whose names begin with "get". for thermoplastics, while styrene-butadiene latex latex, emulsion of a polymer (e.g., rubber) in water (see colloid). Natural latexes are produced by a number of plants, are usually white in color, and often contain, in addition to rubber, various gums, oils, and waxes. finds broad use in carpet backing and paper coatings.
World commodity elastomers demand
(thousand metric tons)
% Annual growth
Item 1985 1995 2000 95/85 00/95
Commodity
elastomer demand 7,730 7,683 9,150 -0.6 3.6
Tires and tire 4,281 4,465 5,327 0.4 3.6
components
Industrial rubber 1,103 767 777 -3.6 0.3
products
Other end-uses 2,346 2,451 3,046 0.4 4.4
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