Rubber & Tire Industry in Numbers: Share Prices, Financials, and Market Trends

The global rubber and tire sector showed mixed performance over the past fortnight, with share prices fluctuating across major manufacturers while raw material costs and financial results painted a nuanced picture of the industry’s health. Bridgestone’s stock dipped 1.0% to ¥4,089, while Goodyear fell 0.8% to $5.99. Hankook took the biggest hit, dropping 7.0% to KRW66,500, though Nokian Tyres surged 4.2% to €15.75 and ZC Rubber jumped 6.2% to CNY50.45. Among rubber product makers, Semperit led gains with a 10.0% rise to €16.95, while Avon Technologies slid 6.4% to £18.30.

Natural rubber (NR) futures traded sideways in the second week of August, with Japan Exchange Group describing activity as “slow and subdued.” Physical rubber prices held a US$0.15/kg premium over spot-month prices, reflecting balanced demand and supply. On major exchanges, Osaka’s RSS3 September 2026 futures climbed 3.2% to ¥444.0, while Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) SCR/RSS September 2026 futures dipped 0.3% to CNY16,840. Singapore Commodity Exchange (SICOM) TSR20 September 2026 futures edged up 0.3% to US$219.8c/lb, and SHFE BR September 2026 futures rose 3.1% to CNY13,520.

Financial results varied widely. ZC Rubber reported H1/26 sales of ¥23.5bn (€3bn), up 7.4%, with net income of ¥2.4bn, a 5.8% increase. Semperit Group posted H1/26 revenue of €356m, up 11.1%, and earnings of €66.6m, a staggering 116% surge. Apollo Tyres saw Q1/26-27 sales rise 12.8% to ₹74bn (€670m), though profit from continuing operations dipped 2.0% to ₹474.4 crore. Hankook Tires delivered strong H1/26 results: KRW5,373bn in sales (+10.6%) and KRW920.7bn in operating income (+35.4%). Cooper Standard’s Q2/26 revenue grew 2.2% to $721m (€625m), but adjusted EBITDA fell 14.2% to $54m. Goodyear’s Q2/26 revenue dropped 4.8% to $4.3bn, with a 77% plunge in net income to $36m. Continental Tires reported Q2/26 revenue of €3.3bn, down 0.2%, but EBIT rose 26% to €509m.

Capital expenditure announcements underscored expansion plans. Black Cat Carbon Materials Technology plans a ¥1bn (€130m) 240ktpa carbon black plant in Liaoning, China, slated for 2026–28. India’s Indian Oil Corp. is investing INR30bn ($350m) to build a new butadiene rubber plant in Panipat, targeting year-end commissioning. Sailun Group is studying a ZAR2bn (€108m) tire manufacturing hub in South Africa, aiming for 1 million car tires and 300,000 truck/bus tires annually. South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment allocated KRW48bn (€30m) to boost high-value recycling of end-of-life tires, focusing on recycled carbon black (rCB) in new tire production. Kumho Tire plans to invest up to KRW760bn (€440m) in a new plant in Hampyeong, South Korea, with a capacity of 5.3 million tires per year and 7 million units of “refined rubber.”