The State and Key Features of the Tire Retreading Industry

China is a major rubber consumer worldwide; as its automotive and mining-machinery industries have grown fast, its rubber consumption has long ranked near the top globally. At the same time, China is relatively short of rubber resources, relying heavily on imports of natural and synthetic rubber, so supply and demand are strained. The many tires scrapped each year also create a substantial pool of scrap-tire resources.

As for the industry's state, retreading in China has a long history and has changed greatly over the decades. With rubber resources tight, retreading has grown steadily and volumes have risen year by year, placing China among the world's major retread-producing countries. Yet the range of retreaded types is still limited, concentrated mainly on bus and heavy-freight tires; passenger-car retreading is just beginning, and the rates for large mining and aircraft tires remain low.

Several features stand out in recent years. First, scale has expanded, with a group of larger backbone enterprises emerging. Second, the layout has developed into clusters, with private capital as the leading force and a chain gradually forming across collection, dismantling, reclaiming, and deep processing. Third, key technology keeps advancing — the core equipment for retreading, crumb, and reclaimed rubber is largely domestically made; retreading has shifted from hot-retread bias tires to predominantly pre-cure cold-retread radials; and modern inspection equipment makes quality control more scientific. Green, energy-saving, and standardized operation is exactly where the industry is heading.