Tread rubber shipments up 2.2%

Washington, DC— Economic growth and a strong demand for off-the-road tires fueled a 2.2 percent increase in 2005 total tread rubber shipments, up from 1.5 percent growth in 2004 according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s Tread Rubber Market Analysis Committee. Continued strength in construction, increases in the number of trucks, expansion in the manufacturing sector and positive freight trends will sustain growth through 2006 and 2007 at an annualized rate of 2.0%.

The increase in 2005 marked the third consecutive year that shipments increased, representing a total of 16.1 million retreaded tires in the United States. Similarly, tire units in 2006 are expected to also increase by approximately 300,000 units.

Retreaded tires are used by commercial aviation, commercial trucks, school buses, and off-the-road vehicles such as industrial, agricultural and mining equipment.