Rubber prices hit 9-year high, over 60 Chinese tire makers raise prices

The squeeze runs through the whole tire chain: rubber is the single largest input cost, so when the Shanghai contract hits a nine-year high, the price notices follow within weeks. What stands out is the breadth — all-steel, semi-steel and off-the-road lines affected, and more than 60 producers moving together — which points to an industry passing costs downstream rather than absorbing them. Whether that pass-through holds depends on demand: if replacement and export markets resist the higher tags, the hikes become margin protection rather than genuine pricing power.