In the second quarter of 2026, after the first round of general price increases in March, the domestic tire industry once again ushered in a new round of price increases with wider coverage and closer rhythm.
From local companies to foreign brands, from all-steel tires and semi-steel tires to passenger tires and engineering tires, many companies have issued price adjustment notices intensively. The price increase cycle has continued to extend from April to May, and the industry has entered a critical stage of rigid cost transmission.
According to statistics from companies’ public price adjustment information, from April to early May 2026, more than 30 domestic and foreign tire companies have concentrated on raising product prices, covering all categories and the entire industry chain, showing three characteristics: wide range, complete categories, and tight rhythm.
From the perspective of execution time, April 1st became the first round of concentrated price increases. More than ten companies including Anshan Tire, Guizhou Tire, and Xinguilun Rubber raised prices from that day; mid-to-late April entered an intensive execution period, with Bayi Rubber on April 27th, Qirun Tire on April 25th,
Double Coin Tire and East China Rubber adjusted their prices one after another on April 20; May 1 became the window for foreign and leading domestic enterprises to increase prices simultaneously. Bridgestone, Michelin, Linglong Tire, Sailun Tire, Yongsheng Rubber, etc. simultaneously implemented new prices, and Wanli Tire started a second price increase on May 10.
In terms of products and price increases, local companies mainly focus on TBR truck and bus radial tires and all-steel tires, and some cover PCR passenger tires and engineering tires. The price increases are concentrated at 2%-5%. Some all-steel products of Zhongce Rubber have increased as low as 1%, and Tengsen Rubber inner tube products have increased by 10%. Among foreign brands, Bridgestone will increase its passenger tires by 3%-5% from May 1, and Michelin will adjust prices according to product specifications.
Many companies have made two price adjustments in a short period of time. Tianji Tire raised the price of TBR products twice on March 25 and April 25. Wanli Tire and Qingdao Tongzhan Rubber also successively issued supplementary price adjustment notices, and the transmission of cost pressure continues to accelerate.
This round of price increases is not an active price adjustment by companies, but a passive response to the combination of rising raw material prices, international situation fluctuations and supply chain disturbances.
Raw materials account for more than 70% of tire production costs, and the three core raw materials of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and carbon black account for more than 60% in total. Price fluctuations directly determine cost trends.
In terms of natural rubber, the main production areas in Southeast Asia are affected by high temperatures and droughts, and rubber tapping is slow. Domestic raw material prices in Yunnan and Hainan are at a nearly five-year high. The prices of glue and cup glue in Thailand remain at a nearly six-year high. Tight supply supports the strengthening of prices.
Synthetic rubber is highly related to international crude oil. Geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East have pushed up oil prices. Butadiene supply is tight. In April, the prices of styrene-butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber remained relatively high year-on-year.
Carbon black accounts for 20%-25% of the cost. Driven by the increase in coal tar prices, the quotation continues to be high, which further increases the production burden.
The international situation and supply chain issues have also intensified cost pressures. Bridgestone, Wanli Tire and other companies mentioned in their price adjustment notices that the international situation, commodity fluctuations and supply problems in production areas have caused raw material costs to rise significantly.
Coupled with the simultaneous rise in energy, logistics, labor and other costs, even if companies raise prices, it will be difficult to fully cover the cost increase.
Industry data shows that the comprehensive cost of all-steel tires in April increased by 6% to 8% compared with the beginning of the year, while most of the price adjustments by companies this time were concentrated at 3% to 5%, leaving an obvious gap in cost transmission.
This round of price increases will continue to have a chain impact on the industry, channels and terminals. In the short term, it will intensify the supply and demand game, and in the long term, it will help the industry structure enter the optimization and adjustment lane.
For enterprises, the cost increase is higher than the price adjustment range, and profit margins have been compressed. The operating pressure of small and medium-sized enterprises has increased. Leading enterprises have stronger cost-absorbing capabilities by virtue of their scale and supply chain advantages. For channel-end operators, dealer procurement costs have increased, and terminal demand has been relatively stable. Price increases are difficult to fully transmit, which will cause inventory and capital management to face double tests. From the end market, as tire prices increase, car owners and logistics companies will also increase vehicle costs.
In terms of future trends, under the background of high costs, tire prices are still likely to increase in the short term, and prices will be difficult to return to 2025 levels.
The industry will gradually be optimized and upgraded, low-end production capacity will gradually be cleared, and companies will be more inclined to deploy high value-added products to promote the industry’s transformation to high-quality development.
In general, the price increase in the tire industry in 2026 is the result of cost pressure transmission. The simultaneous price adjustments by domestic and foreign companies mean that the industry has entered a critical stage of cost adaptation and adjustment.
The industrial chain needs to coordinate to deal with cost fluctuations in order to jointly maintain the stable development of the market.
