Recently, the tire industry has ushered in a round of price adjustments that cover a wide range of prices.
Many international leading brands such as Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continental, as well as domestic leading companies such as Sailun Tire, Linglong Tire, and Zhongce Rubber, have simultaneously raised product prices, showing the characteristics of simultaneous domestic and foreign investment and full category coverage. More than 80 companies have increased prices.
On May 11, the person in charge of a car repair shop in Putuo District, Shanghai said: “There is news that the price of (tires) will increase, but it is still uncertain when the price will increase. However, the increase should not be very large, because now the cost is high, the market price of tires will also be higher.”
Many tire companies have revealed various factors behind this round of price increases.
Bridgestone (China) stated that this round of price adjustments is mainly affected by the complex and changing international situation and fluctuations in the global commodity market. The prices of tire raw materials continue to rise. At the same time, related energy, logistics and supporting costs are also rising, resulting in greater pressure on the overall tire manufacturing cost.
玲珑轮胎总裁周令坤也表示，本轮行业集中调价的核心因素是多方面成本压力的被动传导。
On the raw material side, affected by the US-Iraq War, the prices of major raw materials such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black, and steel cord continued to rise. This, combined with the intensified fluctuations in international shipping freight, caused the unit product cost to rise significantly.
In fact, this round of price increases is not a proactive action by tire companies, but a passive cost transmission caused by the continued sharp rise in core raw materials such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and carbon black, coupled with rising energy, logistics and other costs, as well as geopolitical conflicts.
NIO founder, chairman and CEO Li Bin pointed out in late April that raw materials such as memory chips, lithium, aluminum, and copper are all rising in price this year. The war between the United States and Iran has caused the price of oil-related things to rise. Many plastic particle and tire manufacturers are also raising prices, and costs have increased significantly.
Tire manufacturing involves a wide variety of raw materials, such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black, steel cord, cord fabric, rubber additives, etc. The price fluctuation of each item will directly affect the production cost, thereby determining the price of tire products.
面对持续走高的成本压力，各大企业也采取了应对措施。
Bridgestone (China) stated that the company continues to deepen its global supply chain capabilities, strengthen technological innovation, and actively absorb the adverse effects caused by rising costs through various measures such as improving operational efficiency and optimizing cost structure.
然而，在尽最大努力消化成本压力后，相关成本上涨幅度仍明显超出公司可合理承担范围。
On April 14, Bridgestone (China) issued the “Notice on Price Adjustments”. Starting from May 1, 2026, the purchase price of passenger cars will be moderately adjusted. The expected adjustment range is 3% – 5%. The specific price shall be based on the latest price corresponding to each product.
Linglong Tire gave detailed data. Zhou Lingkun said that due to the conflict in the Middle East disrupting the supply chain, chemical raw materials have surged since the end of February.
天胶因天气干旱和化肥成本抬升，价格也有所上涨。
According to market data from Zhuochuang Information, compared with February 28, the price of natural rubber increased by 8.6%, butadiene rubber increased by 28.6%, butyl rubber increased by 91.8%, polyester cord fabric increased by 37%, accelerators increased by 55.6%, and antioxidants increased by 41.1%.
Against the background of continued rising costs, Linglong Tire has issued two rounds of price increase notices: starting from April 1, 2026, the prices of some PCR, TBR, and OTR multi-brand products in the domestic retail market will increase by 3% – 5%; starting from May 1, the prices of PCR and TBR related products in the domestic retail market will be adjusted again, and the range will still be 3% – 5%.
Other companies in the industry are also adjusting prices.
Sailun Tire mentioned in its investor relations event on May 8 that the company will flexibly formulate specific procurement strategies based on the market conditions and demand plans of various raw materials on a daily basis, and will determine price adjustment strategies based on factors such as production costs and market demand to minimize the adverse impact of raw material price fluctuations on the company. Currently, the company has raised prices for its products.
Michelin (China) also mentioned in its price adjustment letter on April 17 that due to the increase in tire raw material prices, product manufacturing costs have continued to come under pressure. Starting from May 1, 2026 (subject to the invoicing date), Michelin and BFGoodrich brand passenger car tires and light truck tires will increase prices. The price increase will vary depending on the product, ranging between 15 yuan (including tax) and 30 yuan (including tax). The specific price policy shall be subject to the latest price policy.
Automotive aftermarket companies are also keenly feeling the tremendous pressure transmitted from upstream.
The person in charge of Tuhu Car Maintenance said that they have learned about the rising cost of raw materials in the upstream industry. Tuhu and tire manufacturers are directly purchasing on a large scale, so the prices will be more advantageous and stable.
The price increase is mainly due to the sharp increase in upstream raw materials such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and carbon black, coupled with the increase in energy and logistics costs, resulting in an overall rigid increase in costs.
As for the price increase effect, Zhou Lingkun said that for the domestic supporting and overseas supporting markets, the company has established a price linkage mechanism with some customers. However, since the supporting business is mostly annual, semi-annual, and quarterly framework agreements, there is a certain lag in the actual implementation of price adjustments.
The effect of price increases is expected to be gradually reflected in the second half of 2026, when the cost pressure accumulated in the early stage will be partially transmitted, thereby improving the profitability of supporting businesses.
Facing the double squeeze of rising raw material prices and supply chain pressure, major tire manufacturers are actively seeking ways to break the situation while struggling to pass on cost pressures.
Linglong Tire has established a systematic response mechanism to ensure the stability of raw material supply and continuously optimize procurement costs to reduce the impact of raw material price fluctuations on the company’s production and operations.
At the same time, the company continues to increase the research and development and promotion of high value-added products, accelerate domestic substitution, and continue to reduce costs and increase efficiency through intelligent manufacturing and lean management.
The relevant person in charge of Tuhu Car Maintenance said that Tuhu Car Maintenance has timely stocked the goods in the first half of this year. Based on the current stocking situation and the cooperation framework with tire manufacturers, it can withstand part of the pressure of rising costs in the short term and maintain stable online and offline consumer prices. There are currently no plans to adjust terminal prices. The first priority is to protect the interests of consumers and strive to provide car owners with authentic, cost-effective tire products from big brands.
Sailun Tire stated that the company will flexibly formulate specific procurement strategies based on the market conditions and demand plans of various raw materials, and will determine price adjustment strategies based on factors such as production costs and market demand to minimize the adverse impact of raw material price fluctuations on the company.
After this round of price increases is implemented, the domestic tire industry’s subsequent production capacity optimization, product structure upgrade, and overall high-quality development trend deserve attention.
Zhou Lingkun pointed out that after the wave of price increases, the concentration of the domestic tire industry will continue to increase and the product structure upgrade will be accelerated.
In recent years, the country’s industrial policies for the tire industry have become more scientific and standardized. There are many legislations on safety and environmental protection. The entry threshold for the tire industry is constantly increasing, and product quality and performance standards are improving. Especially in Shandong, the entry rules for the tire industry have become more standardized. Driven by the policy of eliminating backward production capacity, backward production capacity is being cleared at an accelerated pace.
