India Initiates Anti-Dumping Probe on Halobutyl Rubber Imports from U.S. & China
India’s trade regulator, Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of halobutyl rubber (often used inside pneumatic inner tubes) originating from or exported by the United States and China (via Singapore). The probe follows an application filed by domestic producer Reliance Sibur Elastomers Private Limited, which alleges that these imports are being dumped, sold at unfairly low prices, and causing injury to the Indian industry.
Halobutyl rubber (also referred to as HIIR, BIIR, and CIIR) is a key raw material for tyre inner-tube and flap manufacturing across passenger cars, two-wheelers, heavy vehicles, and agricultural tyres. The domestic industry argues that sharply increased imports have suppressed prices, squeezed margins, and threatened investment in local capacity.
The investigation will examine whether imports were made at unfair prices, whether they harmed the domestic industry, and whether there is a causal link between the two, as required under Indian anti-dumping law. If the findings are affirmative, provisional anti-dumping duties may be recommended to curb the impact. The decision comes at a time when the Indian tyre-raw-material ecosystem is under pressure from volatile inputs, global trade shifts, and upward cost trends.
For tyre manufacturers, the move could lead to a more stable domestic supply of inner-tube quality rubber, improved local investment case, and less vulnerability to dumped imports. However, importers and global suppliers may face higher tariffs, cost pressure, and potential supply-chain disruption.
Editor’s View
This probe serves as a reminder that raw-material dynamics matter as much as finished-tyre volumes in the tyre industry. Inner-tube rubber may appear niche, but it is critical for tyre integrity, safety, and cost structure. The domestic market’s push to safeguard local production underlines how dependent many Indian tyre makers are on imported speciality rubber. Moving forward, tyre manufacturers, compounders and tyre-machinery suppliers should monitor the outcome carefully; the kind of “material protection” signalled here may influence compound design choices, stock-holding strategies and cost negotiations.
