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U.S. Tire Shipments Expected to Decrease in 2019

March 5, 2019

U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) projects 2019 U.S. tire shipments will decrease to 327 million units compared to 329.4 million units in 2018. USTMA is the national trade association for tire manufacturers in the U.S.

Original equipment (OE) passenger tire shipments are expected to decrease by 0.6 million units, while passenger tire replacement shipments are projected to decrease by 0.6 million units compared to a historically strong 2018. Original equipment and replacement light truck tire shipments are expected to increase while decreases are projected for original equipment and replacement truck tire shipments.

Due to the U.S. Government shutdown and delayed release of December trade data, the 2018 data is preliminary. This forecast was completed after the announcement of the antidumping and countervailing duties for Chinese truck tires and was incorporated into the forecast.

USTMA 2019 Projected Tire Shipments (Feb Forecast)

 2018 - Preliminary2019 Forecast% ChangeUnits+/(-)
Original Equipment Tires    
Passenger47.146.5-1.3-0.6
Light Truck5.65.71.10.1
Truck6.56.4-0.9-0.1
Replacement Tires    
Passenger217.4216.8-0.3-0.6
Light Truck31.531.80.80.3
Truck21.319.9-6.8-1.5
Total Shipments329.4327.0-0.7-2.4

Note: All shipments in millions. Figures are rounded.

About USTMA

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association is the national trade association for tire manufacturers that produce tires in the U.S. Our 11 member companies operate 56 tire-related manufacturing facilities in 16 states. U.S. tire manufacturing has an annual economic footprint of $170.6 billion and is responsible for more than 291,000 U.S. jobs in manufacturing, distribution and retailing. The industry supports more than 510,000 additional U.S. jobs in supplier and induced activities, totaling more than 801,000 jobs nationwide. USTMA advances a sustainable tire manufacturing industry through thought leadership and a commitment to science based public policy advocacy. Our member company tires make mobility possible. USTMA members are committed to continuous improvement of the performance of our products, worker and consumer safety and environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.USTires.org and follow us on Twitter/X @USTires.