WASHINGTON, DC, 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.

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The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association is the national trade association for tire manufacturers that produce tires in the U.S. Our 12 member companies operate 56 tire-related manufacturing facilities in 17 states and generate over $27 billion in annual sales. We directly support more than a quarter million tire manufacturing U.S. jobs – totaling almost $20 billion in wages. In 2017, USTMA members accounted for 82 percent of the 316 million passenger, light truck and truck tire shipments in the U.S.