PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (Aug. 19, 2005) — U.S. and Canadian retreaders sold about 18 million retreaded tires in North America last year— the majority of them medium truck tires, according to the Tire Retread Information Bureau.
The value of the sales totaled more than $3 billion, Pacific Grove-based TRIB added. TRIB did not supply comparative data for 2003, but the Rubber Manufacturers Association earlier this year said tread rubber shipments in the U.S. grew 1.5 percent last year and are expected to grow about 2.7 percent this year to the equivalent of about 17 million retreaded tires.
TRIB also said there are about 1,030 retreading plants in North America owned and operated by independent small businesses and by new tire manufacturers and a major tread rubber supplier.
All the figures included only the U.S. and Canada; data for Mexico were not available