In June 2026, foreign tire brands including Hankook and Dunlop officially issued price adjustment notices with product price hikes ranging from 2% to 6%, marking the third round of collective price increases in the industry this year. Since March, more than 80 domestic tire manufacturers such as Zhongce, Sailun and Linglong have released two to three rounds of price increase letters successively, with both domestic and foreign brands raising ex-factory and retail prices simultaneously.
The surging raw material costs are the core driver behind this round of price hikes: natural rubber futures exceeded 18,000 yuan per metric ton, hitting a three-year high. Raw materials including rubber, carbon black and tire cord fabric account for over 70% of tire production costs. Coupled with rising logistics and energy expenses, manufacturers are facing sustained profit pressure.
Industry analysts stated that the tight supply of rubber will be hard to ease in the short term, and tire prices may remain high in the third quarter. Leading enterprises are offsetting cost pressures through upgrading high-end product lines and diverting production capacity to overseas plants, while profit margins for low-end general tires keep shrinking.
