Tire Curing Presses Market Size, CAGR & Forecast, 2025-2035

Greenfield Tire Plants in Asia, North Africa and Eastern Europe Keep Curing Press Orders Rising Despite Western Closures

Tire curing presses generated USD 1.18 Billion of global sales in 2025, a figure Radial Insights projects will reach USD 1.23 Billion in 2026 and USD 1.80 Billion in 2035, compounding at 4.30% a year.

A curing press is the last major machine in a tire plant. It closes a heated mold around a green tire, inflates a bladder inside it, and vulcanizes the rubber into its final shape and tread pattern. This report covers mechanical and hydraulic presses for passenger car, light truck, truck and bus, off-the-road, agricultural and two-wheeler tires, plus retrofit kits that change heating, control or automation on presses already in service. Tire molds, curing bladders, tire building machines and retreading chambers are excluded, although several press makers also sell them.

Press demand follows tire plant capital spending, not tire sales. That is why the tire curing presses market can grow while mature tire markets stagnate: Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian tire makers are building new capacity in Serbia, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia and Mexico to serve export markets and avoid tariffs, and each new plant needs hundreds of presses.

Electric and electromagnetic heating is the fastest-growing segment at 11.40% a year, as tire makers try to cut steam boiler emissions. Michelin's Nyiregyhaza plant in Hungary began converting 40 presses to all-electric curing, and HF, Uzer Makina and ARP Technologies all showed electric curing systems at Tire Technology Expo 2025. Africa is the fastest region at 6.40% a year from a small base, while Asia Pacific (APAC) remains by far the largest.

The tire curing presses market is led by a mix of long-established Japanese, German and American builders and fast-growing Chinese and Indian suppliers. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems, Kobe Steel, HF TireTech Group and McNeil and NRM compete with Mesnac, Guilin Rubber Machinery, Himile and Larsen and Toubro on price, delivery time and energy use.

Electric Heating Retrofits and Hydraulic Presses for Truck Radials Lead Segment Growth

Radial Insights segments the tire curing presses market by press type, heating method, tire type and sales type. The widest gap is in heating method, where electric systems grow six times faster than steam, because energy cost and carbon targets are now part of every press purchase decision.

Hydraulic Presses Gain Share Over Mechanical Designs

Hydraulic curing presses grow at 5.10% against 3.20% for mechanical presses. Hydraulic machines give more precise clamping force and are better suited to large truck, bus and off-the-road tires and to segmented molds used for premium passenger tires. In May 2026, Prinx signed Phase II contracts worth CNY 116 million with a Mesnac subsidiary for hydraulic curing presses for all-steel and semi-steel tires at its new plant in Kedah, Malaysia. Mechanical presses remain common for high-volume passenger and two-wheeler tires where cost per press matters most.

Electric Heating Grows Fastest as Plants Cut Steam Use

Electric and electromagnetic heating leads at 11.40%. HF said in 2024 that it offers electric heating in new presses and as retrofit packages, and at Tire Technology Expo in March 2025 it showed its Curemaster presses with electric curing. Uzer Makina launched an electric press at the same show, and ARP Technologies presented an electromagnetic heating system that retrofits into existing molds. Nitrogen curing systems grow at 5.30% because they reduce steam use inside the bladder and shorten cure cycles. Steam and hot-water heating grows only 1.90%, as most new orders still use it but fewer plants choose it for expansions.

Truck and Bus Radials Outgrow Passenger Tires

Truck and bus radial tires grow at 4.80%, ahead of off-the-road and agricultural tires at 4.50% and passenger car and light truck tires at 4.10%. Linglong's Serbia expansion is weighted toward truck radials, with 800,000 of 1.1 million added units, and JK Tyre's expansion covers both truck and passenger radials. Two-wheeler tires grow at 3.70%, with demand concentrated in India and Southeast Asia, where Larsen and Toubro won orders in September 2025 that include two-wheeler presses.

Retrofits Outpace New Press Sales

Retrofits and upgrades grow at 5.40% compared with 3.90% for new installations. Many tire makers in Europe, Japan and North America are not adding capacity but want lower energy use, better control systems and automation on presses that can run for 30 years or more. Retrofit kits for electric heating are the main source of this growth.

Market Trends

Electric Curing Moves From Trial to Factory Floor

Electric heating is replacing steam in a growing number of curing lines. At Tire Technology Expo 2025 in March, HF showed what it called revolutionary electric tire curing technology for new presses and retrofits, Uzer Makina launched an electric press designed for energy efficiency, and ARP Technologies presented an electromagnetic heating system that fits into existing molds. Michelin has said that electric curing at its Nyiregyhaza plant in Hungary is about seven times more energy efficient than the system it replaces.

Chinese Tire Makers Build Abroad and Bring Their Press Suppliers

Chinese tire makers continue to open plants outside China. Sailun's plants in Guanajuato, Mexico and Demak, Indonesia produced their first tires in late May 2025, with capacity of 6 million passenger tires and 3.6 million tires plus 37,000 tonnes of off-highway products. Guizhou Tyre approved a USD 298.72 million plant in Morocco for 6 million semi-steel radials in January 2026. Prinx chose a Mesnac affiliate to supply hydraulic presses for its Malaysian plant in May 2026, showing how Chinese press makers follow their customers overseas.

Indian Tire Makers Run Near Full Capacity and Order New Lines

India's tire industry is running at 85% to 90% utilization, according to a June 2026 industry review. Apollo Tyres plans INR 3,500 crore of FY27 capex, CEAT about INR 1,300 to 1,400 crore, and BKT an additional INR 2,000 crore. Larsen and Toubro's Rubber Processing Machinery unit won orders from Indian tire makers in September 2025 for curing presses and tire building machines. India's tire exports hit a record INR 27,312 crore in FY26.

Western Europe Shrinks While Eastern Europe Grows

Tire making is moving east within Europe. Apollo said in April 2025 it would close its Vredestein plant in Enschede, Netherlands in summer 2026, citing high energy costs, while Linglong launched a EUR 500 million expansion in Serbia in June 2026 after investing more than USD 1 billion in phase one. Presses from closed plants also enter the used equipment market, which competes with new sales.

Restraints and Challenges

Plant Closures Reduce the Installed Base in Mature Markets

Several tire makers have closed plants since 2025. Continental announced that tire production at its Alor Setar, Malaysia plant, which made passenger, light truck and motorcycle tires and employed 950 people, would end by the end of 2025. Apollo's Enschede closure removes another European site. Closures shrink the base for spare parts and retrofits and add used presses to the market.

Flat Tire Demand in the United States and Europe

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association forecasts U.S. tire shipments of 330.3 million units in 2026, down 1.8% from 336.3 million in 2025, with replacement truck tires down 7.1%. Michelin guided 2026 passenger and truck tire markets at between minus 2% and plus 2%. Weak demand delays brownfield expansions in these regions.

Tariffs Make Plant Location Decisions Harder

U.S. imports of passenger and light truck tires face a 25% Section 232 duty on auto parts, and further trade measures remain possible. Tire makers are reluctant to commit to large press orders until they are confident a plant location will keep its market access, which lengthens sales cycles.

Price Pressure From Chinese Press Builders

Chinese suppliers such as Mesnac, Guilin Rubber Machinery, Himile and Greatoo offer shorter lead times and lower prices than Japanese and European builders. This keeps average selling prices under pressure, so market value grows more slowly than the number of presses installed.

Growth Drivers

New Tire Plants Outside China Need Hundreds of Presses Each

A greenfield passenger tire plant producing 6 million tires a year needs a large bank of curing presses, and truck radial plants need heavier hydraulic units. Since 2025, Sailun has started up plants in Mexico and Indonesia worth USD 240 million and USD 250 million, Guizhou Tyre has approved a USD 298.72 million plant in Morocco, Prinx is building a EUR 255 million plant in Kedah, Malaysia that will start Phase I in the fourth quarter of 2026 with 6 million passenger and 600,000 truck tires a year, and Linglong has launched a EUR 500 million second phase in Serbia. The Prinx equipment contracts alone total about CNY 400.2 million across both phases. Radial Insights estimates that these overseas plant projects add about +1.3% of annual growth to the tire curing presses market through 2030, the largest single driver, with demand concentrated in Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Indian Capacity Expansion Lifts Domestic Press Demand

Indian tire makers have lined up large brownfield programs. JK Tyre's board approved INR 4,980 crore of truck and passenger radial expansion to 2029, raising capacity by 24%. Apollo Tyres plans INR 3,500 crore in FY27, including an expansion in Hungary, after a FY26 plan of INR 1,500 crore that put INR 800 crore into growth, mainly passenger radial capacity. CEAT and BKT add a further INR 3,300 crore or more between them. With utilization at 85% to 90%, these programs translate quickly into press orders, and Larsen and Toubro's September 2025 orders show local builders benefiting. Radial Insights credits Indian capacity growth with about 0.7 percentage points of yearly market expansion, most of it in hydraulic presses for truck and passenger radials.

Decarbonization Targets Drive Electric Retrofits

Steam boilers are one of the largest sources of direct emissions in a tire plant. Electric curing removes the boiler from the cure process and, according to Michelin, is about seven times more energy efficient at its Hungarian plant, where 40 presses are being converted. HF offers electric heating as a retrofit as well as on new presses, and ARP Technologies sells electromagnetic heating that fits existing molds. Because retrofits do not depend on new capacity, they create demand even in regions where tire output is flat. Radial Insights estimates that electric conversion and related control upgrades contribute roughly 0.6 points to annual market growth, which explains why retrofits grow at 5.40% against 3.90% for new presses.

Opportunities

Serving Chinese Tire Makers in New Locations

Chinese tire makers building in Morocco, Serbia, Malaysia and Mexico often buy presses from Chinese suppliers, as Prinx did with Mesnac. Non-Chinese press builders can compete by offering local service teams and energy-saving designs that meet European and North American carbon rules.

Upgrading Large Installed Bases in Japan, Europe and the United States

Plants in mature markets hold thousands of presses that are decades old. Builders that package electric heating, nitrogen curing and digital controls into a single retrofit can earn steady revenue even when no new capacity is added.

Asia Pacific (APAC) Buys More Than Half of All Curing Presses, but Africa and Latin America Grow Fastest

Asia Pacific (APAC)

Asia Pacific (APAC) accounted for 55.00% of the market in 2025, worth USD 649.00 Million. APAC grows at 4.60% a year to about USD 1,017.56 Million by 2035. China's tire output is expected to exceed 840 million units in 2026, and Indian tire makers are running at 85% to 90% utilization with several large expansions approved. Southeast Asia adds new plants such as Prinx in Malaysia and Sailun in Indonesia.

Europe

Europe held 16.50% of the market in 2025, worth USD 194.70 Million. Europe grows at 2.40% a year to about USD 246.81 Million by 2035. Growth is the slowest of any region because Western European plants are closing, including Apollo's Enschede site in 2026. Eastern Europe offsets part of this, led by Linglong's EUR 500 million second phase in Serbia and Apollo's expansion in Hungary.

North America

North America represented 12.00% of the market in 2025, worth USD 141.60 Million. North America grows at 3.50% a year to about USD 199.74 Million by 2035. U.S. tire shipments are forecast to fall 1.8% to 330.3 million units in 2026, according to USTMA, so most demand comes from retrofits and selective upgrades rather than new plants.

Latin America

Latin America accounted for 6.50% of the market in 2025, worth USD 76.70 Million. Latin America grows at 5.60% a year to about USD 132.26 Million by 2035. Mexico leads regional demand, with Sailun's 6 million tire per year plant in Guanajuato producing its first tires in May 2025 and Mesnac planning local manufacturing.

Middle East

The Middle East held 5.50% of the market in 2025, worth USD 64.90 Million. The Middle East grows at 5.00% a year to about USD 105.72 Million by 2035. Turkiye's tire makers and press builders such as Uzer Makina, which launched an electric curing press in 2025, anchor regional activity.

Africa

Africa represented 4.50% of the market in 2025, worth USD 53.10 Million. Africa grows at 6.40% a year to about USD 98.74 Million by 2035. Africa is the fastest region thanks to North African investment, including Guizhou Tyre's USD 298.72 million plant in Morocco approved in January 2026.

Recent Developments

• In June 2026, Linglong launched a EUR 500 million second phase at its Zrenjanin, Serbia plant, adding 1.1 million radial tires a year, including 800,000 truck and bus radials.

• In May 2026, Prinx signed Phase II contracts worth CNY 116 million with a Mesnac subsidiary for hydraulic curing presses for its new tire plant in Kedah, Malaysia.

• In January 2026, Guizhou Tyre's board approved a USD 298.72 million plant in Morocco to produce 6 million semi-steel radial tires a year.

• In September 2025, Larsen and Toubro's Rubber Processing Machinery unit won orders from Indian tire makers covering tire curing presses and tire building machines.

• In May 2025, Sailun's new plants in Guanajuato, Mexico and Demak, Indonesia produced their first tires.

• In March 2025, HF, Uzer Makina and ARP Technologies presented electric curing presses and electric heating retrofits at Tire Technology Expo 2025.

Japanese and German Builders Hold the Premium Segment While Chinese Suppliers Win Most New Plant Volume

The tire curing presses market splits into a premium tier of established builders with decades of installed base, and a fast-growing tier of Chinese and Indian suppliers that win on cost and lead time. Tire makers often buy from both: premium presses for high-value lines and lower-cost presses for volume lines.

Established Global Builders

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems makes mechanical and hydraulic vulcanizers for passenger and truck tires and holds a large patent family in press design. Kobe Steel, through its Kobelco machinery business, supplies tire vulcanizers alongside its rubber mixing equipment. HF TireTech Group, the Harburg-Freudenberger business, sells Curemaster presses and is a leader in electric curing for new presses and retrofits. McNeil and NRM in the United States has supplied passenger, light truck, truck and off-the-road presses for decades.

Chinese Volume Suppliers

Mesnac supplies hydraulic curing presses and won the Prinx Malaysia contracts in 2026. Guilin Rubber Machinery makes mechanical and hydraulic presses, including large sizes for mining tires. Qingdao Doublestar builds truck radial presses developed with HF know-how under a cooperation that began in 2014. Himile, best known for tire molds, and Greatoo also sell curing presses, as does Sichuan Yaxi Machinery.

Indian and Regional Builders

Larsen and Toubro's Rubber Processing Machinery unit builds curing presses for two-wheeler, passenger and truck tires and won new orders from Indian tire makers in September 2025. Uzer Makina in Turkiye launched an electric press in 2025, and Pelmar Engineering in Israel supplies presses for off-the-road and agricultural tires.

Technology Suppliers

ARP Technologies sells electromagnetic heating systems that convert existing presses and molds to electric curing. Such suppliers do not build presses but influence which designs tire makers choose for upgrades.