Tyre Production

How a Tyre Is Made — From Rubber Tree to Road

A tyre is far more than a simple ring of rubber. It’s a complex, precision-engineered product made from dozens of components and materials, all designed to work together for safety, durability, and performance.

Let’s follow a Continental tyre through the five essential stages of tyre manufacturing:

1. Sourcing and Compounding of Materials

2. Manufacturing of Components

3. Building the Tyre

4. Vulcanisation (Curing)

5. Quality Control

Stage 1: Quality Ingredients for Essential Compounds

Tyre production begins with high-quality raw materials supplied by various industries:

• Steel: The steel industry provides high-strength steel wires used to create steel belts (for strength and stability) and bead cores (to secure the tyre to the rim).

• Chemicals: The chemical industry supplies synthetic rubber and special additives that reduce wear, enhance grip, and extend tyre life.

• Natural Rubber: Harvested from rubber trees, latex is coagulated with acid, washed, and pressed into solid bales for transport.

• Textiles: The textile industry delivers rayon, nylon, polyester, and aramid fibres — materials that become the reinforcing cords embedded in the tyre’s structure.

Once delivered, bales of natural and synthetic rubber are cut, weighed, and blended with fillers, oils, and vulcanising agents in exact proportions.
Modern passenger tyres can contain up to 12 different rubber compounds, each tailored for specific performance needs.

Stage 2: Manufacturing of Components

With the compounds prepared, production moves to the creation of the tyre’s semi-finished components.

Steel Cord

Pre-treated steel wire from spools is embedded into layers of rubber using a calendar machine, producing a continuous sheet of rubberised steel. This sheet is cut at precise angles and lengths based on the tyre size.

Tread

The rubber compound is fed through a screw-type extruder, forming an endless strip that becomes the tyre tread. Each section is cut to the correct length, cooled, and checked for consistent weight and quality.

Textile Cord

Dozens of textile threads are fed through a calendar and embedded in a thin rubber layer. The finished sheet is cut to the required width and wound for assembly.

Steel Bead

The bead core — a bundle of steel wires coated in rubber — ensures a tight fit between tyre and rim. A rubber apex is added to enhance stability.

Sidewall and Inner Liner

The sidewall sections are extruded from flexible rubber compounds for durability and protection.
The inner liner, made from butyl rubber, provides an airtight seal to maintain tyre pressure.

Stage 3: Building the Tyre

Now, all the semi-finished components are assembled on the tyre-building machine.
This step forms what’s called the “green tyre” — an uncured, unfinished version of the final product.

The process occurs in two stages:

1. Casing construction – The inner liner, textile plies, and beads form the basic structure.

2. Tread and belt assembly – Steel belts and tread layers are added for strength and performance.

Once assembled, the “green tyre” is sprayed with a release agent to prepare it for curing.

Stage 4: Vulcanisation (Curing)

The green tyre is then placed into a curing press, where it receives its final shape and performance properties.

Under high heat and pressure, the rubber undergoes vulcanisation — a chemical process that transforms soft, tacky rubber into elastic, durable rubber capable of withstanding road stresses.

The curing mould also imprints the tread pattern and sidewall markings, including the brand name, tyre size, and specifications.

Stage 5: Quality Control

Quality assurance is an integral part of tyre production. At Continental, every tyre undergoes multiple inspections to ensure safety, uniformity, and performance.

Testing includes:

• Visual inspection for surface or structural defects

• X-ray analysis to check internal consistency and reinforcement placement

• Uniformity tests to measure balance, shape, and rolling characteristics

Only tyres that meet strict quality standards proceed to the distribution warehouse for shipment.

From Raw Materials to Road-Ready Tyres

The tyre production process represents the perfect combination of engineering precision, material science, and quality craftsmanship. Each step — from sourcing and compounding to curing and testing — ensures that every Continental tyre delivers the performance, comfort, and safety drivers expect.

Every tyre is built for one purpose: to make driving safer.