What are the differences between natural rubber vs synthetic rubber? Natural rubber is produced naturally from the native Brazilian plant Hevea brasiliensis. Synthetic rubber is artificially produced from a variety of polymers which provides the rubber its properties. The most commonly referred to synthetic rubber is synthetic polyisoprene (abbreviated IR), created as a synthetic alternative to natural rubber. As such, natural rubber and synthetic polyisoprene share many similarities in physical properties.

Natural Rubber vs Synthetic Rubber

Both natural rubber and synthetic rubber (IR) have high tear resistance, good low temperature flexibility, and high tensile strength. An advantage natural rubber has over synthetic rubber is that natural rubber has higher tensile strength, higher tear resistance, and low odor compared to IR. Special properties can also be found in other synthetic rubbers besides IR. These can include chemical resistances, fluid resistances, ozone resistances, electrical resistances, and more. In addition, synthetic rubbers can have excellent heat resistance, lower temperature resistance, and heat aging improvements. Another consideration for choosing between natural rubber vs synthetic rubber is that natural rubber contains natural proteins which may cause allergic reactions when in placed in contact with human skin for prolonged periods. Despite these differences between natural rubber and synthetic rubber, both natural rubber and synthetic rubber are in high demand by manufacturers due to their low costs and satisfactory performance for most applications. According to Statista, there were 15,189 thousand metric tons of synthetic rubber and 13,225 thousand metric tons of natural rubber globally consumed in 2017. Indeed, although synthetic rubbers can provide a myriad of property improvements not found in natural rubber, natural rubber is still valued for its high performance and low cost.

About Coi Rubber Products

Coi Rubber Products, Inc. is a custom manufacturer of molded rubber and plastic components. Coi Rubber has over 28 years of experience in Engineering, Design, Compounding, Prototyping, and Production of molded rubber and plastics. Our capabilities include custom compounding, injection molding, compression molding, transfer molding, extrusions, rubber-to-metal bonding, insert over-molding, and more. We provide large scale production and engineering support to the Automotive, Industrial, Agriculture, Appliance, HVAC industries, and many more. Coi Rubber is IATF 16949:2016 and MBE certified.