Industry Insight | U.S. 2025 End-of-Life Tire Report: Exports Up 270%, Pyrolysis Counted as a Market for the First Time

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) has released its 2025 U.S. End-of-Life Tire Report, which tracks how scrap tires are generated, collected, processed and used across the country. The U.S. generated about 273 million end-of-life tires in 2025, and 79% reached end-use markets, flat with 2023. Two changes stand out: a sharp rise in exports, and pyrolysis being listed as a market of its own for the first time.

Key figures

• Generation: about 273 million tires, or roughly 5.15 million short tons (about 4.68 million metric tonnes).
• Utilization: 79% reached end-use markets, flat with 2023. Among recycled materials, tires rank second only to lead-acid batteries, ahead of paper, aluminum, glass and PET plastic.
• Stockpiles: about 42.1 million tires remain, down 12% from 2023 and 96% below the peak of roughly 1 billion tires in 1990.

Where the tires went

The report uses U.S. short tons (1 short ton ≈ 0.907 metric tonnes).

USTMA’s direction: keeping value at home

USTMA notes that overseas demand shows end-of-life tire material has real value, and it wants more of that value kept in the U.S. to support domestic recyclers, jobs and infrastructure. USTMA President Anne Forristall Luke said market development has to be the priority, as markets still depend on a handful of large industrial outlets. The association’s priorities include effective state programs, infrastructure markets such as rubber-modified asphalt and TDA, environmental performance information such as environmental product declarations (EPDs), research, and new markets such as pyrolysis.

Our take

1. Pyrolysis moves from “other” to a market of its own. At 56,000 short tons, it is only about 1% of the total. But being counted separately and named as a priority shows the U.S. industry now treats pyrolysis as a recognized end-use route.

2. Soaring exports mean value is leaving the country. Exports jumped in a single period, largely to fuel and pyrolysis markets overseas. Keeping that value local takes domestic facilities that can run reliably for the long term, which is exactly what the pyrolysis industry still has to prove.

3. The hurdles are stable operation and product markets. Our Pingnan plant has run around the clock commercially since 2013. Its recovered carbon black is used by tire manufacturers and holds ISCC PLUS certification and an EPD/LCA, with a carbon footprint 48.95% lower than conventional carbon black. That experience speaks directly to USTMA’s focus on new markets and environmental performance.

4. Keeping tire value local. With our patented continuous pyrolysis technology, Enrestec supplies modular or custom pyrolysis equipment that helps companies turn end-of-life tires into recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oil where the tires are generated.

Source: USTMA 2025 End-of-Life Tire Report. This article is Enrestec’s summary and opinion based on the public report, which does not mention Enrestec.