The Little-Known Yet Important Reason Why Tyres Are Always Black

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Has it ever crossed your mind why every motor vehicle tyre is always black? It turns out there is an explanation behind this everyday phenomenon.

There is a technical reason why tyres are black. Each tyre produced is engineered to meet regulations, safety standards, performance, durability and wear.

Not merely circular rubber, tyre materials are formulated with a special recipe devised by the R&D teams at each tyre manufacturer. Materials used to produce tyres include rubber, nylon/polyester and steel.

Quoting detikOto, Bridgestone Asia Pacific (Thailand) Co., Ltd.’s Tire Development Director Shinsuke Nakamura says there is one more important material that forms the black colour in tyres. He explained that the black colour in tyres comes from carbon black. Carbon black acts as the primary reinforcing material to enhance strength, wear resistance and service life.

Because of carbon, tyres gain all the characteristics required such as heat resistance, abrasion resistance, toughness and greater durability. Tyres also become more durable thanks to the carbon black material.

“The black colour in the material comes from carbon black. However, according to customer demand, other colours can also be produced, for example pigment-type variants such as pink carbon black that was once used in Australia,” Nakamura said when he was interviewed at Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Centre in Pathum Thani, Thailand, quoted from detikOto, Saturday 7 March 2026.

The black colour of tyres results from adding carbon black into the rubber compound for the tread and sidewalls. Carbon is a black material formed from the incomplete combustion of petroleum products. This material is also increasingly used as a black pigment for printing ink, toner, mascara, etc.

“If other materials are used, such as silica (white), and pigments are added, then colour variations can be produced while also increasing the reinforcement properties to strengthen the material,” Nakamura said.

Regarding tyre colour, Nakamura said it depends on consumer needs. But if other pigment colours are used, the cost will be higher.

“If you ask whether we can produce tyres in other colours, of course we can. But they would use other filling materials. The machines are different, the investment is larger,” he said.