The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) is projecting a slight increase in U.S. tire shipments in 2018, with improvements in both original equipment and replacement tires. Replacement passenger tire shipments are expected to increase by nearly 1 million units.
Overall, USTMA expects total shipments to increase from 316.7 million tires in 2017 to 319.1 million tires in 2018, with the additional 2.4 million tires reflecting a change of 0.8%.
Here's a look at how the numbers break down for the OE and replacement tire markets. Numbers are in millions of tires.
| OE Tires | 2017 | 2018 Forecast | % Change | Change in Units |
| Passenger | 45.2 | 45.7 | 1% | 0.4 |
| Light truck | 5.4 | 5.5 | 1.4% | 0.1 |
| Truck | 5.4 | 5.6 | 3.7% | 0.2 |
| Replacement Tires | ||||
| Passenger | 209.7 | 210.6 | 0.4% | 0.9 |
| Light truck | 31.3 | 31.8 | 1.5% | 0.5 |
| Truck | 19.7 | 20 | 1.7% | 0.3 |
| Total Shipments | 316.7 | 319.1 | 0.8% | 2.4 |
The USTMA notes this forecast was compiled prior to recent announcements regarding U.S. tariffs affectings sources of imported steel in tires
For more information from the USTMA, go to www.ustires.org.
