Replacement passenger tire shipments in the U.S. reached a record 216.7 million units in 2018, according to the preliminary edition of the latest U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) Factbook. They were up 3.3% in 2018 compared to 2017.
Replacement truck tire shipments in the U.S. topped 20 million units for the first time, also a record. USTMA estimates 21.3 million units were shipped in the U.S. last year.
In the last five years, replacement truck tire shipments are up 35.6%:
U.S. Replacement Truck Tire Shipments, in millions
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| 15.7 | 17.4 | 17.9 | 18.6 | 19.7 | 21.3 |
Original equipment shipments in both the passenger and truck tire segments also were strong year over year.
Domestic light truck tire shipments were up slightly. Replacement shipments increased nearly 1%, from 31.3 million units to 31.6 million. OE shipments were up 3.7%, from 5.4 million units to 5.6 million.
Total replacement and OE tire shipments combined for 328.8 million units, up 3.8% compared to 2017.
Passenger and light truck tire exports from USTMA members were up close to 1% in 2018 vs. 2017, from 30.2 million units to 30.5 million. USTMA truck tire exports were up 16%, from 2.5 million units to 2.9 million.
USTMA's Factbook 2019 is a report on tire shipment activity in the United States for 2018. For information on how to purchase the report, visit www.ustires.org.
