The U.S. Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) market experienced declining demand towards the end of November 2025, and the broader global economy remained in a bearish cycle because of weak long-term auto demand combined with excess supply. The automotive industry is by far the largest consumer of NBR products, including auto components, seals, and hoses. NBR had difficulty gaining traction in the U.S. marketplace because of declining new vehicle sales, slow adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and increasing working inventories across the supply chain. Mixed trends in imports from Asia were seen during this time; however, markets in Europe and Asia showed signs of weakness like that of the U.S. due to continued strong production levels and lower-cost feedstock from the supplier channel. Planned cracker rationalization efforts in Korea and recent consolidation between HD Hyundai and Lotte Chemical may help to create upward pressure on the supply chain by tightening up the availability of upstream feedstock. In the short term, NBR pricing will likely be under pressure, although consumer spending during the holiday shopping season and restocking to occur in early 2026 may temporarily boost pricing.
