Hevea braciliencis

Asia is the Main source of Natural Rubber. The three largest rubber producing Countries Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand together account for around 72 per cent of all Natural Rubber Production.

In India commercial cultivation of Natural Rubber was introduced by British Planters. The first commercial Heavea plantation in India were established at Thattekadu in Kerala in 1902. More than 90% of the rubber produced in in India is from Kerala. In Kerala rubber is generally grown in midlands and highlands.


The major commercial source of natural rubber latex is para rubber tree, hevea brasiliensis belongs to the family Ephorbiaceae. Natural rubber can be extracted from the latex of over 895 species of plants, among which hevea brasiliensis is the most important commercial source of natural rubber. Natural rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer that naturally occurs as a milky colloidal suspension or latex in the sap of some plants.

Rubber latex extracted from rubber trees. The economic life period of rubber trees in plantations is around 32 years, 7 years of immature phase and about 25 years of productive phase. The latex from multiple trees poured into flat pans, and this is mixed with formic acid, which serves as a coagulant resulting in rubber crump. After a few hours the very wet sheets of rubber are wrung out by putting them through a press before they are sent to factories where vulcanization and further processing is done to it.

Rubber exhibits unique physical and chemical properties. Natural rubber is essentially a polymer of isoprene units. A hydrocarbon diene monomer. Synthetic rubber can be made as a polymer of isoprene or various other monomers. Natuaral rubber is an inherently environmentally friendly.

Tires and tubes are the largest consumers of rubber. Other significant uses of rubber are door and window profiles. Hoses, belts, mattings, floorings and dampeners. Natural rubber finds markets in hose, beltings and footwear as well as in many engineering components. This last group includes engine mounts for automobiles, bridge bearings, fenders, and bearings to protect buildings from external and internal sources of vibration, and as an extention of this, from earthquakes.