South Korea Elastomers Market Overview, 2030

South Korea’s elastomers market is a technologically advanced and export-oriented sector, anchored by the country’s strengths in automotive, electronics, petrochemicals, and shipbuilding. While national estimates vary by source, the market is commonly described as a mid-sized but high-value market within Asia, with demand skewed toward specialty and performance elastomers rather than low-cost commodity grades. Domestic petrochemical and polymer capacity concentrated in industrial regions such as Ulsan and Yeosu supports significant synthetic elastomer production, while natural rubber is largely imported to meet tire and certain industrial needs. Primary risks include feedstock price volatility (naphtha/oil-linked), exposure to global natural rubber supply fluctuations, and competitive pressure from lower-cost producers in China and Southeast Asia. Geopolitical tensions and shipping/logistics disruptions can also affect imports of specialized additives and natural rubber. On the opportunity side, South Korea’s large automotive industry (Hyundai–Kia and many Tier-1 suppliers), rapid EV adoption, world-class electronics and semiconductor supply chains, and expanding battery manufacturing create strong demand for high-performance elastomers battery seals, thermal-management compounds, EMI shielding elastomers, and medical-grade silicones. Sustainability goals (national carbon neutrality by 2050) and circular-economy initiatives create room for growth in recyclable TPEs, reclaimed-rubber applications e.g., crumb rubber in infrastructure, and chemical recycling. Over the next 5–10 years, the market is expected to post steady, moderate growth driven by specialty TPEs, silicones, and fluoroelastomers, with value growth outpacing volume as manufacturers shift into higher-margin, performance-driven applications and invest in greener chemistries and recycling technologies.

According to the research report, ""South Korea Elastomers Market Overview, 2030,"" published by Bonafide Research, the South Korea Elastomers market is anticipated to add to more than USD 1.25 Billion by 2025–30. South Korea’s regulatory environment for elastomers combines stringent domestic chemical controls, worker-safety rules, and an accelerating sustainability agenda. The K-REACH framework requires registration and management of chemical substances and governs many monomers, additives and processing aids used in elastomer compounding; compliance with K-REACH has become a baseline requirement for both domestic producers and importers. Environmental oversight by the Ministry of Environment targets VOCs, wastewater and hazardous emissions from petrochemical and rubber plants, while occupational safety norms enforced by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) cover worker exposure to monomers like butadiene and styrene. Product and performance standards often aligned with ISO, ASTM or industry-specific requirements are enforced by standards bodies and by major OEMs (automotive, electronics, aerospace) through supplier qualification systems. Sustainability policy is a growing influence South Korea’s Green New Deal and net-zero pledge push industrial decarbonization, promote circular economy pilots, and incentivize recycling/R&D for bio-based feedstocks. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules and tighter waste-management regulations are nudging packaging and automotive sectors toward recyclable TPEs and reclaimed rubber solutions. The net effect: regulation raises compliance costs but also creates a market advantage for producers that can demonstrate low-emission processes, traceability, and recyclable or bio-based elastomer offerings—an increasingly important export credential for Korean compounders and chemical groups.

Elastomer demand in South Korea is broadly diversified across high-value industries, led by automotive and transportation, electronics and semiconductors, shipbuilding/heavy machinery, construction, healthcare/medical, and consumer goods. The automotive sector (major OEMs plus many Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers) consumes elastomers for tires, seals, hoses, gaskets, vibration mounts and increasingly EV-specific components such as battery seals and thermal interfaces. Electronics and semiconductors drive demand for precision silicone elastomers, insulative and EMI-shielding compounds, and flexible connectors used in consumer devices and advanced packaging. South Korea’s shipbuilding and heavy-machinery sectors require durable thermoset elastomers and specialty fluoroelastomers for oil & gas, marine seals and vibration control. In construction, elastomers are used for waterproof membranes, joint sealants and flooring, supported by infrastructure and retrofitting projects. The healthcare segment has grown for medical-grade silicones and TPEs used in tubing, catheters and disposables, while consumer goods and footwear continue to absorb elastomers for soles, flexible components and wearables. Renewable-energy projects (wind/solar) and battery plants also create niche but growing opportunities for elastomeric sealing and insulation. This mix makes demand resilient: industrial and export sectors provide baseload consumption while electronics and EV growth offer the strongest near-term expansion.

The South Korean elastomers market is divided principally into thermoset elastomers and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), with usage patterns shaped by high-performance requirements and manufacturing sophistication. Thermoset elastomers (vulcanized rubbers such as SBR, NBR, EPDM, and specialty fluoroelastomers) remain critical for tires, heavy-duty seals, oil & gas applications and some industrial components due to their durability and resistance characteristics. Given Korea’s shipbuilding and heavy machinery sectors, thermosets retain a substantial installed base. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are growing rapidly because they combine elastic properties with thermoplastic processability and recyclability attributes increasingly demanded by automotive OEMs, electronics assemblers and medical-device manufacturers. Advanced TPE families TPVs, styrenic block copolymers, polyurethanes and engineered olefinic TPEs are adopted for overmolding, multi-material assembly, soft-touch surfaces and lightweight components. Silicone elastomers also figure prominently in Korea for electronics, medical and high-temperature applications. While thermosets will continue to dominate legacy heavy-duty markets, TPEs and silicones are expected to capture the majority of new-product growth, driven by recyclability, assembly efficiencies and OEM specifications for lighter, greener components.

Material-wise, South Korea’s elastomer landscape splits between natural elastomers and synthetic elastomers, with synthetic grades accounting for the larger share due to strong domestic petrochemical capacity and the country’s focus on specialty materials. Natural rubber is imported (mainly from Southeast Asia) for tire production and select industrial uses, leaving Korea exposed to regional supply fluctuations. Synthetic elastomers SBR, BR, NBR, EPDM, silicones and advanced fluoroelastomers are produced or compounded domestically by major chemical groups and specialized compounders; proximity to petrochemical feedstocks in industrial complexes supports competitive synthetic production. Silicone elastomers and specialty fluoroelastomers command premium growth in electronics, medical devices and aerospace niches. There is also growing R&D and pilot activity around bio-based elastomers and the incorporation of recycled feedstocks, supported by government incentives and corporate sustainability targets. Over the coming decade, synthetic elastomers will remain dominant in volume and value, while natural rubber will remain critical for tires; however, the fastest growth segments will be specialty silicones and TPEs with higher recycled or bio-based content, aligning material choices with electrification, electronics miniaturization and Korea’s broader sustainability drive.

Considered in this report
• Historic Year: 2019
• Base year: 2024
• Estimated year: 2025
• Forecast year: 2030

Aspects covered in this report
• Elastomers Market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By End-Use Industry
• Automotive & Transportation
• Building & Construction
• Healthcare & Medical
• Consumer Goods & Lifestyle
• Electrical & Electronics
• Industrial & Machinery
• Packaging
• Others(Aerospace & Defense, Energy & Oil & Gas, and more )

By Product Type
• Thermoset Elastomers
• Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs)

By Material Type
• Natural Elastomers
• Synthetic Elastomers Show more