Butyl rubber is a polymer with unique physical and chemical properties. Its impermeability to gases and moisture makes it ideal for manu­facturing modern tires. The range of other butyl rubber applications is very diverse: from pharmaceutical closures all the way to chewing gum and protective clothing.

The raw materials for making butyl rubber are isobutene and isoprene. These two components are polymerized at –100 °C, the temperature at which butyl rubber forms. It can then be dried, pressed into blocks and sold. The rubber also can be dissolved in hexane and converted into halobutyl rubber by means of halogenation, the reaction with chlorine or bromine. Only a few manufacturers worldwide have mastered this complex process − LANXESS is one of them.

By far the most of the butyl rubber produced at LANXESS goes into tire manufacturing. Butyl rubber is used for tire inner tubes and for the rubber coating, or "inner liner", inside tubeless tires. It enables a tire to hold the air and protects the embedded steel cord from exposure to moisture. With this high-performance rubber product, LANXESS helps to extend tire service life, reduce fuel consumption and thus also minimize CO2 emissions.

According to LANXESS forecasts, the global market for butyl rubber will grow three percent a year over the next 15 years. The key growth region is Asia, led by the particularly rapid market expansion in China and India.