01 Feedstock
Ore, monomer, fibre, mineral or scrap that can legally become Natural rubber.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength48
Heat resistance40
Fire performance18
Insulation38
Workability74
Circularity46
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Quick answers
Is Natural rubber non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: combustible; tyres are a fire load. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Natural rubber insulate?
Thermal mark 38/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~0.15 W/m·K.
What is the density band?
~0.92 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: Mesoamerican use / Goodyear 1839 / Wickham 1876 (Amazonia → Malaysia).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 46/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
elastomer; decomposes on heat
heat 40 · fire 18
Making Natural rubber is a chain: feedstock, conversion (Mesoamerican use / Goodyear 1839 / Wickham 1876), forming, heat, finish, install.
Skip a step and the properties chapter is describing a different object.
Process steps
02 Conversion
Mesoamerican use / Goodyear 1839 / Wickham 1876
03 Forming
Cast, spin, weave, sinter, foam, laminate or coat — the step that sets anisotropy.
04 Heat / cure
Temper, vulcanise, calcine or dry: skip it and the datasheet is fiction.
05 Finish
Coatings, sizings, facers, galvanizing, anodising, painting.
06 Install
Fasteners, adhesives, DFT, compression, dryness — site quality is a material property.
Routes
Primary
Virgin route around Amazonia → Malaysia.
Recycled / secondary
Recycling exists but quality or energy often disappoints.
Specialty
High-spec grades leave the commodity mill.
Site-applied
Coatings, sprays, casts — the factory is sometimes a jobsite.
Diagrams
Natural rubber process path
Feedstock to installed product.
- Feed — in
- Convert — mill
- Form — shape
- Finish — coat
- Install — out
- Spec — code
- Scrap loop — rec
Natural rubber heat & fire
Energy in, class out.
- Heat — in
- Natural rubb — mat
- λ / char — out
- Ignition — fire
- Euroclass — class
- Assembly — sys
Hard limits
Envelope
Melting/softening elastomer; decomposes on heat; conductivity ~0.15 W/m·K.
Environment
Moisture, UV, chlorides, alkalis or oxygen — pick the one that actually kills Natural rubber.
Code
Fire class combustible; tyres are a fire load is a starting letter, not a wall rating.
Process energy and scrap quality belong in the carbon passport, not in a footnote.
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