Carbon black is essentially an oil by-product used to strengthen rubber. It is made by shooting a hot mist of oil particles into a flame, a very expensive process that has limited the number of competitors in the industry. Carbon black is a general name for a variety of trade name products such as acetylene black, attrited black, channel black, flame black, furnace black, lamp black, and thermal black. Carbon black production requires large amounts of heat. In addition to its main use in tires, the powdery reinforcing agent is used to make inks and other everyday products.
Carbon black is largely a homogenous product with many trade names. It is essentially an oil by-product used to make tires, inks, and other products. The principal economic industries responsible for the purchase of carbon black were domestic manufacturing industries, which purchased nearly 95 percent of the industry's shipments. A ranking of purchased carbon black output found these industries responsible for carbon black usage in the 2000s: tires and tire treads, 70 percent; belts, hoses, and other automotive products, 10 percent; industrial rubber products, 9 percent; plastics, 5 percent; ink, 4 percent; and miscellaneous, including paint and paper, 2 percent. Pigment Carbon black
According to industry statistics, there were an estimated 44 establishments engaged in manufacturing carbon black, including two producers of furnace black, with shipments totaling $3.2 billion in 2008 and industry-wide employment of 2,401 workers. Louisiana and Texas held the majority of market share, while Massachusetts accounted for the bulk of industry shipments.
