Will tire builders be replaced by AI?
Updated
Tire builders score 10 of 100 for AI exposure. 91% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 9%.
- 9% AI helps
- 91% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 97% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 20 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 2 and leaves 18 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Inspect worn tires for faults, cracks, cuts, and nail holes, and to determine if tires are suitable for retreading. Vision tools can flag cracks and nail holes; person decides suitability. | 30% AI helps |
| Measure tires to determine mold size requirements. Measurements feed mold size lookup; software can assist the sizing choice. | 22% AI helps |
| Buff tires according to specifications for width and undertread depth. Machine buffing guided by gauges; mostly hands-on operation. | 15% Needs a person |
| Clean and paint completed tires. Physical cleaning and painting of finished tires. | 14% Needs a person |
| Build semi-raw rubber treads onto buffed tire casings to prepare tires for vulcanization in recapping or retreading processes. Physical machine work applying treads to casings; AI offers little. | 12% Needs a person |
| Align treads with guides, start drums to wind treads onto plies, and slice ends. Physical alignment of treads and machine drums; slicing ends. | 12% Needs a person |
| Depress pedals to rotate drums, and wind specified numbers of plies around drums to form tire bodies. Operating pedals to wind plies on drums; hands-on machine work. | 11% Needs a person |
| Wind chafers and breakers onto plies. Machine winding of chafers and breakers onto plies. | 11% Needs a person |
| Brush or spray solvents onto plies to ensure adhesion, and repeat process as specified, alternating direction of each ply to strengthen tires. Physical spraying and brushing solvent onto plies. | 10% Needs a person |
| Cut plies at splice points, and press ends together to form continuous bands. Physical cutting and splicing of ply ends is manual work. | 10% Needs a person |
Show the other 10 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Position ply stitcher rollers and drums according to width of stock, using hand tools and gauges. Physical setup of stitcher rollers and drums with hand tools. | 9% Needs a person |
| Trim excess rubber and imperfections during retreading processes. Hand trimming excess rubber needs physical dexterity and tools. | 8% Needs a person |
| Start rollers that bond tread and plies as drums revolve. Starting and monitoring rollers on a running machine. | 8% Needs a person |
| Pull plies from supply racks, and align plies with edges of drums. Physically pulling plies from racks and aligning to drums. | 8% Needs a person |
| Place tires into molds for new tread. Physically loading tires into molds; no meaningful AI help. | 6% Needs a person |
| Fit inner tubes and final layers of rubber onto tires. Physically fitting tubes and rubber layers onto tires. | 6% Needs a person |
| Fill cuts and holes in tires, using hot rubber. Hands-on repair filling holes with hot rubber. | 5% Needs a person |
| Roll hand rollers over rebuilt casings, exerting pressure to ensure adhesion between camelbacks and casings. Physical rolling pressure on casings; requires hands-on work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Rub cement sticks on drum edges to provide adhesive surfaces for plies. Manually rubbing cement onto drum edges; purely physical. | 4% Needs a person |
| Depress pedals to collapse drums after processing is complete. Pedal-operated drum collapse; physical machine action only. | 4% Needs a person |
How tire builders compare
All occupations (923)
Production (107)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $57,390 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 20,770 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +0.8% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Grade worn casings for retread suitability on the inspection line
- Set buffer width and undertread depth to specification gauges
- Run PLC software controls on buffing and tread building machines
- Build semi-raw treads onto buffed casings before vulcanization
- Log mold size choices and scrap counts in Microsoft Excel
- Track retread output in SAP software for supervisor review
Safer roles nearby
A related occupation with a lower score.
Questions about tire builders and AI
Will AI replace tire builders?
Partly. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly inspecting worn tires for cracks and nail holes and measuring tires for mold size. Physical work on the machines, including buffing, building treads and placing tires in molds, stays with people.
Which tire builder tasks is AI taking over?
Inspection and mold sizing are the tasks AI is taking over, and they make up the 9% augment share of task weight. Vision tools can flag cracks, cuts and nail holes on worn casings, with an exposure score of 30, while measurements feed a mold size lookup with a score of 22. The tire builder still decides whether each casing is suitable for retreading.
Which tire builder tasks stay human?
Buffing, cleaning and painting, and building treads stay human, with exposure scores of 15, 14 and 12. Buffing runs on machines guided by gauges, painting and cleaning are physical work on finished tires, and laying treads onto casings needs hands on the drum. Hand rolling, mold loading and tube fitting score 5 to 6, so they stay with people too.
How can tire builders stay valuable?
Stay valuable by taking on the casing grading decision, since vision tools flag faults but the person decides retreadability. Keep mold size records in Microsoft Excel, and learn the PLC software that controls buffing and building machines. Track output and scrap in SAP software so supervisors can see where casings fail.
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