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Latex Tubing - Origin of Natural Rubber Latex

In the late 19th century, seedlings of the rubber tree or Hevea Brasiliensis were exported from the country of Brazil to the island of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Today Asia is the main source of natural rubber with the major exporters being the countries of Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Together they account for nearly 72% of all natural rubber production.

Latex is sometimes mistaken as the sap of the Hevea tree. In actuality, the latex runs in ducts in a layer just outside the cambium which is the growth layer just underneath the bark. A tree tapper working on the plantation will take a sharp knife and shave off the thinnest layer from the intact section of the bark. This cut starts the latex flowing and the tapper will leave a small cup underneath the cut to collect the latex.

At the end of the day, the tapper will empty the cups into containers and deliver it to a processing station where the latex is strained and concentrated. The latex goes into a centrifuge to remove some of the water and increase the rubber content. After the centrifuging process, the material is known as latex concentrate and contains roughly 60% solid rubber. This latex concentrate is what is used in the dipping process.