By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : June 13, 2025 11:05 am
Eyes for import substitution and exports to US and Europe markets
Epsilon Carbon, a leading global manufacturer of carbon black launches best-in-class N134, a specialized Hard Grade carbon black known for its superior abrasion resistance and durability.
Currently, the high-quality N134 grade is being imported due to the lack of consistent quality and supply chain issues in the Indian market. As a result, the tire companies modify their formulations using other grades of Carbon Black, often leading to reduced performance.
Epsilon Carbon will be the first Indian company to install a dedicated manufacturing unit designed for producing the N134 grade hard carbon. This development addresses a long-standing challenge of the struggle to source consistent, high-quality N134 carbon black faced by the domestic and global tire industries. In India, until now, tire manufacturers have relied heavily on imports to meet their performance requirements for premium tires used in heavy goods vehicles and high-performance passenger cars, where wear resistance is critical for both safety and mileage.
Vikram Handa, Managing Director, Epsilon Carbon, said during the launch, “This is a proud moment for us and for India’s carbon black manufacturing sector as the high quality N134 black will significantly reduce import dependency and provide tire manufacturers in India and abroad with a reliable, high-quality product. Our goal is to match global standards while building India’s capability to serve premium markets.”
This high-quality N134 Hard Black will be produced from Epsilon Carbon’s newly expanded facility at the Vijayanagar carbon complex, which now has a production capacity of 215,000 tons of carbon black.
With the new unit, the company is focused on advanced processing techniques to ensure batch-to-batch consistency which a key factor for applications where durability and performance are critical. The company’s entry into this space not only supports the government’s ‘Make in India’ and import substitution initiatives but also opens doors for exporting to high-end global tire markets in the US & Europe.
As the global demand for performance tires continues to grow, Epsilon Carbon’s N134 grade will play a vital role in elevating the country’s position in the global carbon black industry.