If you're here because you Googled 'trelleborg official homepage' and ended up on a product page for spray rubber or silicone tubing, you're probably making the same mistake I did in 2019. I assumed 'rubber products' were all roughly the same. I was wrong, and it cost me $3,200 on a single order.
Here's the short version: Trelleborg is a specialist in engineered sealing solutions, not a general 'rubber parts' store. Their strength lies in the specific, often overlooked specifications (like Shore A hardness, temperature range, and material compatibility) that make or break an industrial application. If you're looking for a generic rubber grip for a tool handle, you might be over-engineering (and over-paying). If you need a gasket that survives 200°C steam, they're exactly who you need.
The $3,200 Mistake: A Case Study in Material Ignorance
In my first year sourcing industrial components, I needed a custom gasket for a food-grade processing line. I found a Trelleborg product page for 'silicone tubing' and a 'spray rubber' sealant. I assumed, 'Great, silicone is safe for food. Spray rubber is flexible. Perfect.'
I submitted an order for 50 units of a custom-molded silicone gasket using their online spec sheet. I checked the dimensions myself, approved the drawing, and processed the payment. The order was for $3,200.
Two weeks later, the parts arrived. They looked perfect. They felt perfect. But when we installed them in the line, they failed within 24 hours. The problem? The silicone formulation I'd selected had a Shore A hardness of 60, which was too stiff for the dynamic seal interface. I had ignored the 'compression set' rating because I didn't know what it was.
The entire batch—every single gasket—went straight to the trash. $3,200 gone, plus a 3-day production delay while we sourced an alternative. That's when I learned the hard truth: Rubber is not just rubber. The specific material compound, durometer, and thermal class are non-negotiable.
The 'Spray Rubber' Confusion
A lot of people land on Trelleborg's site searching for 'spray rubber.' Trelleborg does offer liquid-applied elastomeric coatings and sealants (often in their building & construction divisions), but they are not the same as the 'spray rubber' you might use for a DIY truck bed liner or a waterproof coating for a garden hose.
In an industrial context, 'spray rubber' from a supplier like Trelleborg typically refers to a high-performance, two-part polyurethane or polymera coating used for:
- Heavy-duty corrosion protection on pipelines.
- Waterproofing for concrete structures (tunnels, foundations).
- Abrasion-resistant linings for chutes and hoppers.
If you're looking for a simple spray-on rubber insulation for a home project, you're at the wrong endpoint. I'd argue you should look for a general-purpose roofing or automotive sealant instead. The performance data sheet for a Trelleborg industrial coating will look intimidating because it's designed for engineers who care about tensile strength values (like >2000 psi) and UV resistance ratings (like 5000+ hours QUV).
Rubber Grips: The 'Fit vs. Function' Trap
I once had a colleague who needed ergonomic rubber grips for a line of industrial hand tools. They found Trelleborg under 'rubber grips' and ordered a sample based on the profile shape. The sample looked like a perfect fit.
The issue was the grip's coefficient of friction. The Trelleborg grip was made from a high-durometer EPDM compound designed for chemical resistance. It was stiff and slippery when paired with an oily hand. The colleague had assumed all 'rubber grips' had a tacky, soft surface like a consumer power tool.
The lesson? Trelleborg's rubber grips are engineered for specific environments (e.g., oil fields, chemical labs), not for general 'comfort grip' applications. A better choice for a standard tool might be a cheaper, softer thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) grip from a different supplier. Knowing when not to use a Trelleborg product is actually a sign of expertise.
Are Silicone Molds Oven Safe? A Technical Distinction
This is a common question that leads people to Trelleborg's silicone tubing and profile page. The answer is: Yes, but 'oven safe' has a very specific meaning in an industrial context.
Standard Trelleborg silicone (e.g., their general purpose grades) is typically rated for continuous service from -60°C up to around 200-230°C. That means the material itself won't degrade or melt at typical baking temperatures (175-205°C). So, technically, a custom-molded Trelleborg silicone baking mold would be 'oven safe.'
However, this is where the expert boundary comes in. A silicone mold's 'oven safety' isn't just about the material's melting point. It's also about:
- Warpage at temperature: A thin-walled silicone mold might deform under its own weight or the weight of batter at 200°C, even if the silicone is fine.
- Compression set: If the mold has a complex shape that needs to hold its form, a standard silicone with a high compression set could permanently flatten after a few uses.
- Food-grade compliance: Just because Trelleborg makes silicone for industrial gaskets doesn't mean their standard compound is certified for food contact (e.g., FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 or EU 1935/2004). You need to explicitly request a food-grade silicone compound.
For a home baker, a cheap, mass-produced silicone baking mat from a kitchen store is fine. But for a commercial bakery that needs 10,000 identical, heat-stable, warpage-free molds for a cupcake line, Trelleborg's engineering-grade silicone is the correct answer—provided you specify the correct shore hardness (typically 40-50 A for flexible molds) and insist on a certificate of compliance for food contact.
When Trelleborg Isn't the Right Answer
This is the most uncomfortable part of any advice article, but I'll say it: Trelleborg is not always your best option. If your application involves:
- Low-volume, simple shapes: You can get a custom silicone mold made for $50 on a 3D printer with a generic material.
- Standard o-rings from a catalog: A McMaster-Carr or Grainger part will ship faster and cost less for the same AS568 standard size.
- Consumer-grade items: You are paying for engineering traceability you don't need.
The vendor who tells you 'this isn't our strength—here's who does it better' earns your trust for everything else. I've had Trelleborg application engineers recommend competitors for specific niche applications. That honesty made me a loyal customer for the applications where their expertise is unmatched: high-temperature seals, dynamic gaskets for aggressive fluids, and custom profiles with tight tolerances.
If I remember correctly, our first successful long-term order with Trelleborg came after that $3,200 failure. We needed a gasket for a chemical pump that saw 150°C sulfuric acid. We didn't just pick a material off a shelf. We worked with their engineers to specify a compound with 0% compression set at 150°C. The first sample we paid for, but we got the spec right because we asked the right questions.
The $3,200 lesson was painful. But the result—a checklist that has saved us from 47 other potential disasters—has been worth it. Now, before I touch any Trelleborg product page, I check three things: the exact material compound, the application's operating temperature and environment, and whether I actually need the level of engineering validation they provide. That's the only way to make their products work for you.