Continental Trading Corp. supplies secondary bead wire — including bronze coated and bright (uncoated) grades — sourced from North American tire wire producers at wholesale prices. Bead wire is high carbon, high tensile steel wire used to form the tire bead: the inner edge that seats against the wheel rim and holds the tire in place under pressure.
Our secondary bead wire is material that fell outside a specific production order — typically due to diameter tolerance, tensile variation, or surface cosmetics. The wire structure is sound. Many of our customers in the tire and rubber hose industries work with our second choice bead wire successfully, and we have seen significant repurposing of this material into non-tire applications as well.
Bronze & Brass Bead Wire — Properties & Specifications
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Carbon Grade | Very high carbon C1070–C1090 |
| Tensile Strength | 2,600–3,100 MPa |
| Diameter Range | 0.78mm – 2.00mm |
| Coating | Bronze or brass plated (Cu-Zn alloy); bright also available |
| Bead Assembly | Single filament or bundled (hexagonal, square, circular) |
| Supply Form | Spools or reels |
| Quality | Secondary / Second choice (non-prime) |
Who Buys Surplus Bead Wire?
Bead wire buyers are primarily tire manufacturers and rubber product producers. Tire manufacturers use bronze-coated bead wire to form the bead bundle — the structural component at the inner edge of the tire that locks the tire onto the wheel rim. The bead must withstand very high hoop stress without yielding. Second choice bead wire that meets the tensile and diameter requirements of a specific tire construction — even if its bronze coating weight or surface appearance falls slightly outside prime specification — is usable for many tire applications.
Specialty rubber hose manufacturers are a second major market. High-pressure hydraulic hose reinforced with single-filament bronze-plated wire requires wire that bonds well to the rubber compound under vulcanization. Second choice bead wire, when the coating chemistry is intact, provides this adhesion. These manufacturers often have more flexibility in incoming spec than tire producers, making them natural buyers of second choice bead wire.
Alternative applications include dryer vent hose reinforcement, where the wire's high strength and small diameter are advantageous. Wire brush manufacturers also purchase bead wire as bristle stock. If you are exploring non-tire applications for bead wire, contact us to discuss what is currently available and whether it suits your application.
Sourcing & Availability
Bead wire is one of the most technically demanding carbon wire products — very high carbon, very high tensile, precision drawn to extremely tight diameter tolerance, with a controlled bronze or brass coating applied to specific thickness and composition. Second choice bead wire typically arises when the coating weight falls slightly outside the prime tolerance, when the tensile value is at the edge of the specified range, or when a production run exceeds the ordered quantity.
Continental Trading Corp. sources bead wire from North American tire wire producers. These are specialized facilities — the same mills that supply major North American tire manufacturers. Second choice lots are infrequent but valuable: the wire is high quality, and the price differential from prime can be significant. Lot sizes tend to be smaller than commodity wire products.
We supply both single-filament bead wire (0.78mm–2.00mm) and bundled bead assemblies. All bronze coating chemistry and tensile data is communicated with each offer. Contact us to register your diameter, tensile, and quantity requirements.
Bronze Coated vs. Bright Bead Wire
Bronze coated bead wire is plated with a thin layer of copper-zinc alloy (bronze/brass). The coating promotes adhesion between the steel wire and the rubber compound in the tire body — it is the industry standard for pneumatic tire beads. Bright bead wire is uncoated and is used in applications where rubber bonding is not required.
Specifications
Bead wire is typically very high carbon (C1070–C1090) and very high tensile — often 2,600–3,100 MPa. It is produced in single filament and bundled bead assemblies (hexagonal, square, circular cross-section). Diameters typically range from 0.78mm to 2.00mm. We also offer brass plated single filament wire used in flexible hose reinforcement (see our Brass Plated Hose Wire page).
Alternative Uses
Secondary bead wire has found its way into flexible dryer hose reinforcement, wire brush manufacturing, and other high-tensile specialty applications. Contact us with your specifications and intended application and we will match available inventory to your needs.
