Malaysia set to grab bigger share of US glove market with new Trump tariffs on China goods

KUALA LUMPUR - The escalating US-China trade war appears to present an opportunity for Malaysian glove manufacturers to establish a firmer footing in the US market.

Malaysia, the world’s largest rubber gloves producer, could gain an additional 10 per cent share of the US medical glove market following fresh tariffs that Washington has slapped on all Chinese imports, analysts say.

The sweeping order from US President Donald Trump that came into effect on Feb 4, less than a month after his return to the White House, imposes an additional 10 per cent tariff on all products made in China, including laptops, fast fashion clothing, toys and medical gloves.

Already, China-made gloves have been subjected to a slew of tariffs. In September 2024, the US administration under Mr Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden raised the levy for Chinese medical and surgical gloves to 50 per cent from Jan 1, 2025, and to 100 per cent in 2026.

Taking into account the Trump 2.0 administration’s latest salvo, China’s glove makers will face higher tariffs of 60 per cent in 2025 and 110 per cent in 2026. What this means is that China’s products will be far less competitive in the US market.

As such, the recent round of tariffs could see US distributors pivoting from Chinese glove manufacturers to source from Malaysian producers instead, said UOB Kay Hian research analyst Jack Goh.

“Malaysia can capture at least another 10 per cent share of the US (medical) glove market, given the new US tariffs on China,” Mr Goh told The Straits Times.

Malaysia, as the world’s leading producer of rubber gloves, had around 45 per cent market share in 2024, followed by China with about 28 per cent, data from the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association shows.

As at December 2024, China-made gloves