Tire Glossary for Dealers: Wholesale & Spec Terms

Buying tires in bulk comes with its own vocabulary. This dealer tire glossary defines the terms you’ll see on quotes, sidewalls, and spec sheets — a quick reference for anyone sourcing wholesale.

Tire types & categories

• TBR — Truck & Bus Radial (commercial over-the-road tires).
• LT — Light Truck. ST — Special Trailer. P — Passenger.
• OTR — Off-The-Road (construction, mining, loader, backhoe).
• Ag / R-1, R-4 — agricultural tread classes (R-1 traction, R-4 industrial).

Construction & specs

• Radial vs. Bias — belt construction; radial is the modern standard for most highway tires.
• Ply Rating / Load Range — strength class (e.g., LR C = 6-ply equivalent). See our trailer load range chart.
• Load Index & Speed Rating — coded max load and max speed. See our load index & speed rating chart.
• Aspect Ratio — sidewall height as a % of width (the “75” in 205/75R14).
• UTQG — Uniform Tire Quality Grading (treadwear/traction/temperature).
• Star Rating (*–***) — load/pressure capability on radial OTR tires.

Compliance & sourcing

• DOT TIN — Tire Identification Number; plant + date code. See DOT/FMVSS for imported tires.
• FMVSS — Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (139 light / 119 heavy).
• HTS code — tariff classification (tires = heading 4011).
• AD/CVD — antidumping/countervailing duties on specific product-country combos.
• FCL / Pallet — full container load vs. pallet-level (low-minimum) ordering.
• MOQ — minimum order quantity.
• Incoterms — who pays freight/duty (FOB, CIF, DDP). See Incoterms for tire importers.

Condition

• New — unused, full tread, warrantable. (TireBulk supplies new only.)
• Casing / Retread — a used casing rebuilt with new tread (not new).

Sourcing wholesale and want a plain-English quote? Open a wholesale account or contact us →