Rubber Lining

Rubber Lining

Rubber Lining for Mining and Industrial Equipment

AU Industries is a South African rubber lining company based in Boksburg, Gauteng. We supply and install bonded rubber lining for pipes, tanks, chutes, pumps, and valves used in mining, minerals processing, chemical, and water-treatment plant. Rubber lining moves abrasion and corrosion off your steelwork and into a replaceable rubber layer — so the equipment lasts far longer and you renew the lining instead of the whole component.

Every job starts with the right compound. We specify the rubber type, hardness, and thickness against your actual operating conditions, line it in our Boksburg workshop or on-site, and inspect it before it goes back into service.

Why rubber line your equipment

Unlined steel in slurry or chemical service wears and corrodes fast — pipe bends, cyclone feeds, tank floors, and chute impact points fail first, driving repeat replacement cost and unplanned downtime. A correctly specified rubber lining absorbs that wear, resists chemical attack, and is far cheaper to renew than refabricating the equipment. It is the standard way to extend plant life across Southern African mines and processing operations.

Rubber lining compounds we supply

Natural rubber — 40 Shore (Red & Black)

Low abrasion-loss rubber for slurry pipelines, cyclone feeds, and pump casings. Designed for fine-particle abrasion where flexibility and resilience matter most. Our workhorse compound for general slurry duty.

Natural rubber — 60 Shore (Red & Black)

Harder, impact-resistant rubber for tanks, chutes, and hoppers handling coarser particles. Resists the cutting and gouging that damages softer linings in high-impact zones.

A38 Pink & premium 60 Shore Pink

In-house premium compounds for the most aggressive abrasion. A38 Pink extends wear life in heavy-abrasion zones; our premium 60 Shore Pink (high-silica) delivers cut resistance where sharp particles damage standard 60 Shore rubber.

Bromobutyl — 50 Shore

Chemical-resistant lining for acid plants, CIL/CIP tanks, and water-treatment vessels. Resists mineral acids, saltwater, and alkaline solutions where natural rubber is unsuitable.

Nitrile — 60 Shore

Oil- and fuel-resistant rubber for fuel storage, hydraulic systems, and hydrocarbon-exposed surfaces.

Custom compounds can be developed through our R&D department where catalogue compounds don't fit the duty.

Choosing the right compound

The correct lining depends on particle size, flow velocity, pH, temperature, and whether the failure mode is abrasion, impact, or chemical attack. Fine slurry abrasion suits 40 Shore; coarse, impact-loaded streams need 60 Shore or premium pink; acids and oils call for bromobutyl or nitrile. We run a site assessment before specifying so the lining is matched to the duty rather than over- or under-specified.

Lining thickness

Thickness is matched to the wear profile — typically 6mm for general slurry abrasion, stepping up to 10–12mm or more in high-wear zones such as pipe bends, reducers, and chute impact points where flow changes direction. We increase thickness locally rather than over-lining the whole component, keeping cost down without compromising service life.

What we line

  • Pipe lining — slurry lines, tailings lines, process-water piping. See our dedicated rubber lined mining pipework capability.
  • Tank lining — leach tanks, CIL/CIP tanks, acid tanks, storage vessels
  • Chute lining — transfer chutes, feed chutes, discharge points
  • Pump lining — pump casings, impellers, volutes
  • Valve lining — butterfly valves, knife-gate valves, check valves

For severe sliding-abrasion and high-impact duty, ceramic-embedded panels are specified as part of our industrial wear lining range.

Workshop and on-site rubber lining

We line newly fabricated pipework, tanks, and fittings in our Boksburg workshop under controlled autoclave cure, and we re-line worn equipment that has reached the end of its previous lining life. Large fixed plant is lined on-site, with grit blasting, bonded application, and spark testing carried out at your operation.

Our rubber lining process

  1. Site assessment — we inspect the equipment and review operating conditions (particle size, pH, temperature, flow rate)
  2. Compound selection — we specify the correct rubber type, hardness, and thickness for the application
  3. Surface preparation — grit blasting up to SA 3 standard for proper adhesion
  4. Lining application — bonded rubber lining applied by experienced technicians
  5. Quality inspection — spark testing and visual inspection before handover

Industries and regions we serve

We rubber line for gold, platinum, coal, copper, uranium, and titanium operations, as well as chemical processing, water treatment, and general heavy industry. From our Boksburg facility we serve customers across Gauteng — Boksburg, Benoni, Germiston, and Johannesburg — and the Witbank / eMalahleni coal belt, with on-site project coverage throughout South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.

See our rubber lining projects for recent work across Southern African mines.

Pipes lined with AU 40 Black for a uranium mine in Namibia

Pipes lined with 12mm AU 40 Red for a mine in Limpopo

Rubber lined pipes and chutes for a titanium mine in Mozambique

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Rubber lining service areas

We rubber line for mining and industrial customers across Gauteng and the East Rand from our Boksburg facility:

Related Solutions

Rubber Lined Mining Pipework

Abrasion-resistant rubber lined pipe, bends, and fittings for slurry duty.

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Industrial Wear Lining

Rubber and ceramic-backed wear lining for mining and heavy industry.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What rubber compounds does AU Industries use for tank and pipe lining?+
We line with four standard compounds: 40 Shore natural rubber for fine slurry abrasion (pipes, cyclones), 60 Shore natural rubber for impact zones with larger particles (chutes, hoppers), Bromobutyl 50 Shore for acid and chemical exposure (CIL/CIP tanks, acid plants), and Nitrile 60 Shore for oil and fuel contact. Other custom compounds can be developed as needed with our R&D department. The right choice depends on particle size, pH, temperature, and flow rate — we run a site assessment before specifying.
How long does rubber lining last in mining slurry applications?+
Service life varies with slurry type, particle size, velocity, and chemistry, but properly specified 40 Shore lining typically delivers 12–36 months in slurry pipes. Our A38 pink premium compound extends this further in heavy abrasion zones, and our premium 60 Shore pink (high-silica) compound delivers cut-resistant performance for applications where sharp particles damage standard 60 Shore rubber. Bromobutyl and nitrile linings tend to outlast natural rubber where chemicals or oils are the failure mode.
Do you install rubber lining on-site?+
Yes. We provide on-site rubber lining services across South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Our teams handle the full process including grit blasting up to SA 3 standard, bonded rubber application, and spark testing on site.
How is the surface prepared before rubber lining?+
All surfaces are grit blasted up to SA 3 standard before lining. Adhesion failure is the most common cause of premature lining failure, and SA 3 preparation ensures the bonding agent makes a clean mechanical and chemical bond with the substrate.
What is rubber lining and how does it protect equipment?+
Rubber lining is a bonded layer of abrasion- or chemical-resistant rubber applied to the inside of steel equipment — pipes, tanks, chutes, pumps, and valves. It moves wear and corrosion off the steel and into a replaceable rubber layer, so the equipment lasts far longer and the lining is renewed rather than the whole component. It's the standard way to protect plant in mining slurry, minerals processing, and chemical service.
What thickness of rubber lining do I need?+
Lining thickness is matched to the wear duty — typically 6mm for general slurry abrasion, stepping up to 10–12mm or more in high-wear zones such as pipe bends, reducers, cyclone feeds, and chute impact points where flow changes direction. We can increase thickness locally rather than over-lining the whole component, and confirm the specification against your particle size, velocity, and chemistry during the site assessment.
Can you rubber line both new and existing equipment?+
Yes. We line newly fabricated pipework, tanks, and fittings before they go into service, and we re-line worn equipment that has reached the end of its previous lining life. Existing items are stripped, grit blasted to SA 3 standard, and re-lined — often more cost-effective than replacing the steelwork.
Which industries use AU Industries rubber lining?+
Mining and minerals processing (gold, platinum, coal, copper, uranium, titanium), chemical processing, water and wastewater treatment, and general heavy industry. Any operation moving abrasive slurry, corrosive liquids, or handling bulk material through steel equipment benefits from rubber lining.
Where is AU Industries based for rubber lining work?+
Our fabrication and lining facility is in Anderbolt, Boksburg, on the East Rand of Gauteng. We line in our workshop and on-site, with fast collection and delivery across Gauteng (Boksburg, Benoni, Germiston, Johannesburg) and project coverage throughout South Africa and into Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.