Natural Rubber (NR) is produced from latex or field coagulam obtained from rubber trees planted in plantations. The most important forms in which NR is processed and marketed are the following: Sheets, Crepes, Block rubber and Preserved Latex Concentrates. Natural rubber (NR) processed into blocks adopting a new processing techniques is a notable improvement in the presentation of dry natural rubber.

India's rubber production in India is around 6-7 lakh tons. Kerala accounts for 90% of India's rubber production, the other producer being Karnataka. In India, block rubber is marketed with BIS specifications (IS4588 - 1986) and therefore, this rubber is termed as Indian Standard Natural Rubber. Two types of Sheet Rubber are produced and marketed in the international market, namely the Ribbed Smoked Sheets (RSS) and the Air Dried Sheets (ADS). Among these two types, Ribbed Smoked Sheet is the most popular and is available for consumption.   There exist different grades of Ribbed Smoked Sheets rubber, namely RSS IX, RSS 1, RSS 2, RSS 3, RSS 4 and RSS 5.