Australian tyre shortage: Tamworth tyre suppliers struggle with imports due to coronavirus crisis, as do major suppliers like JAX Tyres and Auto

Australia faces a serious tyre shortage as suppliers struggle to have them imported in the pandemic.

Tamworth's Smitty's Tyres and More manager Justin Bradbury said the regions aren't immune from the crisis, as he waits for hundreds of tyres on back order.

"It's absolutely terrible at the moment trying to get tyres, all the warehouses in Thailand and India and those countries where labour is cheaper are on the back foot," he said.

"We keep a large variety of stock and we always have something we can sell or get for the customer, but you may find that 30 per cent who want something specific could wait between six to 10 weeks for that tyre."

Bridgestone was the last Australian tyre manufacturer to close its factory doors in Adelaide a decade ago, ending a long history of tyre manufacture in the country.

Now labour and material costs make it cheaper to import tyres made in parts of Asia, America and Europe.

JAX Tyres and Auto chief executive April Harwood said she doesn't believe the situation will return to normal until the end of the year or early next.

"In recent weeks there have been issues with strikes on the docks, but there's also disruption in factories with hard shutdowns and some on reduced rates," she said. "We rely totally on international supply.

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"When one brand runs out it puts pressure on the others who forecast for their needs and the dominoes start to fall over."

The Australian market is not big enough to justify a return to domestic manufacture at this stage, Ms Harwood said.

"My advice to customers is don't leave it to the last minute to have tyres replaced, there are delays and if they are after something specific it is better to check availability than to be disappointed," she said.