How are condoms made and what are they made of?

Condom production begins on large rubber plantations in subtropical climates. Tall trees containing liquid latex rubber grow there. The trees are as tall as palm trees and grow in long rows in the hot sun. Most of the latex rubber is used for car tires and hoses, but a small fraction also goes into condom production.

When bottling the latex, a long cut is made around the stem. A little below the cut, a small container is suspended, into which the latex flows. The latex is a white viscous liquid. Once tapped from the trees, it is refined and condensed into a 60 percent concentrate and shipped to the condom factory.

The latex’s density, stability and purity are checked before manufacturing, and once this is done, the various chemicals are mixed with the latex rubber. In a mill, the mixture is ground down to a cohesive mass. Then it is time for vulcanization.

Vulcanization is the most important part of condom production – it is thanks to this process that condoms resist heat and retain their elasticity. It was the American Charles Goodyear who accidentally discovered the vulcanization process in 1839. He tried to improve the rubber’s durability by mixing different chemicals with it. One day, while he was mixing sulfur with latex, a splash landed on a hot stove in his laboratory. The heat from the stove gave the latex mixture a new, hard-wearing consistency. The strong “weatherproof” rubber had been created! The name Goodyear is primarily familiar to most people through the car tire manufacturer of the same name. It is thanks to the vulcanization process that the condoms can be made so thin.

Once the latex mass is finished, it’s time to mold it into condoms. The casting is similar to candle casting. There are glass molds on a machine that are carefully dipped into the latex mass, dried and then dipped again in a couple of rounds. The latex flows downwards, towards the top of the condom, making it a bit thicker and stronger than the rest of the condom. The tip is also often the part of the condom that experiences the most friction when being used.

After casting, the condoms are washed and dried and then powdered with talc to prevent them from sticking together. Then they are unrolled and placed on new steel molds. An electric current is used to test if there are any holes in the condom. This test is carried out on every condom.

Condoms are tested, packaged and distributed in the RFSU factory and laboratory.