About 10 percent of the latex is processed into a concentrate by removing some of the water. This is achieved either by spinning the water out of the latex through centrifugal force, by evaporation, or by a method known as creaming.

In this method, a chemical agent is added to the latex that causes the rubber particles to swell and rise to the liquid's surface. The concentrate is shipped in liquid form to factories where it is used for coatings, adhesives, latex thread, carpet backing, foam, and many other applications.

Most of the latex, cut lump, and tree lace is processed into crude rubber stocks that are shipped to factories for further processing. Ribbed smoked sheets, for instance, are made by first diluting the latex and adding acid. The acid makes rubber particles bunch together above the watery serum in which they are suspended. After several hours, roughly 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) of soft, gelatinous rubber coagulates for every 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) of latex.

The rubber is allowed to stand for one to 18 hours, then the slabs are pressed into thin sheets through a system of rollers that wrings out excess liquid. The final set of rollers leaves a ribbed pattern on the sheets that increases the surface area and hastens drying. The sheets are dried for up to a week in smoke-houses before being packed into bales and shipped to factories as crude rubber stock.

By using latex of different viscosities and pigment contents and by varying the curing and drying conditions, various stocks can be made. Three of the most common are pale crepe, smoked sheet, and skim rubber. Each of these is suited for specific end products. For example, pale crepe is especially viscous and low in pigment content. It is widely used by the footwear industry to make shoe soles.