Difference between Rubber and Latex

Well, the subject says it all. What what I can make out from reading a few articles (although some are contradictory):

"Latex" can be synthetic or natural rubber latex.

Natural rubber latex is the liquid from the trees which contain natural rubber.

Dry natural rubber is made from natural rubber latex by extracting the rubber.

I'm interested how that related to the stuff we know and love. What are latex clothes normally made of? Synthetic or natural rubber latex?

And the lovely traditional red rubber, is that natural rubber?

I may be wrong but in terms of how things are marketed or presented I don't think there is much distinction between rubber or latex and both terms could be used interchangeably.

Chemically there may be specific dofferences. However, if it smelly like rubber/latex, shines like rubber/latex and looks great like rubber/latex I'm wearing it irrespective of what it's called!

@Rummbermark: Thank you. Don't you think there is an actual difference between the very soft, silky, almost cuddly feeling of some "real" rubber clothes, and latex which is more even? Also the smell is quite different.

Latex is, indeed, the original natural rubber from tree sap.

Today there are MANY different varieties of synthetic rubber (think bowling balls as well as enema bags and hoses), as well as natural latex rubber. You can't necessarily tell by the color, since any of them can be colored. I don't know if the smell of latex has been replicated in synthetics.

There may be items of clothing that are made of other types of rubber but, for the most part, the rubber outfits seen are made from natural latex from the rubber tree. Natural rubber is transparent, or semi-transparent, and a very slightly yellow or creamy colored clear material. Anything other than the clear has had color added to it when it is still in the liquid state.

Latex clothing is either molded by coating a mold with liquid latex and then drying and heating to vulcanize it or made by cutting patterns from a sheet of latex and gluing.

I have often wondered how a catsuit would feel that was made of thin silicone. It is very stretchy and rubbery and would feel fantastic. I don't know if anyone has done this because it is much harder to work with and quite expensive. I have never had one but there is a company called Femskin that makes a silicone female body suit for Crossdresser. I'm sure it would feel wonderful but it's much thicker than regular latex normally is that I love so much.

Typically I'd say folks refer to "heavy rubber" to differentiate that from latex but otherwise use the terms interchangeably. These days you often can make specific requests to latex designers to specify thickness of latex. Years ago we didn't have that option when buying latex clothing.