U.S. hide, skin and leather industry sets new record with $2.71 billion in exports in 2013
Exports of U.S. hide, skin and leather products set new records in 2013, marking one of the most successful years for the industry to date. Hides and skins producers, processors and brokers regularly export over 90 percent of total U.S. production and are one of the top raw materials suppliers to the global leather manufacturing sector.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, U.S. exports for wet salted cattle hides (hides that have been preserved using brine solutions) increased 12 percent in value to $1.85 billion. Wet blue cattle hide exports (hides that have undergone the first stages of leather tanning) expanded 27 percent to nearly $800 million in value. Pig and sow skin exports likewise saw an increase in value of 15 percent to $57 million, despite facing market access restrictions in key leather producing countries.