Brazil’s exports of hides, skins and leather for March 2026 were worth US$94.9 million, according to data analysed by the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB/Brazilian Leather).
This figure marks decrease of 7.8% compared with March 2025 and 1.8% compared with February 2026, where exports totalled US$96.6 million.
In volume terms, Brazil exported 16.8 million sq m and 58,700 tons of leather, an increase of 3.4% and 4.0% respectively year-on-year. Compared with February, there was a strong increase of 2.8% by area and 4.2% by weight.
Product types
Among leather types, finished leather accounted for a 42.4% share of export value and 31.3% in area, with decreases of 19.7% (down 17.2% year-on-year) in value and 16.9% (down 15.3% year-on-year) in area.
For wet-blue, compared with the same period last year, there was a share of 29.9% (previously 30.8% in 2025) in value and 59.3% (previously 60.2% in 2025) in area, with drops of 5.3% in value and 5.6% in area. Split wet-blue had a 10.6% (previously 9.5% in 2025) share in value, down 13.9% in value and 0.4% in area.
For crust leather, compared with the same period last year, there was a share of 10.4% (previously 10.0% in 2025) in value and 9.4% (previously 9.0% in 2025) in area, with a reduction of 4.3% in value, but now an increase of 2.7% in area.
Brazilian leather exports declined across nearly all stages, reflecting weaker global demand. Wet-blue remains the dominant export by volume but lost market share and fell, while wet-blue splits stay under pressure. Crust leather saw a slight area recovery but a lower overall value. Finished leather is the highest-value segment but recorded the largest drops, showing sensitivity to end product demand. Prices are under pressure and the short-term trend remains negative, despite occasional volume stabilisation.
In March, hair-on hide exports rose significantly compared with January–February but remained below 2025 levels in both value and volume.
Key export markets
China (excluding Chinese Hong Kong's data) remained Brazil’s top export market despite decreasing its share to 31.8% (previously 33.4% in 2025) in value and 47.6% (previously 50.2% in 2025) in area. There was both a 9.5% drop in value and a 4.4% drop in area compared with this time last year.
The United States held second place with 10.8% of value (previously 11.0% in 2025) and 6.0% of area (previously 6.1% in 2025). Shipments declined 25.2% in value and 12.4% in area.
Italy has returned to third in the ranking, with a 10.3% share in value and 12.0% in area, showing decreases of 31.5% in value and 27.0% in area.
While China remained the top destination but fell moderately, the United States and Italy saw sharper drops, particularly in value. The trend reflects weaker external demand, increased price pressure and continued reliance on China for exports, highlighting the need for market diversification.
Elsewhere among the top 10 destinations, advances in sales to South Korea remain noteworthy, with +71.6% in value and +73.9% in area.
Exporting states
At state level, only three recorded growth in value in the first quarter of the year: Pará (+65.9%), Bahia (+25.9%) and Minas Gerais (+8.6%). On the other hand, the sharpest decreases were observed in Ceará (-38.8%), Santa Catarina (-29.2%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (-19.3%).
Exported area advances increased in Pará (+28.4%) and Goiás (+7.2%), and now also in Rio Grande do Sul (+0.6%). Significant declines occurred in Ceará (-32.1%), Paraná (-21.9%) and Santa Catarina (-21.1%). Overall, growth was concentrated in a few regions, led by Pará in both value and area, with notable gains in Bahia and Minas Gerais. Meanwhile, most major exporting states declined.
Rio Grande do Sul leads leather exports by value (27.3%), area (27.4%) and weight (18.2%). Paraná ranks second by value (14.8%) and area (15.9%). São Paulo holds third place by value (13.8%) and fourth by area (13.5%), while Goiás ranks fourth by value (13.4%) and third by area (15.1%).
CICB comments
CICB noted: “Based on the data for Brazilian exports of hides and skins in March 2026, it is possible to conclude that the sector is going through a period of adjustment for both the volume exported and its market value.
“Although Brazil managed to increase the volume of products sent abroad, with growth of 3.4% in area and 4.0% in weight compared with March 2025, revenues fell by 7.8%, settling at US$94.9 million. This scenario indicates a negative pressure on international prices and a devaluation of the product in the global market.
“The analysis of destination markets reveals a strong dependence on China, which holds almost a third of exports, but which showed a 9.5% retraction in the accumulated value of the quarter. This vulnerability is accentuated by the drastic drop in traditional and high-value markets, such as Italy and the United States, which fell by 31.5% and 25.2%, respectively. On the other hand, South Korea is a positive point of expansion, registering a significant growth of more than 70% both in value and area, signalling an opportunity for diversification into Asia.
“Regarding the product mix, finished leather saw the biggest fall, with drops close to 20% in revenue. The sector continues to be dominated by the wet-blue hides, which accounts for almost 60% of the exported area. Despite this, there was a slight one-off recovery in the average prices of some types of leather in March compared with the previous month, with a higher percentage in crust leather exports, which may suggest a beginning of some stabilisation.
“Overall, the sector continues to face weak global demand, as even with higher volumes produced, there are drops in revenues, reinforcing the need to add value.”
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