Brazil’s leather export revenue fell 3.1% in the first nine months of 2026, the tanning association CICB said, underscoring pressure on one of the world’s largest hide-processing industries as it released its first comprehensive sector report.
Cumulative export revenue reached $814.2 million between January and September, according to CICB. Shipments by surface area declined 3.8%, while volumes by weight rose 3.6%, reflecting diverging trends across processing stages.
Finished leather exports dropped 13% and wet blue slipped 1.7%, while crust grew 19.3% and salted hides jumped 65.5%. The shift suggests buyers are favouring less-processed material, which typically carries lower value for Brazilian tanners.
September extended the slowdown, with revenue down 4.7% from a year earlier and 1.2% from August.
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The three largest destinations still account for more than half of total exports despite CICB’s diversification push. Sales to China, including Hong Kong, fell 4.6% to $250.7 million, while exports to the United States declined 12.6% to $102.2 million. Shipments to Italy dropped 13% to $81.3 million.
The sector report, available on CICB’s website, maps an industry of 216 tanneries that, according to trade publication Leatherbiz, produces more than 75 million square metres of finished leather annually from a cattle herd of 234 million head. Record slaughter of 42.9 million animals in 2025 has kept raw material supply strong.
A summary infographic shows furniture taking 38.1% of leather exports by value, automotive 31.8% and footwear 16.8%. About 75% of tannery machinery is imported.
The latest data point to a sector facing softer demand in its biggest markets while shipping more raw and semi-processed material. CICB’s emphasis on market diversification has yet to reduce reliance on a handful of buyers, leaving exporters exposed to any demand shifts in China, the United States and Italy, its three biggest markets.