China imported 618,000 tons of raw hides and skins between January and May 2026, an increase of 1.6% compared to the same period last year, according to the latest trade data released by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA).
The value of raw hide and skin imports declined 4.1% year over year to $490 million, despite the increase in import volumes.
If May 2026 is viewed separately, China imported approximately 113,000 tons of raw hides and skins worth around $90 million during the month.
Imports of semi-finished leather totaled 244,000 tons during the January-May period, representing an 8.9% decline compared to the same period last year.
The value of semi-finished leather imports fell 19.1% year over year to $320 million.
In May alone, China imported approximately 44,000 tons of semi-finished leather worth around $60 million.
Meanwhile, finished leather imports reached 14,000 tons between January and May 2026, down 7.0% from the same period last year.
In value terms, finished leather imports totaled $220 million, a 6.8% decline compared to January-May 2025.
Looking at May alone, China imported approximately 3,000 tons of finished leather worth around $50 million.
China’s leather industry, which includes the leather, footwear, leather garments, bags and cases sectors, recorded exports worth $32.75 billion and imports of $6.41 billion between January and May 2026. Exports declined 6.6% YoY basis while imports increased 3.2%.
Note: May 2026 figures were calculated by the Leathernews.org team by subtracting the January-April 2026 figures from the January-May 2026 figures reported by CLIA.
