China’s tanning industry came under pressure in the first half of 2026 with sales at key tanning enterprises falling 12.8% YoY to nearly RMB 21 billion (~$3.15 billion) according to data released by APLF.
Light leather output reached 140 million square metres during the period down 6.5% compared with the first half of 2025.
Raw hide and skin imports increased during the period reaching 749,000 tonnes an increase of 7.0% YoY. Import value also rose 2.9% to $600 million
However imports of both semi-finished and finished leather declined. Semi-finished leather imports fell 5.9% to 295,000 tonnes while import value dropped 14.8% to $400 million.
Finished leather imports stood at 18,000 tonnes down 2.2% YoY with import value declining 5.0% to $270 million.
In total China imported $1.27 billion worth of raw hides and skins, semi-finished leather and finished leather during H1 2026.
The figures show continued pressure across China’s tanning sector during the first half of the year with light leather production declining and imports of semi-finished and finished leather also falling.
At the same time, higher raw hide and skin imports point to continued demand for raw materials within the Chinese tanning industry despite the weaker overall performance.
