Wet blue is where the money is for US hide exporters - leatherbiz: Lea Leatherbiz

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Wet blue is where the money is for US hide exporters

19/07/2018
Wet blue is where the money is for US hide exporters
US traders and wet-end tanners exported almost 12.3 million hides in the first five months of this year, compared to 12.7 million in the same period in 2017, a decline of more than 3.3%. Exports of wet-salted hides rose in volume by 2% to nearly 10.2 million. But sales to overseas tanners of US wet blue fell by 24% to just under 2.1 million.

Revenues from these shipments in January-May 2018 were $725.1 million. Reflecting the fall in hide and wet blue prices over the last year, this represents a decline in value compared to the figure for January-May 2017 of 18.5%.

In the first five months of this year, wet-salted hide exports earned revenues of $517 million, with wet blue contributing $208.1 million, falls of 19% and 18% respectively. The average price for a wet-salted hide from the US between January and May this year was $50.69, compared to $63.47 in the same period last year. The corresponding figures for wet blue are an average price of $100.29 now compared to $93.95 a year ago.

Therefore, while the average price of wet-salted hides has declined by more than 20% in the last year, the average price of US wet blue has gone up by 6.7%.

Image: ISA TanTec.


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