First-half US hide exports down in volume but prices are up
Figures for the first six months of 2022 show that packers, tanners and traders in the US exported 15.9 million hides over the period, bringing in export revenues of just under $680 million.
Compared to the same period in 2021, these figures represent a decline in volume of 3.6%, but a 4.6% increase in value.
Of these, 13.9 million of the exported hides were wet-salted, while just over 2 million shipped as wet blue. Therefore, the volume of wet-salted hides fell by 4% year on year, while the number of wet blue hides exported to tanners in other countries was down by 1%.
In terms of value, shipments of wet-salted hides brought in $462 million in the first six months of 2022, an increase of 6%, and wet blue exports brought in $216.8 million, up by 2% year on year.
In the first half of 2022, the average price of US wet-salted hides was $33.31; the corresponding figure for wet blue hides was $105.46. These prices compare to an average of $30.23 for wet salted and $102.3 for wet blue in the first six months of last year.
China remained the biggest buyer of wet-salted hides from the US, taking delivery of 7.75 million, but this was down by 15% year on year.
Italian tanners were the biggest buyers of wet-blue from the US, importing almost 685,000 pieces, an increase in volume of 34%. Tanners in Vietnam sourced just over 580,000 pieces, but paid more than their Italian counterparts. The average price in Italy for US wet-blue over the six-month period was $97.31; the corresponding price in Vietnam was $114.65.
