Argentina

By mid-month, cow prices dropped by four cents, and by the end of July, prices for cows, steers, and heifers had decreased further, with steers down to $0.46 per kg, cows to $0.20, and heifers to $0.52. Offers from China were significantly lower than suppliers’ needs, leading to minimal new business deals. Crust leather prices, however, remained stable throughout the month.

Australia

Throughout July, Australian wet blue ox prices remained completely flat, with no changes across all grades and weight categories. Grade A ox hides consistently held steady, with the largest hides (31kg and up) priced at $63 per piece, and smaller categories, like 23-27kg, at $49.50 per piece. Similarly, Grade B and Grade C prices remained unchanged, with no fluctuations in demand or pricing. The market showed consistent stability, reflecting steady supply and demand dynamics without any significant shifts.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s markets have come to a complete standstill amid significant political turbulence, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing to India following widespread protests. The unrest, which led to an internet blackout and severe disruptions to daily life and the garment industry, has left the country grappling with economic and social isolation. The new interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, has pledged to support the Rohingya community, maintain the garment trade, and investigate the deaths that occurred during the protests.

Benelux

The Benelux market remained completely stable, with no changes in prices across all weight categories. For average green weights of 30.0- 39.0kg, prices held steady at $1.00 per kg, while weights of 40.0-49.0kg consistently ranged between $0.90 and $0.95 per kg.

Brazil

Brazil’s leather market experienced a mixture of stability and slight declines, with pressures from both the domestic and global markets. The average price of fresh

hides remained relatively steady, fluctuating slightly from R$0.95 per kg at the beginning of the month to R$0.92 per kg, and eventually dropping to R$0.16 per kg by the end of July. Zebu and Gaucho hide prices remained stable, while the beef cattle market saw rising prices driven by limited supply and strong export demand, particularly in São Paulo. Despite steady prices for wet blue and crust hides

domestically, the global market faced significant pressure due to high inventories and weak demand, particularly in Asia and Europe. As a result, there was a gradual decrease in prices for certain wet blue grades and crust selections, reflecting the challenging market conditions.

Chile

Chilean leather prices for TR1, TR2, and TR3 grades consistently held steady at $0.80, $0.70, and $0.60 per ft2 for full substance, respectively, with the 16mm+ selections priced at $0.70, $0.60, and $0.50 per ft2. The market showed no fluctuations, reflecting steady conditions with no significant shifts in demand or supply.

China

In May, China’s rawhide imports (>16kg) fell significantly, with a 21.62% drop in weight, 20.37% in pieces, and 21.48% in value compared to April. US rawhide imports saw steeper declines of 32.38% in weight, 30.55% in pieces, and 31.90% in value, yet still made up over 35% of China’s imports. Conversely, China’s wet blue hide imports overall decreased by 6.75% in weight and 5.79% in value, but imports from the US rose by 16.90% in weight and 16.97% in value, constituting 18.59% of total weight and 25.65% of total value.

Colombia

Colombian hide prices remained completely stable with no fluctuations. Salted hides were consistently priced at $0.40 per kg for 26/28kg and $0.50 per kg for 30/32kg. Wet blue hides also maintained their prices, with TR1/TR2 20/22mm+ at $0.42 per ft2 and TR3 at US$0.34 per ft2.

Finland

Finnish cow and bull prices remained largely stable, with only a slight increase observed mid-month. For the majority of the month, cow prices held steady at €1.00

per unit until the week of 16 July, when they firmed slightly to €1.10, where they remained through the end of the month. Bull prices stayed flat at €1.10 per unit for green weights of 34kg and up throughout the entire month. Overall, the market reflected minimal changes, with stability in pricing for both cows and bulls.

France

French veal skin market exhibited steady pricing with minimal fluctuations. Larger French veal skins maintained their high prices, consistently trading at €6.00-€6.50 per kg for luxury grades, while black and white selections held at €5.50-€6.00 per kg. Smaller sizes saw some softening, particularly in the 8-12kg range, but overall, the market remained resilient. French cow prices showed slight firming, particularly for the Bretagne 32kg and up category, which increased from €0.95-€1.00 to €1.00- €1.10 per kg. Meanwhile, French bull prices remained flat, with no significant changes across the month.

Germany

The European cow and bull markets exhibited a mix of stability and slight softening across various regions. Northern German cow prices remained mostly steady, with 25kg and up trading between €0.60-€0.63 per kg, while Southern German 40+ cows saw some firming, reaching €0.90-€0.95 per kg by the end of the month. Central French 32+ cows hovered around €0.85-€0.90 per kg, with Swedish cows consistently at €1.20 per kg. Meanwhile, European bulls faced challenges, with slight price reductions observed in some regions. Southern German 40+ bulls were steady at €1.22-€1.25 per kg, but lower quality selections in Spain and Eastern Europe saw discounts, with Spanish bulls trading at €0.90 per kg. The market for German heifers remained stable, with prices unchanged throughout the month.

Greece

Greek lamb and sheep markets remained completely flat, with no changes in pricing. Lamb skins in the 70/20/10 category consistently held at $110-125 per dozen, while the C2 category stayed at $35-45 per dozen.

India

Throughout July, Indian buffalo crust leather prices experienced gradual firming before stabilising at the end of the month. Initially, prices for 1.4-1.6mm crust held steady at $0.50-0.55 per ft2 and 0.9-1.1mm crust at $0.40-0.45 per ft2. By mid-month, prices firmed to $0.60 per ft2 for 1.4-1.6mm crust and $0.50 per ft2 for 0.9-1.1mm crust, where they remained steady through the end of July.

Iran

Iranian mutton and goat skin prices remained completely stable with no changes in pricing. Muttonskins continued to trade at $95 per dozen for AB grade, $65 for 2B grade, and $35 for super grade, while medium goatskins held steady at $11-12 per dozen.

Italy

Italian leather markets remained stable across veal skins, cows, and bulls, with no changes in pricing. Veal skins consistently traded at €3.50-€3.80 per kg for weights of 18kg and up, and €3.00-€3.30 per kg for weights under 18kg. Italian cow prices held steady at €0.50-€0.55 per kg, while bull prices remained unchanged at €0.90 per kg for those weighing 40kg and up. The market showed no fluctuations, reflecting a period of consistent demand and supply stability.

Netherlands

Dutch veal skin prices showed slight firming while cow prices remained relatively stable with minor softening. Veal skins for 12.5kg weights started the month at €3.80-€4.30 per kg and gradually firmed to €3.80-€4.80 per kg by the end of the month. The larger 16.5kg weights remained consistent, trading between €5.00- €5.50 per kg, with occasional peaks reaching up to €5.60 per kg. The market for small sizes, typically destined for Asia, remained stable at €4.30-€4.50 per kg. Dutch cow prices experienced slight softening early in the month, settling at €0.60 per kg by mid-July, where they remained unchanged through the end of the month. The overall market was characterised by firming prices for veal skins due to strong demand and limited supply, particularly for larger sizes, while cow prices reflected a steady demand.

New Zealand

New Zealand’s wet blue leather prices remained stable across all categories, with no changes reported. Wet blue ox, heifer, and cow prices held steady, and no data was available for lamb or sheep skins. The market showed consistent stability throughout the month.

Nigeria

Lamb prices for all categories, including Cross lamb A at €2.70 per ft2 and L2 at €0.70 per ft2, held steady. Similarly, goat prices remained unchanged, with ABC category skins at €1.50 per ft2 and L category at €0.60 per ft2. The market exhibited consistent stability across both lamb and goat segments throughout the month.

Norway

Norway’s leather market remained steady, with cow prices for 17+ kg increasing slightly from $1.50 to $1.60 mid-month, and holding steady thereafter. Prices for hides weighing 34kg and up remained unchanged at $1.70 throughout the month.

Pakistan

Pakistani buffalo crust leather prices showed slight firming early in the month and then remained stable. Prices for crust leather in the 1.3-1.5mm category increased from $0.55 to $0.60 per ft² by mid-month, while the 0.9- 1.1mm category rose from $0.45 to $0.50 per ft2. These prices held steady for the remainder of the month.

Poland

Polish cow prices experienced a slight increase in mid-month before stabilising. Prices for 26/27kg cows firmed from $0.60 to $0.70 by mid-July, while those for 40kg and up rose from $0.90 to $1.00.

Spain

Spanish lamb and sheep market remained steady, with prices unchanged across various categories. Italian tanneries continued to source materials from Central Africa, while Spanish sellers maintained their pricing despite slower activity in the footwear sector and challenges in securing orders. As the season ended, attention began shifting to North Africa as a more costeffective alternative for sourcing lambs for leather goods and clothing, with restocking efforts expected to pick up in September.

Sweden

The Swedish market remained consistent, with prices for cows and green weight categories unchanged week over week. Cows were steady at €1.10, and green weights of 34kg and up maintained a stable price of €1.20.

Turkey

As summer draws tourists to Turkey, slaughter rates remain stable due to high meat prices, currently around $20 per kg, preventing the usual seasonal increase. While demand for bull and cow hides is normal but declining, the higher quality of hides this season has stabilised prices. Turkish leather exports are still down 25% compared to last year, with hopes pinned on a further devaluation of the Turkish lira. Meanwhile, the market for low-quality lamb remains quiet, with softened prices and demand limited to lambs used in bags and shoes.

UK

UK and Irish ox/heifer prices remained stable throughout July, with English prices holding at £0.75 per kg for 36+ kg and £0.72 per kg for 31-35.5kg. In Ireland, prices stayed consistent at €0.79 per kg for 36+ kg and €0.70 per kg for 31-35.5kg. Despite ample production, the market has not seen significant price movement, with sales slow and no transactions for sizes under 30kg. The UK lamb and sheep markets also remained steady, with no changes in prices for sheep skins and hoggets.

US

In July, the US hide market showed mixed performance. Branded Steers firmed slightly, with 62/64lbs selling for around $26.50, while Heavy Texas Steers saw prices rise to $24.00 by the end of the month. Branded Heifers remained steady at $17.50. Slaughter rates continued to outpace both sales and shipments, leading to inventory build-up. Despite some price increases, overall market conditions remained stable but cautious.

Vietnam

At the beginning of the July, Vietnam received 15,700 splits, with total net sales for the week reaching 164,600 splits. By the end of the month, Vietnam’s orders increased significantly, with a final tally of 48,500 splits and net sales of 161,500 splits. Overall, Vietnam’s imports of Wet Blue Splits grew steadily.