Leather & footwear

What Brazil buys

Brazil imported US$680 million of leather goods and bags (HS 42) and US$629 million of footwear (HS 64) in 2025, and Bangladesh supplied only 0.66% and 0.32% of them (ComexStat, 2025). Bangladesh itself exported US$1.22 billion of footwear and US$535 million of leather and leather products to the world (EPB, FY2025-26), so the capacity is there. Bags and cases, and footwear with textile uppers, lead the small trade that already exists.

Brazil is a major leather and footwear producer in its own right. The best opening is in leather goods, bags and accessories that complement local production, rather than in competing head-on with Brazilian shoemakers. Trade also runs the other way: Brazil sold Bangladesh US$5.5 million of tanned hides in 2025 (ComexStat, 2025).

Rules to know

Duties vary by product (Camex tariff schedule and TIPI, Oct 2026). Most footwear pays 35%, as do bags with an outer surface of plastic or textile. Leather handbags pay 18% plus 6.5% IPI, and finished bovine leather pays 9%. An additional COFINS-Importação applies to footwear and to leather. Imported products must carry Portuguese labels, and the Brazilian buyer must be an importer enabled in Siscomex.

How to win Brazilian buyers

Brazilian buyers know leather well, so quality and traceability carry weight. Tanneries and leather-goods makers certified by the Leather Working Group appear in its public supplier list; give buyers your LWG reference so they can check it. Show bags, small leather goods and accessories with clear specifications of leather type, lining and hardware, and price them with the 18% duty and IPI in mind so the buyer sees a realistic landed cost. For footwear, lead with the styles Bangladesh already sells to Brazil and bring a full size run, so a buyer can judge fit as well as finish.