• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Forum
  • Design Studio
  • Upholstery Jobs
  • Newsletter
  • Sponsors

The Hog Ring

Auto Upholstery Community

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

The Rising Cost of Leather Hides

June 20, 2011 By Nadeem Muaddi

Have you noticed the rising cost of leather ? According to Furniture Today, leather suppliers report that their prices have increased anywhere from 10% to 40% since last year. Interestingly, demand hasn’t waned.

Furniture  Today explains:

“[H]ide prices will continue to rise for the foreseeable future because demand for leather used by the footwear and automotive industries is soaring while hide supplies worldwide are declining in the wake of reduced beef consumption.

And buyers of leather for footwear and automotive are willing to pay virtually any price for their hides because – unlike upholstery – the leather accounts for a relatively small percentage of the product’s cost, executives said. […]

‘It doesn’t matter if their Mercedes costs $1,000 more because of the (more expensive) leather. They know they can still sell it,’ said Rick Colford, president of Hulshof Leather USA, a unit of Royal Dutch Tanneries. [more]

So how does this impact auto trimmers?

Demand for leather is still high – so there’s no worry there. However, to keep your profit margins relatively equal to that of last year, you’ll need to take the rising cost of leather into account before giving customers price quotes or estimates. Otherwise, you may find yourself making 10% to 40% less profit on the same types of jobs you did last year.

Also, considering the popularity of leather, you may want to work harder to up-sell leather hides to vinyl customers who can afford it and simulated leather to leather customers who can’t.

— — —

The Hog Ring is the #1 online community for auto upholstery professionals and enthusiasts. Here you can search for jobs, browse pictures, read news and connect with others who share your passion for auto upholstery. You can even check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

Filed Under: Archive, Better Business, Industry Trends & Reports Tagged With: Auto Trim, Auto Upholstery, Car Interior

Primary Sidebar

anal porno bangbros rus porno yaşlı porno konulu porno olgun porno porno izle sarışın porno bakire sex 69 porno

THR Sponsors

NC Sewing Machines
Miami Corporation - Right Rail Ad 3
  • Keyston Bros
  • Albright's Supply
  • Hyde Leather
  • OEM+ Banner Ad - The Hog Ring
  • Leather Craft
  • Douglass Interior Products

THR Favorites

The Hog Ring - Lancia Orca steering wheel

10 Crazy Steering Wheels We Want to Wrap

So you think you're good at wrapping steering … [more] about 10 Crazy Steering Wheels We Want to Wrap

The Hog Ring - 5 Rules for Bartering Your Shops Services

5 Rules for Bartering Your Shop’s Services

Lots of small businesses – especially those … [more] about 5 Rules for Bartering Your Shop’s Services

The Problem With DIY Upholstery

Ever have a customer come to your shop with a … [more] about The Problem With DIY Upholstery

Is Leather Really Better Than Vinyl?

In the past, when manufacturing restrictions … [more] about Is Leather Really Better Than Vinyl?

Custom Dashboards Made to Order

Most auto trimmers have the knowledge and … [more] about Custom Dashboards Made to Order

The Hog Ring - Meet the Trimmers Behind Auto Kustoms

Meet the Trimmers Behind Auto Kustoms

Although our "Meet the Trimmer" series … [more] about Meet the Trimmers Behind Auto Kustoms

Categories

Footer

Recent Articles

  • LEATHER CRAFT Releases Step-by-Step Upholstery Tutorial for 2025 GMC Sierra
  • Hydes Leather Drops New Luxury Aston Martin Leather Collection
  • Everything We Covered in September 2025
  • Sonnenland vs. Twillfast vs. Stayfast: Which Convertible Top Fabric Works Best?
  • Auto Upholstery Class! Learn How to Construct Car Seats in Just 5 Days

Recent Comments

  • Edward Munday on Hidden Mouse Nest? How to Charge for the Extra Dirty Work
  • Jack on Keyston Bros. Acquires DLT Corporation
  • Brodie Smith on Aston Martin Just Introduced a New Convertible DB12
  • THE CAPTAIN on 6 Tips for Turning Callers into Customers
  • Dmei on Star Wars Seat Covers are ‘So Wizard’

Advertise With Us!

We're always looking for companies to collaborate with. Watch this short video about the benefits of sponsorship and then email us to say hi.

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in