Managed sourcing from Bangladesh, for export and for buyers at home
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Stack of dyed magenta leather hides

Representative photos. Your order is sourced to your specification from verified sellers. Photos: “A bunch of magenta leather” by m0851, CC0.

Footwear and leather

Finished leather supplier in Bangladesh

Need a finished leather supplier in Bangladesh? Tell us the animal, tannage, thickness, finish, colour and square feet. We source crust, finished and wet blue leather from verified tanneries, check selection, thickness, area and chemical tests per lot, and deliver locally or FOB Chattogram.

  • Verified sellers
  • Checked before it ships
  • Delivered by Roptan

Get finished leather sourced

Prefer to deal with suppliers yourself? Post it on the requirement board

Finished leather products

Pick a product and we source it for you, or send one requirement that covers several.

Cow crust leatherTanned and dyed, unfinishedGet it sourcedFinished cow leatherShoe, bag and upholsteryGet it sourcedGoat leatherTight grain, light and strongGet it sourcedSheep leatherSoft, for garments and glovesGet it sourcedSplit leatherLower layer, suede or coatedGet it sourcedWet blueChrome tanned, still wetGet it sourced

Buying finished leather in Bangladesh

Bangladesh tans cow, buffalo, goat and sheep hides and sells leather at every stage: wet blue, crust and finished. Most tanneries now work at the BSCIC leather industrial estate at Savar, near Dhaka, and shoe, bag and glove makers at home and importers abroad buy by the square foot. A finished leather supplier in Bangladesh is chosen on selection, thickness, finish and test results, lot by lot.

Roptan sources for you. Send an article sample or a specification with the quantity in square feet; we match it to verified tanneries, put quotes on one basis of selection, thickness, finish and measurement, approve a swatch per lot, arrange lab tests and check the leather before dispatch. You deal with Roptan only.

Finished leather we source

Cow crust leather

Chrome or vegetable tanned, retanned, fatliquored and dried, often dyed, but without a surface finish, for buyers who finish it themselves. Specify tannage, thickness range, colour, selection and whether it is milled or plain.

Finished cow leather

Crust with a surface finish: aniline (dyed, no pigment, grain shows), semi-aniline (a light pigment coat) or pigmented (an even covering coat), plus nubuck or printed. Pigmented hides marks and costs less; aniline needs cleaner hides.

Goat leather

Thin leather with a tight, fine grain and good strength for its thickness, for shoe uppers, linings, gloves and small goods. Skins are small, so an order in square feet means many skins, and cutting yield matters more than with cow.

Sheep leather

Soft, light leather for garments, gloves, linings and bags; nappa is a common trade name for soft full-grain leather of this kind. Its looser fibre usually tears more easily than goat of the same thickness, so ask for tear strength to ISO 3377-2.

Split leather

The flesh-side layer split from a thick hide, sold as suede split or coated and embossed to look like grain, for shoes, work gloves and linings. It costs less than grain leather and is weaker, so check that splits are not sold as grain.

Wet blue

Hides chrome tanned to a wet, blue-grey stage, sold by selection and area or weight to tanneries that retan and finish them. It must stay moist and protected against mould, so agree how the lot is treated and wrapped.

What to tell a finished leather supplier in Bangladesh

Animal, tannage, stage and use
Cow, buffalo, goat or sheep; chrome, vegetable or chrome-free tannage; wet blue, crust or finished; and the article: shoe upper, lining, bag, glove or garment, since the use sets the tests.
Selection
Grade by surface defects, often A to D or tannery run (TR, as it comes), with the mix agreed. Grade letters differ between tanneries, so agree reference hides, not only a letter.
Thickness
A range such as 1.2 to 1.4 mm, measured to ISO 2589 at agreed points, since a hide is never one thickness. Thinner leather costs less per square foot and is weaker.
Area and measurement
Quantity and price in square feet, measured by machine on each skin or side and printed on the bundle ticket. Agree the method and a tolerance.
Finish and colour
Aniline, semi-aniline, pigmented, nubuck or printed, with a physical swatch and the light source for matching. Dye lots vary, so agree the shade range and get a swatch from each lot.
Physical and chemical tests
Tensile (ISO 3376), tear (ISO 3377-2), flex (ISO 5402-1), rub fastness (ISO 11640) and finish adhesion (ISO 11644), plus chromium VI, azo dyes, formaldehyde and pentachlorophenol against your list.
Monsoon and storage
Leather and wet blue grow mould in damp heat. Ask for moisture checked at packing, anti-mould treatment free of dimethyl fumarate, and dry, ventilated storage.

Certificates and test standards for leather

LWG certification
Leather Working Group environmental audit of the tannery, rated Gold, Silver, Bronze or Audited. Check that the certificate covers the tannery making your leather and is in date.
REACH chromium VI limit
Leather articles in contact with skin must contain under 3 mg/kg chromium VI, tested to ISO 17075 on the finished leather. Chrome-free leather avoids the risk and usually costs more.
ISO 2589, ISO 3376, ISO 3377-2, ISO 11640
Thickness, tensile strength, tear strength and rub fastness of leather, with ISO 11644 for finish adhesion. Ask for results on your lot, not a tannery data sheet.
Export Registration Certificate
The ERC issued by the CCI&E, current and in the name on the export documents and the certificate of origin.

What moves the price of finished leather

  • Raw material: animal, hide size and the season, since supply peaks after Eid ul-Adha.
  • Selection: higher selections with fewer defects cost more per square foot and give a better cutting yield.
  • Stage and finish: finished costs more than crust, and aniline finishes need cleaner hides than pigmented ones.
  • Thickness: thicker leather costs more per square foot.
  • Tannage and tests: vegetable or chrome-free tannage and chemical reports per colour lot add cost.
  • Colour and lot size: a custom colour needs a full drum batch; stock colours cost less.

Lead times and delivery

Typical ranges: stock leather in standard colours ships in one to two weeks; a custom colour or finish usually takes three to six weeks after swatch approval, because it needs a full drum batch, and swatches take one to three weeks. Tanneries are busiest after Eid ul-Adha, and a failed chemical test means a new batch. Roptan confirms the dates in the quote.

Inside Bangladesh we deliver to your shoe, bag or furniture factory in Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Chattogram or elsewhere, in bundles or rolls with tickets showing area, thickness, colour and lot, plus the measurement list, test reports and a VAT invoice (Mushak 6.3). Shade and grade disputes are settled against the approved swatch under the terms in the quote.

Buying finished leather for export

For importers we quote FOB Chattogram (Chittagong), with finished leather rolled or folded on pallets, wet blue wrapped and moist, and the packing list by bundle, colour, lot, area and thickness. Documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, a REX statement on origin for EU GSP or UK DCTS paperwork, the tannery's LWG certificate where required, and chemical and physical test reports per lot. Payment is commonly by letter of credit at sight.

What we check for this order

  • Trade licence, ERC and LWG statusCurrent and in the seller's name on the quote, with the tannery named on the invoice and its LWG rating and expiry where your market asks.
  • Selection and thickness on the lotGrain type, selection and thickness checked on sample bundles against the swatch and reference hides, since splits sold as grain are a known risk.
  • Restricted substances testedChromium VI, azo dyes and your list tested at an accredited lab on the bulk colour lot, not the development swatch.
  • A visit before the first bulk orderWe see how the lot is graded, measured and finished, and re-measure a sample bundle against the ticket, because you pay by the square foot.

Questions buyers ask

What is the difference between wet blue, crust and finished leather?

Wet blue is chrome tanned and still wet, with no colour or softness set. Crust has been retanned, dyed, fatliquored and dried, but has no surface finish. Finished leather has its coat, print or buffing and is ready to cut. Buy the stage that matches what your own factory can do.

How is leather measured and priced?

By area, usually in square feet, measured by machine at the tannery and marked on each hide or bundle ticket. The price per square foot follows selection, thickness and finish. Agree the method and a tolerance in the contract, and re-measure a sample bundle on receipt; a lower price often means a lower selection or thinner leather.

What tests should leather for shoe uppers pass?

Common minimums cover tear strength (ISO 3377-2), flex resistance (ISO 5402-1), rub fastness (ISO 11640) and finish adhesion (ISO 11644), plus chromium VI under 3 mg/kg for the EU. Your shoe buyer's manual sets the pass marks; we match each report to your lot.

What is the minimum order for a custom colour?

Usually one drum batch, which depends on the tannery's drum size and the thickness; stock colours can be bought in smaller lots. Selection and thickness are sorted from each batch, so a narrow specification needs a larger batch. Roptan confirms the minimum in square feet in the quote.

Can you source LWG-certified leather?

Yes, where a tannery holds a current LWG certificate. We check its rating and date for the tannery that makes your leather and state it in the quote. If your brand requires LWG leather, say so in the enquiry, so we approach only rated tanneries.

How soon will I hear back about finished leather?

Within 48 hours of a complete requirement, with a price and a delivery date. A requirement is complete when it has the quantity, where it is needed and by when.

Who do I deal with?

With Roptan, when Roptan manages the order: we buy from the verified seller and deliver to you. With the supplier directly, when you post on the requirement board and choose a quote yourself.

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