Buffalo Wet-Blue Upper Leather for Handbags from Japan
Chrome-tanned buffalo hide in wet-blue condition, prepared as upper leather for luxury handbags, unsplit and hair-free. It matches HTS 4104.19.40 as 'other' wet-state bovine (buffalo included) leather for uppers, without further processing. The wet form allows flexibility in downstream finishing.
Duty Rate — Japan → United States
52.5%
Rate breakdown
9903.41.0540%Bovine (including buffalo) and equine leather (provided for in heading 4104 or 4107); goat, kid, sheep and lamb leather, the foregoing dyed, colored, stamped or embossed (provided for in heading 4105, 4106, 4112 or 4113)
9903.05.4912.5%Section 301 (forced labor) — Japan (col1 rate < 12.5 percent): MFN < 12.5% → total duty capped at 12.5%
Import Tips
• Label shipments clearly as 'wet-blue' with moisture content tests to comply with CBP wet-state verification
• Declare buffalo as bovine per HTS notes; mislabeling as 'other' can lead to reclassification
• Watch for contamination—wet leather is prone to mold; use antifungal preservatives without altering tanning status