Bovine Lining-Grade Upper Leather for Sneakers from Japan
Whole cow crust leather under 28 sq ft, tanned for upper use in athletic sneakers despite thinner profile. HTS 4104.49.10.20 covers this as bovine upper leather in dry crust, unsplit and unprepared.
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
• Provide end-use declaration specifying 'upper' to differentiate from pure lining (10.10)
• Test for crust indicators like retanning/coloring prior to drying per note (b)
• Watch for undervaluation penalties on high-volume sneaker leather imports