Leather from Pakistan: Where It Is Made, What Hides Are Used, and How Good It Is

Leather from Pakistan is made from cow and buffalo hides and from sheep and goat skins. Most of it is processed in Sialkot, Kasur and Karachi and sold abroad as jackets, gloves, motorcycle gear and finished leather. Quality depends on the tannery and the hide grade, not the country. The industry ranges from audited exporters to tanneries that a 2022 study links to groundwater pollution.

This page is part of our guide to leather sourcing.

Pakistan's leather industry at a glance

The figures disagree, so read them as ranges. The higher numbers come from the Ministry of Commerce brochure, which exists to promote exports. A 2022 peer-reviewed study gives lower job numbers. The LWG counts come a year apart, so both may be right for their date.

Where leather is made in Pakistan

Leather processing is concentrated in three places: Sialkot, Kasur and Karachi, with about 600 tanneries between them. Two clusters run common effluent treatment plants: Korangi in Karachi and the Sialkot Tannery Zone. Lahore is the main base for finished-leather exporters: seven of the top ten on the trade authority's list are there, with two in Karachi and one in Multan.

Which hides Pakistani leather comes from

Pakistani finished leather is made from cow and buffalo hides and from sheepskin and goatskin. The supply is large: the Ministry of Commerce puts the livestock population at 217 million.

Each hide behaves differently. One Pakistani maker describes cowhide as firmer, suited to biker and cafe racer cuts, and sheepskin and lambskin as softer with more drape. Which hide a product uses tells you more about how it will feel than the country does.

What Pakistan makes from it

The Ministry of Commerce lists the products Pakistan offers: leather jackets, gloves, bags, welding gloves, motorcycle racing gloves and suits, accessories, and finished leather. Gloves matter as much as garments. From July to April of fiscal 2023, leather gloves earned $235 million and leather garments $236 million.

Pakistan also sells leather to other countries' makers. In 2022, Italy was the top buyer of Pakistani finished leather, at $37.8 million. That is worth remembering when you read our guide to Italian leather. The top export markets for Pakistani leather products are led by the USA, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and the UK.

Is leather from Pakistan good quality?

It can be, but the country of origin does not settle it. Pakistan's tanned leather exported in 2022-23 averaged $15.19 per square meter (about $1.41 per square foot). That average mixes every grade, from split to full-grain.

Judge the piece instead:

• Hide and grade. Ask which animal and which grade (full-grain, top-grain, split).
• Tannery. Ask which tannery tanned it and whether it holds a current Leather Working Group medal. Medals run from Gold (85% minimum per section) to Audited (50%).
• Construction. Look at stitch density, seam finishing and lining. These depend on the workshop, not the country.

Environmental and labor record

The record is mixed, and the sources say so. A 2022 study in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment found nearly 230 tanneries polluting groundwater in Kasur. It reported that the city's tannery waste treatment plant had been out of service since 2012. It did not detect chromium in its own samples.

On the other side, Korangi and the Sialkot Tannery Zone have common effluent treatment plants. The number of LWG-certified makers rose from 14 in 2023 to 53 in 2024, as reported. A 2023 news analysis says slow uptake of the LWG, ZDHC and SLF standards cost orders. It also describes child-labor and workplace-safety protections as weak.

For the full list of questions to put to any maker, see how to choose ethically sourced leather.

Buying a Pakistani-made jacket or glove: a quick checklist

1. Ask where the leather was tanned. Under US rules, the label shows where the product was made. That only changes if later work substantially transforms it. Our guide to check where a leather jacket was made shows how.
2. Ask for the tannery's LWG status. LWG certifies the tannery, not the jacket, so ask for the facility name.
3. Ask which hide and grade. Cow, buffalo, sheep or goat, and full-grain or split.
4. Ask about the workshop. Who cuts and stitches, and can they show it?

Made to order in Pakistan

Orders from Leather Collection are made to order and shipped from the company's facility in Pakistan. Custom and made-to-measure pieces take four to six weeks. Use the checklist above when you talk to the maker.

FAQ

Does Pakistan export leather?

Yes. The Ministry of Commerce puts leather products exports at $887 million. Tanned leather exports were $167.6 million in 2022-23, per the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

Is Pakistan leather good quality?

It ranges widely. Quality depends on the hide grade, the tannery and the workshop. Check those, and the tannery's LWG medal, rather than the country.

What is Pakistan's no. 1 export product?

Not leather. The Ministry of Commerce ranks leather 3rd among export industries and a 2022 study ranks it 2nd, so another sector is first in both.