Footwear and Leather Products

Trade and Tariffs

This sector includes footwear, travel goods and a variety of other leather products. Footwear and leather products accounted for less than 1 percent of total U.S. industrial exports to Colombia in 2006, totaling less than $4.7 million. The top U.S. exports in this sector were container boxes and bags, footwear uppers, leather footwear, and handbags. Colombian tariffs range between 15 and 20 percent with an average of 19.4 percent in 2006.

Colombian exports to the United States in this sector totaled $28.9 million in 2006, which is less than 1 percent of total Colombian exports to the United States. Top Colombian exports to the United States were handbags, rubber and leather sandals, and container bags. The United States’ tariffs range between zero and 51 percent.

Tariff Elimination

Tariffs will be phased out according to five tariff elimination categories: immediate elimination, equal cuts over five years, unequal cuts over five years, equal cuts over seven years, and equal cuts over ten years. Tariff elimination under the unequal five-year staging category will proceed with a 10 percent tariff cut in years one and two, a 30 percent cut in year three, a 20 percent cut in year four, and the remaining 30 percent tariff cut in year five.

For footwear and leather products, 88 percent of U.S. industrial exports will receive duty-free treatment immediately upon implementation of the Agreement. Duties on the remaining 12 percent of U.S. exports will be eliminated over ten years.

The United States agreed to provide immediate duty-free treatment to most products in this sector. Certain rubber footwear items are excluded from duty-free preferences under the ATPA/ATPDEA. For these 17 tariff lines, U.S. duties will be phased out over ten years.

Footwear. Colombia will eliminate tariffs on 75 percent of U.S. footwear exports immediately upon implementation of the agreement. Tariffs on the remaining 25 percent will be eliminated over ten years.

Travel Goods. Colombia will eliminate tariffs on all U.S. travel goods exports immediately upon implementation of the Agreement.

International Trade Administration
Manufacturing and Services
Office of Trade Policy Analysis