USDA APHIS regulates the importation of animal byproducts, including raw or insufficiently processed swine hides, due to the risk of transmitting foreign animal diseases such as African swine fever. Hides that have been properly salted, dried, or otherwise treated to inactivate pathogens may qualify for entry under specific APHIS conditions, but importers should consult current APHIS import regulations and obtain any required permits before shipment.

Pigskin is most commonly processed into suede for gloves, shoe linings, and small leather goods, where its characteristic three-hole follicle pattern is either a design feature or is corrected during finishing. It is also used for bookbinding leather and certain sporting goods. The relatively thin and uniform thickness of swine hides makes them less suitable for heavy-duty applications like belting or automotive upholstery, which are dominated by bovine hides.