When it comes to purchasing high-quality leather, there are numerous aspects to consider. A helpful leather purchase guide will make the difficult selection a lot easier. Let us help you find the next fantastic piece of leather.
Leather Types
Vegetable Tanned
Tannins (naturally occurring astringents) from plants and bark are used for tanning vegetable-tanned leather. The procedure can take up to 30 days, and the result is a rigid, robust, light yellow/brown leather. It is primarily found in saddlery and baggage.
Chrome Tanned
Chrome (chromium) tanning is a common and effective method of tanning. The chromium in raw hides binds to the collagen and even increases the space between proteins in the hide, unlike the tannins used in vegetable tanning. This makes them more elastic and resistant to shrinking in hot water. Almost every form of leather product uses chrome tanned leather.
Calfskin
Calfskin hides are made from the hides of young cows. This leather is typically exceptionally soft, supple, and smooth, making it ideal for shoes, boots, and other leather applications.
Sheepskin
Sheep leather, often known as sheepskin leather, is popular because it often has a leather side and a wool side. Perspiration is naturally drawn away from the wearer by wool. This makes it an excellent choice for year-round seat upholstery and shoes, slippers, boots, and moccasins. Sheep leather (including lamb leather) accounts for nearly 12% of total leather production worldwide.
Shell Cordovan
The premium “cordovan” leather is most usually linked with horse leather. It is manufactured from hiding taken from a horse’s butt. Cordovan leather is a solid, thick, and silky leather ideal for exquisite footwear and gloves.
Exotic Leathers
Because leather may be created from any animal, there are many different varieties of leather to choose from. Because they’re less common and often difficult to buy, create, or find, they’re typically referred to as “exotic” leathers. Shoes and personal accessories are frequently made from these leathers. Alligators, camels, frogs, kangaroo, moose, and snakes are examples of exotic leathers.
Leather (PU/BiCast)
PU/Bicast is a form of leather made with a split leather backing and polyurethane or vinyl embossed/impressed layer on top. This simulates the look of patterned/shiny leather without the cost of a genuine top or full-grain leather piece.
Vegan/Faux Leather
Faux leather refers to synthetic leather composed primarily of plastic. It is frequently made to resemble real leather in appearance and scent. Faux leather comes in many different colors, textures, and finishes. It is used to produce shoes, garments, and upholstery, among other things.
Leather Qualities
Full-Grain Leather
The outside arrangement of the hide, known as the “grain,” is visible in this cut of leather; it has not been sanded or cleaned to remove any flaws. On full-grain leathers, only the hair is usually removed. The grain often contains finer, densely packed fibers, resulting in an exceptionally robust, durable surface and can resist heavy use.
The surface may contain minor defects due to the lack of sanding. These could be scrapes from everyday life, a little cut from rubbing up against a fence, or a minor cut from rubbing up against a fence. Full-grain hides with few imperfections are the most valuable since they are the rarest and most physically pleasing.
Those surface fibers also give it strength. Full-grain leather is ideal for saddlery, footwear, and furniture because of this. Since the outer coating is still intact, it develops a patina (a color change on the surface caused by use) over time that can be attractive. The outer layer has considerable water-resistance properties as well. Full-grain leather is considered the best available.
Top Grain Leather
This cut is similar to full-grain, except that the top layer has been sanded or buffed to remove defects and inconsistencies in the surface. With more colors and finishes added to it, the leather becomes softer and more supple.
While sanding does help improve the appearance, it also takes away a lot of the strength and some of the water-repellent properties of full-grain leather. We may observe a tradeoff here between leather strength and leather appearance and softness.
Top grain leather is commonly used in high-end leather items such as handbags, wallets, and shoes because of its softness and flexibility.
Genuine Leather (Corrected Leather)
Genuine leather can come from any hidden layer and is treated on the surface to make it look more consistent and “corrected.” It can be sanded or rubbed to remove surface flaws before being dyed (or spray painted) or stamped/embossed for a finished look.
The process does change some of the desirable properties of leather. That said, it is often utilized for belts, accessories, and more. You can buy leather accessories online or in-store, whatever you prefer.
Split Grain Leather
Split grain leather is a layered variant of leather. It is taken from the hide’s lower levels of top grain. It is frequently found above the flesh on the lower layer of the hide.
The natural surface of split grain leather is not as solid, tight, or functional as full-grain or top-grain leather. Consequently, split-grain leather is frequently utilized in leather finishes that are dyed, embossed, or have their surface altered. This way, it provides some benefits of leather while providing a visually appealing and often-functional surface that is useful to leather items.
Bonded Leather (Reconstituted Leather)
Bonded leather is made using finely shredded leather scraps that have been bonded to a fiber mesh or sheet using polyurethane or latex. The percentage of leather in the actual mix might vary substantially (from 10% to 90%), affecting the ultimate product’s practical and aesthetic features.
Bonded leather is often painted to add color. Moreover, it can also be embossed/pressed to simulate a specific grain or leather style.
Vegan Leather/Faux Leather
Plastic is used to make the majority of imitation and vegan leathers. They usually have some characteristics that natural leathers do not (such as being water-resistant/waterproof), but they wear out considerably faster and do not perform as well as natural leather. However, because there are many reasons people could pick faux leather, it has become a popular choice.
How Can You Differentiate Between Real and Faux Leather?
Some imitation leathers appear to be extremely realistic. It’s difficult to tell they are synthetic leather even when you touch them.
Look
Because real leather is made from natural materials, it often has a varying grain pattern on the surface. Because imitation leathers are made by machines, they can appear incredibly smooth and even. In addition, if a grain pattern is stamped on faux leather, the pattern will usually be constant and repeatable.
Smell
Faux leather can sometimes have a plastic or chemical odor owing to the use of plastics and chemicals in its manufacture.
Feel
Faux leather might have a rubbery, plastic-y, or synthetic feel to it. Real leather has a softer, more “natural” feel than synthetic leather. Imitation leather can be exceedingly smooth and slick at times.
Layering
If you can cut into a piece of leather, inspecting the internal components can be helpful. If it is made up of several layers, it might be made of faux leather.
Edges when Cut
Examine the sliced edges of a piece of leather. Natural leather has a “hairy” edge, with some natural fibers poking through. The edge of faux leather is usually smooth, even, and clean. This is due to the synthetic leather’s ability to cut extremely cleanly and uniformly.
- Parting thoughts
Leather is exquisite, to say the least. While leather is expensive, it is a lifetime investment. Purchasing leather is not as simple a task as it may seem. This comprehensive guide should help make this rather daunting process of leather purchasing easier for you. So, what are you waiting for? Treat yourself to some leather luxury.
