01
Which layer of the hide
- Full-grain leather
- The outermost layer of the cowhide, with the surface grain kept whole and never sanded. It is the most durable, and with use it develops a natural sheen.
- Corrected grain (also often called top-grain)
- Also from the top layer, but the surface is first sanded smooth, then finished or embossed, which gives a more even look. Note: in English, “top-grain” means the top layer in some places and corrected grain in others, so it is best to spell it out when you ask for a quote.
- Split leather
- A cowhide can usually be split into 2–3 layers. The outermost layer is full-grain leather; everything below it is split leather. The surface of a split needs further finishing — it can be lacquered, dyed or embossed — which makes it the most widely used layer. It is also priced lower than the top layer. We can source it from our partner tanneries to your requirements.
- Bonded leather
- Leather scraps pressed together with a binder. Many countries do not allow it to be labelled simply as genuine leather.
02
How it is tanned
Tanning is done at the tannery. Depending on what the product is for, we buy leathers with different tannages from our partner tanneries:
- Chrome-tanned
- The most common tannage: soft leather, a wide choice of colours and short lead times.
- Vegetable-tanned
- Tanned with plant tannins. The leather is firmer and gradually darkens with use.
03
Surface finishes
- Crazy horse
- Leather finished with oil and wax: fold it or scratch it and lighter and darker shades appear. That is its character, not a defect.
- Embossing
- A pattern pressed into the leather surface. The ones we use most are cross grain, pebble grain, pore grain and deer grain; leather without embossing is called smooth.
04
Materials that are not animal leather
- PU leather
- A polyurethane synthetic: stable in price, and its colour is easy to control.
- Microfibre leather
- A microfibre base fabric with a PU surface layer; more durable than ordinary PU.
- Eco leather
- A synthetic leather made from recycled materials, suited to brands with sustainability goals.
- Plant-based leather alternatives
- Materials made from plants. Regulations do not allow them to be called simply “leather”, so the label must make clear what they are.
05
Words you will meet when ordering
- Leather thickness
- Given in mm. In the US, ounces (oz) are common; 1 oz is about 0.4 mm.
- Square foot (sq ft, 才)
- Leather is priced by the square foot; 1 才 = 1 square foot.
- Colourfastness
- How well the colour stands up to rubbing, sweat and washing. It can be tested by a third-party laboratory.
- MOQ
- Minimum order quantity, for example “from 100 pcs per colour”.
- Sampling
- A sample made before bulk production, to confirm the leather, colour, hardware and logo.
Not sure which leather to choose? Tell us what it is for, your budget and the quantity. We will choose a suitable leather from our partner tanneries and make a sample for you to approve first.