1. Goat
Skin
2. Sheep
Skin
3. Cow
Hide
4. Buffalo
Hide
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The most confusing term used
within the leather industry is the term 'top
grain'. Ironically, 'top grain' is the
definition generally used when the grain is not
genuine; when, in fact, the real grain has been
taken away and an imitation grain embossed into
the leather. When the genuine grain remains, the
leather is called 'FULL Grain' or 'FULL TOP
Grain'." |
The better the quality of a hide
of skin, the less it has to be treated. In a
premium quality hide or skin the full natural
grain is retained and exposed. One should see
the "fat wrinkles," the natural markings, and
the feel or hand should be supple and natural to
the touch. |
Although calfskins are finer than
the hides of older animals, they are equal in
durability and abrasion resistance because the
fiber structure of calfskin is denser, tighter
and stronger than that of cowhide. (Some
disparity in opinion exists over the relative
quality of European hides and skins versus
American hides or skins. However everyone agrees
that hides or skins in descending order of
quality are: calfskin, premium cowhide, premium
suede, select cowhide and production run
cowhide.)
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Transforming hides and skins into
leather is done in three basic phases:
pretanning, tanning, and finishing. Whatever is
done to a piece of leather after it is tanned is
part of the finishing process. This may include:
dyeing, rolling, pressing, spraying,
plasticizing, lacquering, antiquing, waxing,
buffing, snuffing, embossing, glazing,
waterproofing, stain proofing, flame proofing,
or any other post-tanning treatment. Full-grain
leathers are color-treated only by transparent
aniline vegetable dyes which shade or color the
skins without concealing or obscuring natural
markings or grain character. Most furniture
leathers have been treated with a coating of
pigmentation to help even out the
color.
Although many finish applications are
administered for purposes other than altering or
masking the surface of the leather, all applied
opaque finishes and airtight surface sealants
should be held suspect. Genuine, natural,
unpigmented and unplasticized leather will
breathe and ventilate, thus wicking away body
heat. If upholstery leather is able to breathe,
it can absorb moisture, be nourished, and remain
soft and pliable. If the surface of the leather
has been plasticized, as is the case for most
automobile upholstery, the leather cannot
breathe and may become stiff and
boardy.
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Leather is a material created
through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of
animals. Leather was a very important clothing
material, and its other uses were legion.
Together with wood, leather formed the basis of
much ancient technology. Leather with the fur
still attached is simply called fur. |
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Today, most leather is made of cow
hides, but many exceptions exist. Lamb and deer
skin are used for soft leather in more expensive
apparels. The leather made from some more exotic
skins has during different times in history been
considered very beautiful. For this reason
certain snakes and crocodiles have been hunted
to near extinction. In the 1990s, farming of
ostriches and emus for their meat became
popular. As a side product, ostrich leather
became a fad for a while. Ostrich leather has a
characteristic "goose bump" look because of the
large follicles from where the feathers were. |
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|
Kinds of
Leathers
Stand with heels togather,
and measure around the fullest part of your
hips.
|
 |
| ALLIGATOR |
| Alligator, crocodile,
and related types. |
|
| BOVINE |
| A cow, ox, or closely
related animal. |
|
| BUCKSKIN |
| Deer and elk skins,
having the outer grain removed. |
|
| BULLHIDE |
| Hide from a male bovine,
capable of reproduction. |
|
| CABRETTA |
| A hair-type sheepskin;
specifically those from Brazil. |
|
| CALFSKIN |
| Skin from a young
bovine, male or female. |
|
| CAPESKIN |
| Skin from a sheep raised
in South America. |
|
| CARPINCHO |
| A water rodent native to
South America; like pigskin. |
|
| CATTLEHIDE |
General term for hides
before tanning from a bovine of any breed or
sex, but usually mature; includes bullhide,
steerhide, cowhide and sometimes kipskins. |
|
| CORDOVAN |
| From a section of a hide
called the shell. |
|
|
| COWHIDE |
| Hide from a mature
female bovine that has produced a calf. |
|
| DEERSKIN |
| Deer and elk skins
having the grain intact. |
|
| DOESKIN |
| From sheep or lambskins,
usually with the grain removed. |
|
| FLESHER |
| The underneath (flesh
side) layer of a sheepskin which has been split
off. Used to make chamois. |
|
| GOATSKIN |
| Skin from a mature goat. |
|
| HAIR SHEEP |
| Sheep from several
species whose "wool" is hair-like. |
|
| HEIFER |
| A female bovine, under
three years of age, that has not produced a
calf. |
|
| HIDE |
| The whole pelt from
large animals (cattle, horses, etc.). |
|
| HORSEHIDE |
| Hide from a horse or
colt. |
|
| KANGAROO |
| From the Australian
kangaroo or wallaby. |
|
| KIDSKIN |
| Skin from a lamb, or
young sheep. |
|
| KIPSKIN |
| Skin from a bovine, male
or female, intermediate in size between a calf
and mature. |
|
| LAMBSKIN |
| Skin from a lamb or
young sheep. |
|
| LIZARD |
| Any of a great number of
the lizard family. |
|
| MOCHA |
| Middle-East hair sheep,
usually with the grain removed. |
|
| OSTRICH |
| From the two-legged
animal native to North Africa. |
|
| PECCARY |
| From a wild boar native
to Central and South America; like pigskin. |
|
| PELT |
| An untanned hide or skin
with the hair on. |
|
| RAWHIDE |
| Untanned skins or hide. |
|
| RAWSTOCK |
General term for hides
or skins that a tanner has received in a
preserved state, prepatory to tanning; a
tanner's inventory of raw material. |
|
| SHARKSKIN |
| From certain of the
shark species. |
|
| SHEARLING |
| Wooled sheep and
lambskins, tanned with the wool intact. |
|
| SHEEPSKIN |
| Skin from a mature
sheep |
|
| SKIN |
| The pelt from small
animals (calf, sheep, goat, etc.). |
|
| SKIVER |
| The thin grain layer
split from a sheepskin. |
|
| SNAKE |
| Any of a number of the
snake species. |
|
| STEERHIDE |
| Hide from a mature male
bovine, incapable of reproduction, having been
raised for beef. |
|
| WALRUS |
| Skin from a walrus;
also, sometimes sealskin. |
|
| WATER BUFFALO |
| Flat horned buffalo,
primarily from the tropics. |
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| General
Terms |
|
ALTERED LEATHER
Leather that has had the original
surface of the skin or hide removed, (usually
due to imperfections in the original grain
surface), and a new grain embossed into the
leather. This is also called corrected grain.
Most top-grain leathers have altered or
corrected grain. |
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ANILINE
The
name given to the particular transparent dye
used to color dyed leather. |
|
| ANILINE LEATHER |
Leather that has been
dyed through with aniline dyes. Pure aniline
leathers represent approximately 5 percent of
all upholstery leathers produced worldwide.
Sometimes topped with a protein, resin, or
lacquer protective coating; can also be waxed. |
|
| BARK TANNED |
| See "Vegetable Tanned" |
|
| BASEBALL LEATHER |
Leather used for the
covers of baseballs. Prior to 1974 baseballs
were covered in horsehide; today most baseballs
are covered in cowhide according to standards
set by Major League Baseball. |
|
|
| BELTING
LEATHER |
The vegetable-tanned
leather used in the construction of furniture
and other strength-related
requirements. |
|
| BLUE, IN
THE |
The state of hides or
animals being "chrome" tanned after they have
been removed from the tanning solution. Chromium
salts cause the tanned hides to be light blue
before they are dyed. |
|
| BOARDED
LEATHER |
|
Leather softened by
creasing the grain by folding to and fro across
the hide, either by hand or boarding
machine. |
|
| BOAR
DY |
An adjective applied to
stiff, inflexible leather. This term is not to
be confused with boarding, which is the process
of softening leather. |
|
| BRUSH
COLORED |
The application of
dyestuff to leather with a brush, the leather
being laid on a table. |
|
| BUFFED |
Leather which has been
abrased or sueded. This can also be referred to
as snuffed, nubuck leather, or grain-sueded
leather. |
|
| CASE
LEATHERING |
A general term for
leather used in traveling bags and suitcases.
The staple material for case leather is bovine
hides. |
|
| CENTER CUT
SUEDE |
A suede split that has
had the edges trimmed to leave the bends and the
shoulder, leaving the best and most usable part,
or the center of the material. |
|
| CHROME
TANNAGE |
Leather tanned in
chromium salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate
resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to
excellent color variety. Currently the most
widely used tannage in the USA. |
|
| COMBINATION
TANNAGE |
Leathers tanned with
more than one tanning agent, such as chrome and
vegetable together, resulting in both softness
and body in skins. |
|
| CORDOVAN |
Leather made from the
tight, firm shell portion of horse butts.
Cordovan has very fine pores and a
characteristic finish, and is very
durable. |
|
| CORRECTED
GRAIN |
The outside skin is
sanded or abraded to minimize faults. It is then
pigmented to cover the sanding and printed with
an artificial grain. A spray sealer topcoat is
then applied. Corrected grain material is
usually called top grain
leather. |
|
| CROCK
(noun) |
| The coloring matter that
rubs off of poorly dyed
leather. |
|
| CROCK (verb) |
| To transfer color of
rubbing. |
|
| CROCK
PROOF |
Leather, suede or fabric
that has been treated to prevent color from
rubbing off. With suede, this term also means to
treat to prevent shedding or rubbing off of
fibers. |
|
| CRUST |
Leather which has been
tanned but not finished. Such leathers referred
to as being "in the crust." |
|
| DEGRAINED
LEATHER |
Leather from which the
grain has been removed after tanning, by
splitting, abrading or other
process. |
|
| DOUBLE BUTT
SUEDE |
| A term sometimes used to
mean center cut suede. |
|
| DRAWN
GRAIN |
| Shrunken, shriveled, or
wrinkled grain surface of
leather. |
|
| DRUM
DYING |
The application of dye
stuffs to leather by the immersion of the
leather in a drum that is tumbled. This process
allows full dye penetration into the
fiber. |
|
| EMBOSSED
LEATHER |
Usually corrected grain,
in which a pattern is applied by extreme
pressure in a press to give a unique design or
imitation of full grain characteristics.
Sometimes leathers are embossed to make them
appear to be another leather, such as embossing
an alligator pattern into
cowhide. |
|
| EMBOSSED,
FANCY |
| A fancy or geometric
pattern is impressed into the
leather. |
|
| FAT
WRINKLE |
Wrinkles in the grain of
leather caused by fat deposits in the animal
that create beauty in the leather. Fat wrinkles
are not visible in imitation grain
leather. |
|
| FINISH |
A surface application on
the leather to color, protect, or mask
imperfections. More specifically, all processes
administered to leather after it has been
tanned. |
|
| FULL
GRAIN |
The term used for the
outside original skin or hide which has had the
hair removed, but otherwise has not been
corrected or altered. Full-grain leather
possesses the genuine original grain of the
animal. |
|
| FULL
HAND |
| Leather which is
full-bodied, such as some combination tanned
leathers and fine vegetable-tanned upholstery
leather. Also called round
hand. |
|
| GLAZED
FINISH |
Similar to an aniline
finish except that the leather surface is
polished to a high luster by the action of glass
on steel rollers under tremendous
pressure. |
|
| GLOVE
LEATHER |
A term used to describe
soft leather used for gloves, which is normally
lambskin. The term is also used by some to
define soft leather. |
|
| GRAIN
(LEATHER) |
The outside of the hide
or skin consisting of the pores, wrinkles and
other characteristics which constitute the
natural texture of the leather. |
|
| GRAIN
CHARACTER |
| The natural markings on
the surface of the leather. |
|
| GRAIN,
EMBOSSED |
An artificial grain
pressed into the surface of top grain leather
from which the original grain has been
removed. |
|
| GRAINED
LEATHER |
Any leather on which the
original natural grain has been changed or
altered by any method, process or manipulation;
also top grain. |
|
| GRAIN
SUEDED |
A process of sueding the
grain side of the skin to achieve a buffed or
sueded condition. See
"Snuffed". |
|
| HAND |
A term used in the
leather industry to describe the feel, i.e.,
softness or fullness of upholstery
leather. |
|
| HEAVY
LEATHER |
A somewhat indefinite
term, generally understood to include
vegetable-tanned sole, belting, strap and
mechanical leathers made from unsplit
cattlehides. |
|
| IMITATION |
A variety of materials
which have been made to resemble genuine
leather. The great bulk of these are rubber or
plastic-coated fabrics. It is unlawful to use
terms connoting leather to describe
imitations. |
|
| LEATHER |
| animal skin which has
been preserved and dressed for
use. |
|
| LEATHERETTE |
| A manufactured product
which imitates leather. |
|
| LEATHERY |
| Tough. |
|
| MATTE
FINISH |
| A flat or dull
finish. |
|
| MINERAL
TANNED |
Leather which has been
tanned by any of several mineral substances,
notably the salts of chromium, aluminum, and
zirconium. |
|
| NAKED
LEATHER |
A leather with no
surface, impregnated treatment of finish other
than dye matter which might mask or alter the
natural state of the leather. |
|
| NATURAL
GRAIN |
| A leather which retains
the full original grain. |
|
| NUBUCK |
| A brushed, grain-sueded
leather. |
|
| OAK
TANNAGE |
Originally, the tannage
leather occurred almost entirely with oak bark,
later the term applied to tannage with a blend
containing oak tannin. Now it is loosely applied
to any tannage of leather with vegetable
extracts. |
|
| OIL
TANNED |
Leather tanned with
certain fish oils. Produces a very soft, pliable
leather such as chamois. |
|
| PATENT
LEATHER |
Leather with a glossy
impermeable finish produced by successive coats
of drying oils, varnish, or synthetic
resins. |
|
| PATINA |
A surface appearance of
something grown beautiful, especially with age
or use; an appearance or aura that is derived
from association, habit, or established
character. |
|
| PERFORATED |
In leather, the process
of die cutting small holes to form a pattern.
The holes can vary in size, density and
pattern. |
|
| PIGMENTED |
A process of coloring
and coating in the leather surface with colored
pigments dispersed in film-forming chemicals
called binders which can be tailor-made to
produce surfaces that are highly resistant to
wear, fading, etc. Leather that has been sprayed
with a pigmented, opaque finish. This is usually
done to cover imperfections in
leather. |
|
| PLATING, PLATED
LEATHER |
Pressing leather with a
heated metal plate under high pressure. Most
furniture leather is usually sanded, pigmented
and plated to cover
imperfections. |
|
| PRODUCTION
RUN |
Cheaper, ungraded
leather sold to manufacturers for use on
furniture. |
|
| RECONSTITUTED
LEATHER |
Material composed of
collagen fibers obtained from macerated hide
pieces, which have been constructed into a
fibrous mat. |
|
| RETAN |
A modifying secondary
tannage applied after intermediate operations
following the primary tanning. |
|
| ROUND
HAND |
A full-handed leather,
usually slightly swelled as with vegetable
tanning. |
|
| SADDLE
LEATHER |
Vegetable-tanned
cattlehide leather for harnesses and saddles,
usually of a natural tan shade and rather
flexible. |
|
| SHRUNKEN GRAIN
LEATHER |
A full, natural-grain
leather which is shrunken to enlarge and enhance
the grain of the leather. |
|
| SHOULDER
LEATHER |
| The thickest part of the
hide from the shoulder area of the
cow. |
|
| SIDE |
| Half a hide cut along
the backbone. |
|
| SIDE
LEATHER |
Grain leather which has
been cut in half, forming two "sides" in order
to better accommodate tannery
equipment. |
|
| SKIVE |
| To shave, slice or
divide, to peel into a thin
layer. |
|
| SNUFFED |
The grain surface is
abraded with brushes, emery wheel or sandpaper.
Leather is snuffed for the purpose of removing
defective grain, or for sueding the surface of
the leather. |
|
| SPLIT LEATHER
(SPLIT) |
Skin sliced in layers to
give uniform thickness to the piece (grain
side). Split leather (inside) is trimmed and
finished as suede. Cheap leathers are sometimes
pigmented splits with embossed imitation
grain. |
|
| SPLITTING |
Cutting leather into two
or more layers, or cutting leather into two
sides preparatory to tanning. |
|
| SPREAD |
| size of a skin measured
by machine in square feet. |
|
| STRAP
LEATHER |
Heavyweight
vegetable-tanned leather used for industrial
purposes, or to support seats and backs on
certain types of seating. |
|
| SUEDE |
Leathers that are
finished by buffing the flesh side (opposite the
grain side) to produce a nap. Term refers to the
napping process, and is unrelated to the type of
skin used. See "Split Leather". |
|
| SUEDING |
The process of raising
fibers on the grain side of a hide or skin to
give a velvet nap effect. This is generally
called "nubuck" or "grain
suede." |
|
| TABLE
DYEING |
The application of
dyestuff to leather with a brush, the leather
being laid on a table. Also called brush
coloring. |
|
| TABLE
RUN |
| which are not graded.
See "Production Run". |
|
| TANNIN |
Any various solvents;
astringent substances of plant origin used in
tanning leather. |
|
| TOP
GRAIN |
The term intended to
define genuine grain leather, as opposed to
split leather which has been pigmented and
embossed with a new grain. In reality, top-grain
leather usually has had the original grain
removed and an imitation grain embossed into the
surface. |
|
| TRIM |
The removal of parts of
a skin or hide not suitable for making leather,
such as portions on the outer
edges. |
|
| UNFINISHED
LEATHER |
Normally defines
aniline-dyed, naked leathers with no additional
application intended to finish, color or treat
in a way that would alter the natural
characteristics of the leather. |
|
| UPHOLSTERY
LEATHER |
A general term for
leather processed for use in furniture,
automobiles, and airplanes. |
|
| VAT
DYEING |
An older method of
dyeing leather sometimes confused with drum
dyeing. |
|
| VEAL
CALFSKIN |
An upholstery leather
skin averaging 30 square feet of premier
quality. |
|
| VEGETABLE
TANNING |
The conversion of
rawhide into leather with a greater body and
firmness than the more general method of
chromium tanning. |
|
| WEIGHT |
| The weight of leather is
measured in ounces per square
foot. |
|
| WICK |
To absorb and dissipate
moisture and heat through the fiber structure of
the leather |
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