We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Furniture

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What are the Different Types of Leather?

Niki Acker
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 75,946
Share

In its broadest sense, leather is any type of tanned animal hide. Different types of leather are characterized by both the type of animal skin used and the tanning and manufacturing methods employed. The most common types are made from cow hide, but leather from other animals, such as kangaroos and ostriches, is also popular in certain applications. Different leather varieties are suited to different purposes, including clothing, footwear, luggage, book binding, and drums.

An animal hide can be made into leather by a number of different methods, each of which lends different properties to the final product. Leather tanned with vegetable-based products is supple but can be damaged by exposure to water. Alum-tanned leather, created with aluminum salts, is less supple and can rot in water, but it can be made in much lighter shades than vegetable-tanned leather. A newer method of tanning, using chromium salts, results in a very supple leather that holds up relatively well in water. Brain-tanned leather or buckskin, made with animal brains or other emulsified oils, is washable and significantly softer than any of the above varieties, but it is also the rarest, as it is costly and time-consuming to produce.

Stiffer, more durable types of leather, suitable for use in drums, book binding, and, historically, armor, are created with different methods. Rawhide is made by scraping animal hide, treating it with lime, and stretching it throughout the drying process. Boiling in water or wax is another method used to make extremely tough leather.

The softer types of leather can be prepared in a few different ways. Full-grain leather, used in the finest leather products, is not altered past removing the hair and tanning the hide, so it requires raw materials of excellent quality. Top-grain leather is sanded on one side and given an artificial grain in order to hide imperfections in the raw material. The other side of this type of leather is fuzzy. Suede is fuzzy on both sides, as it is cut from the inside of an animal hide.

Other types of leather include patent leather, which has a very shiny, smooth finish, often coated with plastic; and shagreen, a rough leather usually colored green. Many special types are used in luxury products from gloves to pocketbooks. Belting leather is heavy and durable and can retain its shape exceptionally well. Napa leather is known for its softness, as is slunk, made from the hide of a calf fetus. Vachetta leather is typically used as trim on handbags.

Share
HomeQuestionsAnswered is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Niki Acker
By Niki Acker
"In addition to her role as a HomeQuestionsAnswered editor, Niki Foster is passionate about educating herself on a wide range of interesting and unusual topics to gather ideas for her own articles. A graduate of UCLA with a double major in Linguistics and Anthropology, Niki's diverse academic background and curiosity make her well-suited to create engaging content for WiseGeekreaders. "

Related Articles

Discussion Comments
By anon348436 — On Sep 17, 2013

My "leather" boots don't look or smell as if they are leather, though the box indicates they are. The heel portion looks as if it's suede, but the rest looks like something else. Is this becoming the industry standard? Can you slice and stretch the hide so thin, that it no longer looks or smells like leather?

By anon131806 — On Dec 04, 2010

Dakshayani: Your questions have turned my brain to leather! If you don't want cancer, don't eat the leather treated with chrome. And learn how to do your own research!

By anon64375 — On Feb 07, 2010

My name is dakshayani, and i am new to the leather division. i want to know more about leather details. please help me out.

i need to know how many different types of leathers are there, what kinds of washing we can require for the leather, and how to compare a leather from before wash and after wash. and lots of questions have been raised but i need a suggestion. Please, please, anybody help me out.

By anon59617 — On Jan 09, 2010

You never answered the original question! What are the types of leather? I don't care where it comes from unless that is a type!

By anon36348 — On Jul 11, 2009

what is stone leather?

By anon8064 — On Feb 07, 2008

what is the perfect media to grow the organisms which degrade leather?

By anon8063 — On Feb 07, 2008

most of the environmental pollution caused by leather industries.. are there any control measures for that... and not only that, if the person is working tannery, what are the percentage chances of getting cancer?..suggest preventive measures for not getting such types of diseases.

By anon2363 — On Jul 08, 2007

What is rambler leather?

Niki Acker
Niki Acker
"In addition to her role as a HomeQuestionsAnswered editor, Niki Foster is passionate about educating herself on a wide...
Learn more
Share
https://www.homequestionsanswered.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-leather.htm
Copy this link
HomeQuestionsAnswered, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

HomeQuestionsAnswered, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.