*The different types of leather*

Leather is an amazing material unlike anything we can artificially create and the uses and applications are limited only by our own imaginations. Here is a list of the major types of leather and the different characteristics that make up each one.

Pure Aniline Leather
Pure Aniline Leather is top grain leather that is dyed for color without pigments applied. These hides will exhibit some natural characteristics such as healed scars, scratches, neck and belly wrinkles.

Protected Aniline Leather
Protected aniline leather is a top grain leather that has been dyed for color and then receives pigment to ensure color consistency. Without pigment a protected leather is not color consistent. The pigment also ensures fade resistance and helps the leather wear over time. A clear water-based topcoat is applied for additional protection. The natural imperfections of the hide are also less noticeable. Protected Aniline Leathers are easy to maintain and have maximum resistance to wear, soiling, and fading from light.

Semi-Aniline Leather
Semi-Aniline leather is pure aniline leather that has a small amount of pigment or clear finish thus allowing the natural characteristics of the hide to still show through while offering some of the benefits of color consistency and increased wearability.

Pigmented Leather
Pigmented Leather is any top grain leather to which a clear topcoat and pigments have been applied. The pigments are what typically give the shiny, even top color to the leather. Occasionally the pigments are applied to a base crust of a different color and in this case the leather in not dyed all the way through. If pigments are applied to a hide that has been aniline dyed and matched for color then this leather is called a Protected Aniline Leather. Leathers are usually pigmented to give them durability and hide their natural blemishes. Pigmented leathers are easy to maintain and have maximum resistance to wear, soiling, and fading.

Non-Pigmented Leather
Non-Pigmented leather is leather to which no pigments have been applied. These are usually hides of the very best quality and have been aniline dyed for color.

Vegetable Tanned Leather
Veg-Tan leather is made using tree bark and barious other plants. It comes in various thicknesses and colors. Characterized by its firmness, strength and lack of elasticity, vegetable-tanned leather is used for a variety of purposes, including crafts, belts, saddles, harness, holster, shoe soles, and sometimes luggage.

Antique Finish Leather
Pigmented leather with an additional top coat of a darker color applied on top. It is designed to give an antiqued look and is very common with many styles of furniture. The antique style can differ from article to article depending on use and application.

Pullup Finish Leather
A very natural type of leather that is designed to distress as it ages because the color lightens when stretched or scratched. Pullup leather is heavily treated with oil and/or wax which separates when the leather is stretched in usage. This produces a distressed look from day-to-day use.

Suede Finish Leather
Analine leather which has had the top grain buffed or brushed to create a velvety surface. Suede feels very soft and has no protective coating.

*Glossary of Terms*
 

Altered leather: Leather that has had the original surface of the skin removed (usually due to imperfections in the original surface) and a new grain embossed into the leather. This is also called corrected grain. Most top grain leathers have altered or corrected grain surfaces.

Aniline: A colorless oily liquid made from coal tar used in making dyes and resins in organic synthesis.

Aniline dye: The type of dye used to give the initial color to a skin.

Aniline leather: Aniline dying is the process of putting skins into a drum and allowingthe dye to soak completely through.

Semi-Aniline: Aniline leather to which a matching pigment is added to even out the color and add protection.

Back: A side with the belly cut off, usually 15 – 18 sq. ft.

Bark tanned: Leather which has been vegetable tanned mainly by means of tannins contained in the bark of trees.

Base dyes: Common (usually lower grade) dye colors used in custom colored leathers which are quickly made. Hides are dyed in advance awaiting the spray application of custom colors.

Belly: The lower part of a side, usually 4 – 8 sq. ft.

Blues, in the: The state of hides which have been tanned once using chromium salts. These hides are light blue in color.

Bovine: An animal belonging to the cattle or ox family.

Breathability: An important characteristic of a full grain leather. Due to its intact grain and pore structure, full grain leather breathes. This means that the leather adjusts to temperature and wicks away moisture and body heat, making it very comfortable to sit on.

Brush coloring: The process of applying dyestuff to the leather by means of a brush. In this cosmetic process dyes are not saturated into the hide.

Buffed leather: Leather from which the grain is removed by an abrasive or bladed cylinder. This process is used in altered or corrected grain leather.

Chrome tannage: Leather tanned with chromium salts resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent color variety.

Combination tannage: Leather which receives chrome and vegetable tannage producing suppleness and body in the hide.

Corrected grain: Commonly referred to as top grain. Lacking an intact full grain surface. Usually heavily pigmented.

Cowhide: Term specifically applied to leather made from hides of cows, although the term is sometimes loosely used to designate any leather tanned from hides of animals of the bovine species.

Crock: The transfer of color from the leather surface; more commonly found in naked leathers.

Degrained leather: Leather from which the grain has been removed after tanning, by splitting, abrading or other processes.

Drum dyeing: The application of dyestuffs 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.

Enhanced full grain: Full grain leather which has received minor surface alteration to improve grain appearance.

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: Generally defines a surface application on the leather to color, protect or mask imperfections. More specifically, it refers to all processes administered to leather after it has been tanned.

Full grain: Leather in which the grain layer or dermis has not been altered. The grain layer gives each type of leather its distinctive appearance.

Full hand: This defines leather which is full bodied and robust. Also called round hand or full round hand.

Grain (leather): The outside of the hide or skin consisting of the pores, cells, 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.

Grain sueded: A buffing process to raise the fibers on the grain side of a hide or skin to produce a velvet-like effect. This is also known as "nubuck" leather.

Hand: A leather industry term used to describe the feel, i.e. suppleness or fullness of leather. Soft, medium, and firm.

Heavy leather: A somewhat indefinite term, generally understood to include vegetable tanned sole, belting, strap and mechanical leathers manufactured from unsplit cattlehides.

Hide: The pelt of a large animal.

Kip: The hide from a grass-fed, immature bovine.

Leather: An animal hide which has been preserved and dressed for use. Typical hides include

• Cowhide
• Elkskin
• Water Buffalo
• Deerskin
• Goatskin
• Pigskin
• Lambskin
• Sheepskin

Leatherette: A manufactured product which imitates leather.

Liming: This process includes removal of the hair, preparing the hides for the tanning process.

Matte finish: A flat or dull finish.

Milling: A process which produces suppleness in hides.

Naked leather: A dyed leather which has received no topical application that may mask or alter the natural state of the leather.

Natural grain: A leather which retains the full, original grain.

Nubuck: A leather whose surface has been buffed and brushed to create a soft, velvety effect. Differs from suede in that while suede is created from the flesh (inner) side of a hide, nubuc is created using the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability.

Oak tannage: Originally the tannage of leather was 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 heavy leather with vegetable extracts.

Overtannage: See Retannage.

Papillary: The upper portion of the hide which has been separated from the reticular or split layer.

Patent leather: Leather with a glossy impermeable finish produced by successive coats of drying oils, varnish, or synthetic resins.

Patina: A natural characteristic that develops on full grain leather through normal use over a period of time.

Perforated: In leather, this is the process of die-cutting small holes to form a pattern. The holes can vary in size, density and pattern.

Pigmented leather: Leather that has been coated with a flat surface color on top of or instead of the usual dye finish. Leather is usually pigmented to adddurability and hide natural blemishes.

Pullup Leather: Describes the behavior of leather that has been treated withoils, waxes, and dyes in such a way that when the leather is pulled orstretched (i.e. on upholstery), the finish becomes lighter in thestretched areas. Considered a mark of high quality.

Rawhide: Untanned or partially tanned cattlehides.

Reconstructed leather: Material composed of collagen fibers, obtained from macerated hide pieces, which have been reconstructed into a fibrous material.

Retannage: A modifying secondary tannage applied after intermediate operations following the primary tannage to further enrich and enhance the quality of the leather.

Round hand: A full-handed leather, usually slightly swelled through tannage and fat liquoring.

Saturation: A most important aspect in producing high quality leathers. Full saturation of tanning, fat liquors and dyes are essential in the production of fine leathers.
 

Semi-Aniline: Aniline leather to which a matching pigment layer is added to even out the color and add protection.

Shrunken grain leather: A full, natural grain leather which is shrunken to enlarge and enhance the grain character of the leather.

Side: Half a hide cut along the back bone.

Side leather: Hides which have been cut in half, forming two "sides" in order to better accommodate small tannery equipment.

Shave: Hides are shaved to a particular thickness after tannage by a large shaving machine. The excess is removed from the bottom of the hide.

Skive: The shave, slice or divide � to peel into a thin layer, or to reduce leather to a specific thickness.

Skiver: A thin, soft leather made of the grain side of a split sheep or goatskin.

Snuffed: The grain surface is abraded with brushes, emery wheel or sandpaper. Leather is snuffed for the purpose of removing defective grain or sueding the surface of the leather.

Split leather: Leather made from the bottom split, or reticular layer of the hide, which has an imitation grain embossed into a heavily finished pigmented surface to simulate papillary leather.

Splitting: Cutting leather into two or more layers prepatory to tanning.

Strap leather: Heavyweight, vegetable tanned leather used for industrial purposes or to support seats and backs on certain types of seating.

Suede: A fibrous leather, typically made from the reticular part of the hide.

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 sueded."

Table dyeing: The application of dyestuff to leather with a brush; the leather being laid on a table. Also called brush coloring.

Table run: Leathers which are not graded.

Tannage:

• Chrome tannage: Leather tanned with chromium salts resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent color variety.
• Vegetable tannage: The conversion of raw hide into leather by use of vegetable tannins. This process produces leather with greater body and firmness than the more general method of chromium tanning.

Tannin: Any various solvent, astringent substances of plant origin used in tanning leather.

Top grain: An over-used term commonly used to refer to corrected grain leather. See Corrected Grain.

Trim: The removal of the outer edges of the hide not suitable for making leather.

Unfinished leather: Normally defines aniline dyed, naked leathers with no additional application intended to finish, color or treat in any way that would alter the natural characteristics of the leather.

Upholstery leather: A general term for leather processed for many uses, including furniture, automobiles, aircraft, architectural applications, etc.

Vegetable tanning: The conversion of raw hide into leather by use of vegetable tannins. This process produces leather with greater body and firmness than the more general method of chromium tanning.

Weight: The thickness of leather is measured by it's weight in ounces per square foot. Weight's are approximate and may fluctuate up to 1oz depending on the type of hide.

Wet blue leather: Leather which after chrome tanning has not been further processed and is sold in the wet condition.