7,000 years ago, the Ancient Egyptians began using a meat byproduct to create sturdy and functional tools to make life less challenging. With such a long history of craftsmanship and expertise, our society has had more then enough time to experiment, fail, and improve the art that is leather crafting. Taza Leather has been focused on crafting quality leather goods since 2014, but compared to our Egyptian ancestors, may be considered novices.  Nevertheless, we have a great deal of history to learn from and we strive to learn even more with every cut, carve, and etch. While our passion has lasted many a millennia, some products found on the market today show a huge difference in quality. We created this article to share a basic knowledge about the leathers we use with our supportive patrons and to encourage all consumers to conduct research in order to know what exactly they are purchasing. This guide will teach you the basic leather types, tanning processes, and care. Additionally, we will share information about the tanneries and exotic skins we use to make our leather creations here at Taza Leather.

The Basic Types of Leather

You don’t have to be a professional hide tanner to be a leather expert! Knowing the main types of leather used widely in shops across the nation will help you make more sound decisions when shopping for yourself or a loved one. Being able to differentiate between different grains, tans, and textures can prove to be a great skill to have, especially when shopping at more high-end stores. For an everyday consumer, it can be common to pass over a piece quickly, not really examining closely, questioning, or really exploring the leather of a piece they may likely purchase. Instead of blindly looking at flexibility and texture, we’ll tell you the tell-tale signs so you know if you’re about to purchase a high-quality product, or a good-looking imposter. Listed below are the types of leather ranked from high to low in terms of grade and purity. Simply put, the quality of leather is dependent on a few basic factors: layer of the hide, tanning/dying process, and if the leather is combined.

Full-Grain Leather

Purest of the pure, a full grain leather is composed of the very top layer of a cow hide. This type of leather is characterized by its high density in fibers, creating a much finer grain. Typically, the only alteration to the hide is the removal of hair. No sanding or buffing is done, so the natural creases and wrinkles are still visible. This is what gives the material more character. Finding full-grain leather without natural impurities is extremely rare, so a premium price will be paid for it. This particular type of leather is known for its longevity and durability. Due to the production process of this leather, it will lose a bit of color through daily wear and tear but this is what gives some products like purses, wallets, and leather belts the signature vintage look that makes them truly timeless. This is called patina and makes the piece uniquely yours. Many high-end shops commonly use full-grain in upholstery, saddlery, and footwear, an other artisan leather goods. At Taza Leather we use full-grain leather to make a leather card holder, bifold wallets, leather valet trays, leather wallets for women, as well as purses and more.

Top-Grain Leather

Top-Grain leather, not to be confused with the notorious Full-Grain, is made from the same part of the hide as its upscale cousin. The one key difference is that Top-Grain leather is sanded or buffed to remove any impurities. Due to this sanding process, the leather is made much more porous and is given the ability to hold dye and shape easily. After sanding, the leather is then tanned, finished, and embossed into a desired pattern, often into a natural texture or pebble grain. This leather is still considered higher-end and is great for use in watch bands, wallets, purses, and shoes when a customer is looking for a more polished and clean look as opposed to vintage and rustic. 

Genuine Leather

Genuine Leather is one of the most loosely categorized types of leather. Since a cow’s hide is so thick, it can be separated into various layers to serve different uses. Genuine leather is created from any layer of the hide and is buffed or sanded to remove imperfections. The name of this leather can be a bit misleading since it sounds like something that is quite pricey. However, in reality, genuine leather simply means the product is made with real cow hide. In many department stores, the majority of their leather is “genuine”. Such goods are composed of several layers of lower-quality leather bonded together with adhesive and then painted to look like one of a higher quality. Typically leather in this category is sanded smooth and then embossed with a grain pattern afterwards. 

Split-Grain Leather (AKA Suede)

Split-Grain leather is made from the lower layers of the hide. It’s called split-grain because the lower layer after splitting the hide. Also known as suede, this leather is known by its signature fuzzy, napped texture. Since it has been made from the softer layers of leather, it’s great for making comfortable jackets which will block wind in the winter. This leather may not be as durable when compared to a top or full-grain, but can still serve a wide variety of purposes in purses, sofas, and shoes.

Bonded Leather

Bonded leather is exactly what is sounds like. It is made with anywhere from 10-90% of leather manufactured from scrap hides. This type of leather would be a bad choice for a piece used daily such as a wallet, purse, jacket, or shoes since it does not take bending and folding lightly. Typically used as a filler, the scraps are bonded with polyurethane, or a stretchy latex. Since the percentage of genuine leather can vary drastically, it is difficult to guarantee quality, contrary to other types of leather. Manufacturers use this leather for sofas, couches, and other types of furniture. Even then, it is likely to peel and crack within five years due to the aging of the adhesive used to bond the scraps together.

Temper and Weight:

Temper describes the softness and pliability of leather. Typically, leather can be divided into 4 main categories: soft, semi-soft, semi-stiff, and stiff. Soft leather is extremely flexible, does not tend to hold shape and is often used in clothing and upholstery. Stiff leather, on the other hand, is tough and hard, is not easily bent, and is usually used for wet molding. Leather weight, or thickness, is typically measured in ounces. One ounce is equivalent to 0.4mm. A tool called a leather gage is used to measure the thickness of a piece of leather. It is common to see a range listed for weight such as 3-4oz since leather is a natural material and can vary from area to area of the hide. One thing to note, thickness and temper do not necessarily go hand in hand. You can find thick leather which is soft and pliable while you can also find leather which is paper-thin and stiff. When shopping for leather online, consider the weight and temper of the product so your expectations match more accurately the product you want to purchase. 

Tanning: 

Tanning can be defined as the process an animal hide goes through in order to become the leather which is ready to take the shape of your favorite wallet, belt, or purse. When leather was first mass produced to be used in clothing, upholstery, and other accessories, the tanning process was long and tedious. Tanners started by removing the layer of fat from the hide with clay and then covering the hide in animal brains, livers, fat, and salt. After this, the hides were then sewn together into a tent shape, lastly proceeding to tan the hide over an open flame producing phenol, a tanning ingredient. Contemporarily, we have quicker, easier, and more handsome methods like chrome, vegetable, and many other tanning processes. Each of these methods produce a different result from one another which makes the tanning process so versatile.

Vegetable Tanning;

One of the most primitive tanning methods, vegetable tanning is a process using tannins from plants like tree bark. A tannin is a molecule that will bond easily with a protein and draw liquid out. If you enjoy the occasional glass of wine, you may notice the dry mouth that accompanies a sip of the alcoholic beverage. This sensation is caused by tannins in the grape skin, while the tannins in trees are found in the bark. During the veg tanning process, the leather loses water, which is then replaced by the tannins. Because of this, the leather remains flexible. Vegetable tanning is a lengthy and complex process which may take multiple treatments over a period of up to 60 days. 

Chrome Tanning: 

Since vegetable tanning proved to be troublesome and expensive, the process of chrome tanning was created. Instead of using tannins from vegetables, minerals, commonly chromium, are used to quickly draw out water and replace it with minerals. Instead of waiting nearly two months for a vegetable tanned hide, a chrome tanned one can be ready in less than a day. The process with minerals also results in a thinner, softer leather. This type of tan, however, is not natural and requires the hides to soak in acidic salts to condition the hide for the chromium molecules. Other chemicals like chromium sulfate are also used. If not moderated correctly, the widespread use of these chemicals could cause environmental impact, and the industry is constantly making efforts to reduce the carbon produced by processing such chemicals. 

Our Tanneries: 

All of our hides are tanned in and sourced from the USA. Wickett and Craig is one of the two  tanneries we source from. They have been in the leather business since 1867. Located in Pennsylvania, it is one of the only specialty vegetable tanneries in the United States. The leather this tannery produces is recognized by its vibrant color and beautiful patina. Their leathers not only look great when fresh from the tannery, but also look beautiful with time after the daily wear and tear of everyday life and the oils of your skin age it. Horween is another tannery located in Chicago, Illinois. They produce many different leathers such as the ChromeExcel variety. They have also been in the leather business for over a century and continue to create high-quality leather for small businesses such as our own here at Taza Leather. We believe that quality products come from quality materials and our tanneries have given us the opportunity to give you, our consumer, the best product we can make.

Exotics:

Out of more than 5000 species of mammals, only about 50 of them have hides that leather can be made from. Cow, zebu, buffalo, sheep, goat, and pig leather make up 99% of leather made worldwide. Other varieties like ostrich, alligator, shark, eel, snake, fish, and many more are all considered exotic leathers. With so many choices from hide to tan, the possibilities are endless and each person is sure to find a piece to fall in love with. Exotic skins are not necessarily leather from an exotic animal but can also be considered as leathers created from a part of the animal not conventionally used. The rarest and most prized skin today is that of the Porosus Crocodile. This hide in particular showcases small and symmetrical scales as opposed to Alligator which has larger, asymmetrical scales and a small pore close to the edge of each of the scales. The value of the exotic hide not only comes from the animal and part of the animal it is taken from, but also the tan and grade of the hide. In nature, the alligator or shark may be involved in a fight which can cause a cut and consequently scar. After the mammal has reached the tannery, any number of impurities can be caused by the tannery as well during the tanning process. Taza Leather uses wild Florida alligators, locally sourced, which are hunted sustainably to make alligator skin accessories such as alligator wallets, alligator money clips, and other luxury leather goods.

The art of leather craft has enormously evolved since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. In delving into leather, its types, the dyeing process, the different grades and weights, and even exotics, we hope you have learned about the leathers used by Taza Leather and in general, become a more informed patron when making a leather purchase.