Leather Accessories  »  Leather Terminology

Altered Leather
Leather with its original surface of the skin or hide removed, because of the imperfections in the original grain surface and a new grain embossed into the leather.

Aniline Finish
Skins that are drum-dyed for a soft feel and usually coated with protein, resin, lacquer or can be waxed.

Boarded Leather
Leather that is softened by creasing the grain by folding to and fro across the hide.

Brush Colored
The application of dyestuff to leather being laid on a table, with a brush.

Buffed
Leather that has been sueded and can also be referred to as snuffed, nubuck or grain-sueded leather.

Chrome Tannage
Leather tanned in chromium salts resulting in soft and mellow hides receptive to excellent color variety.

Cordovan
Leather made from the tight, firm shell portion of horse butts that has fine pores and a characteristic finish.

Crock
The coloring matter that rubs off of poorly dyed leather.

Crust
Leather that has been tanned but not finished.

Cowhide
From a mature female cow, heavy and durable

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

Drawn Grain
Shrunken, shriveled or wrinkled grain surface of leather.

Distressed
Buffing surface to create uneven coloration and markings for a weathered look

Embossed
Prints, commonly reptile, are heat-pressed onto surface

Fat Wrinkle
Wrinkles in the grain of leather caused by fat deposits in the animal.

Finish
A surface application on the leather to color, protect, or mask imperfections.

Full Grain
The outside original skin or hide that has had the hair removed, but has not been corrected or altered. It possesses the original grain of the animal.

Grain
The outside of the hide or skin consisting of the pores, wrinkles and other characteristics that constitutes the natural texture of the leather.

Grain, Embossed
An artificial grain pressed into the surface of top grain leather with original grain removed.

Glazed Finish
Surface is polished to a high luster by pressurized glass or steel rollers

Lambskin
From a lamb or young sheep, soft and lightweight

Leather
A generic term used for all kinds of tanned animal hides or skins

Matte Finish
A flat or dull finish.

Mineral Tanned
Leather tanned by mineral substances like the salts of chromium/ aluminum/ zirconium.

Napa
Commonly refers to the surface or top grain of any soft leather hide

Natural Grain
A leather that retains the full original grain.

Nubuck
Lightly buffed top grain to a very fine nap that appears smoother than suede

Oil Tanned
Leather tanned with fish oils giving a soft and pliable leather like chamois.

Patent
Heavily finished to give a highly lustrous, baked-enamel type appearance

Pigskin
From pigs or hogs, commonly used for suede

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
The process of die cutting small holes to form a pattern in the leather.

Plating, Plated Leather
Pressing leather with a heated metal plate under high pressure.

Reconstituted Leather
Material composed of collagen fibers obtained from macerated hide pieces that have been constructed into a fibrous mat.

Saddle Leather
Vegetable-tanned cattlehide leather for harnesses and saddles, usually of a natural tan shade and rather flexible.

Shearling
Natural lamb pelts with the leather side often sueded and worn on the outside

Split
When a thick hide is split, the term refers to the top surface which looks like suede but is not as soft

Suede
Leathers that are finished by buffing the underside of a hide to produce a velvet-like nap.

Snuffed
The grain surface abraded with brushes, emery wheel or sandpaper. It is done to remove defective grain or for sueding the surface of leather.

SPREAD-The 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.

Trim
The removal of parts of a skin or hide not suitable for making leather, such as portions on the outer edges.

Unfinished Leather
An aniline-dyed, naked leather with no additional application intended to finish, color or treat in a way that would alter the natural characteristics of the leather.

Weight
The weight of leather is measured in ounces per square foot.