Leather Glossary

Aniline: Leather that is colored all the way through with a transparent dye. The effect is applied by immersing the leather in a dye bath. Because the finish is transparent and shows the natural markings of the leather, only the best quality hides can be used.

Antiqued: Leather that is dyed with one color over another (usually darker over lighter) so as to create rich highlights and an artificial aged appearance. Also called distressed leather.

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.

Buffed Leather: Leather from which the top surface has been removed by abrasion. Often known as suede or nubuc.

Crocking: Removing the crock, or excess coloring, that rubs off of a newly-dyed hide.

Crust: Leather which has been tanned (treated to become nonperishable) but not colored or otherwise finished.

Currying: Process of incorporating oils and greases into the leather after tanning and otherwise preparing it for the specific purpose for which it may be intended.

Distressed: Another term for antiqued leather.

Drum Dying: The process of coloring leather by tumbling it in a rotating drum immersed in dye. A very effective method allowing maximum dye penetration.

Embossed Leather: Leather that has been "stamped" with a unique geometrical design or artificial texture under extreme high pressure.

Fat-Liquoring: The process of replacing oils that have been leqached from the hide during processing.

Fat Wrinkles: Wrinkles in the grain of leather caused by fat deposits in the animal that creates beauty in the leather. Fat wrinkles are not visible in imitation grain leather.

Finish: Any enhancing effect applied to leather after it has been tanned. Examples are dyeing, embossing, buffing, antiquing, waxing, waterproofing, and so on.

Full Grain Leather: Leather which has not been altered beyond hair removal. Full grain leather is the most genuine type of leather, as it retains all of the original texture and markings of the original hide.

Glazed Leather: Aniline-dyed leather which has been polished to a high luster by passing through glass or steel rollers under great pressure.

Glove Leather: Lambskin or other very soft leather typically used for gloves.

Grain: A word used to describe the natural characteristics of an unprocessed hide, such as its pores, wrinkles, markings, and texture.

Hand: A word used to describe the feel (i.e. softness or fullness) of leather, typically upholstery leather.

Hand Antiqued: Also known as "hand rubbing". The process of skilled craftsmen hand rubbing a contrasting color onto the surface of the leather to accentuate the natural grain and embossing.

Hides: Skins of large animals, usually cattle.

Leather: A hide, or skin, that has been tanned into a non-perishable state.

Liming: The process of removing hair from a raw hide, preparing it for the tanning process.

Milling: Process in which tanned hides are tumbled in rotating drums using a combination of heat and a misting of water to soften the hand or enhance the grain.

Naked: A leather with no surface, impregnated treatment of finish other than dye matter which might mask or alter the natural state of the leather. Usually reserved for the finest quality skins.

Nap: Describes the soft, "fuzzy" effect achieved in leather by buffing or brushing.

Natural Grain: A leather that displays its original grain.

Nubuc: 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.

Oil Tanned: Leather that is tanned using oils to create a very soft, pliable finish.

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

Patina: The aura or luster that develops in a quality piece of leather with age.

Perforated: Leather in which a pattern of small holes is stamped using a die. The holes can vary in size, density and pattern.

Pigmented Leather: 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..

Plating: The process of pressing leather under a heated plate. Often used in upholstery leather.

Pull-Up: Describes the behavior of leather that has been treated with oils, waxes, and dyes in such a way that when the leather is pulled or stretched (i.e. on upholstery), the finish becomes lighter in the stretched areas. Considered a mark of high quality.

Pure Aniline: Leather which receives all its color from dyes only and exhibits natural markings and characteristics.

Rawhide Untanned skins or hide.

Retan: A second finish added over an underlying tannage.

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

Sauvage: A coloring effect created by blending two similar dyes to create a mottled or marbled appearance.

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

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

Side Leather: Leather made from one half, or "side", of a full hide. Typically refers to leather whose top grain (outermost layer) has been left intact.

Split Leather: Leather made from the lower (inner or flesh side) layers of a hide that have been split away from the upper, or grain, layers. Split leather is more fragile than side leather or full-grain leather, and is typically used in the form of suede.

Skive: To slice or split into a thin layer, or to reduce leather to a specific thickness; usually done with a skiving blade or a head knife.

Suede: Split leather that has been buffed and brushed to create a fuzzy surface feel.

Tanning: The process of converting a raw hide into a stable, non-perishable state.

Top Coat: Synthetic transparent resins applied as a protective coating producing either a high gloss or a matte finish.

Top Grain: Leather whose top (outermost) layers have been left intact, in contrast to split leather.

Two-tone: An effect created by applying layers of similar or contrasting dyes to a piece of leather in order to create a mottled or aged appearance. Antiqued and Sauvaged leathers are examples of two-tone leathers.

Upholstery Leather: Leather created from a whole hide and intended for use in furniture, automobiles, airplanes, and other upholstery applications.

Vegetable Tanning: A method of hide tanning which utilizes materials from organic materials such as bark instead of the traditional chemicals. Vegetable tanned leather has greater body and firmness than traditionally-tanned leather.

Weight: A term which describes the heaviness or thickness of leather. Typically given in ounces per square foot or millimeters (thickness).

Whole Hide: Refers to leather created using a full hide, as opposed to a side, and typically intended for use as upholstery leather.