Different Types of Leather

What is genuine leather?

Genuine leather is the rawhide of cows, sheep, horses, pigs, deer, or other animals that has been processed into various leather materials with strong characteristics of strength, texture, color, and pattern, making it an essential material for modern leather products. Genuine leather can be divided into two types: top grain leather and split leather.

What is top grain leather?

Top grain leather refers to the hide from the top layer of a cow's skin. The production process of top grain leather is exquisite, without adding too many substances, and the surface retains the original skin characteristics. Top grain leather is also graded, with the best being calf leather, followed by full-grain leather, corrected-grain leather, and suede. Top grain leather can also be divided into full-grain top grain leather and corrected-grain top grain leather.

Full-grain top grain leather preserves the natural state of the leather surface, showcasing the natural beauty of animal skin. It is usually made from the highest quality cowhide.

Corrected-grain top grain leather is made from lower quality cowhide, with many scratches and blemishes removed by decoration. Through special processing, the utilization rate of cowhide is improved and it is less likely to deform.

What is split leather?

Split leather is the lower layer of the hide with looser fiber tissue. It is processed by chemical materials spraying or covering with PVC or PU film. It is obtained by splitting the thick leather with a splitting machine and then processed through a series of processes such as coating or film pasting. Its durability and wear resistance are poor, making it a relatively inexpensive type of leather. In addition to split leather, there is also third layer leather, which is the poorest quality cowhide leather.

How to distinguish top grain leather from split leather?

Split leather is the lower layer of the hide with looser fiber tissue. It is processed by chemical materials spraying or covering with PVC or PU film. It is obtained by splitting the thick leather with a splitting machine and then processed through a series of processes such as coating or film pasting. Its durability and wear resistance are poor, making it a relatively inexpensive type of leather. In addition to split leather, there is also third layer leather, which is the poorest quality cowhide leather