Types of Leather

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• Vegetable Tanned Leather– This type of leather is obtained from Oak (bark) and other plants that contain natural tannins. Vegetable tanned leather can stretch easily, especially when soaked in water. It can also be easily carved, molded, hardened, dyed, painted, oiled, waxed... It is one of the most expensive types of leather.
• Chrome Tanned Leather– This type of leather is made by soaking the hide of the animal in an acidic bath; high in chromium. The lather is less stretchy, and cannot be carved or molded etc. The leather is relatively cheap.
• Oil Tanned Leather- This type of leather is one of the most supple leathers available. It has a slightly oily feel to the surface.
• Combination Leather – This type of leather can either be vegetable-oil tanned or made from some other combination.
• Buckskin Leather – This type of leather is incredibly soft, iswater friendly, strong, and stretchy hide that has been treated in a basic solution made from wood ash or lime.
• Deer hide- This type of leather is made from deer hide and has to be treated by more "modern" tanning methods. The leather is soft and supple, but it lacks many of the other qualities of true buckskin.
• Rawhide - This type of leather is made from untanned hide, usually of cattle. It is stiff when dry, and becomes supple and very stretchy when wet.
• Cowhide- This type of leather is the most common and is a staple of any supplier. It can be somewhat stiff at times but is available in many weights and cuts.
• Pig skin hide- This type of leather is tougher than cowhide of the same weight.
• Napa leather-This type of leather is made from sheep skin and is naturally one of the softest leathers and is closest in "hand" to a baby's skin.
• Full Grain Leather - This type of leather is the best leather money can buy. Iit is made from the strongest part of leather and hence is quite durable.
• Top Grain Leather -This type of leather id of second highest grade. It is obtained by splitting it from the blemished hide and is sanded and refinished.
• Genuine Leather – This type of leather is made from layers of an animal's hide that remain after the top is split off for the better grades.
• Bonded Leather - This type of leather is leather's bottom and is weak. It degrades quickly and hence not used much.
• Nubuck Leather - Nubuck leather is the top grain cow hide with brush kind of effect having short nap along with softness. It is more stain resistant compared to other anilines.
• Split Leather - Split leather is made of inner layers of a hide that have been split away from the upper layers. It is very fragile typically used in the form suede.