Leather Information and Glossary

Below is additional information we've gathered to help you better understand the inner workings of the leather industry. We hope these terms will help differentiate between leathers and find the best type of leather to suit your lifestyle. Of course, if there are any terms left under answered please call one of our experts and they'll be happy to go over more details with you.

Leather Types

The right leather grade for you depends on taste, budget, and lifestyle. Full grain leathers, top grain, splits, by-casts and bonded leathers are all used in the leather furniture industry and they all have something different to offer.

• Full-Grain Leather

  • Full-grain leather refers to the outer part of the hide. This is the thickest and most durable of leather splits, as it retains the outer grain. This allows for a more breathable surface as well as retaining the natural imperfections of the cowhide. Over time, full-grain leather takes on an attractively worn appearance referred to as “patina.” Full-grain is the most high quality and therefore the highest priced of leather options.

• Top-Grain Leather

  • Top-grain leather is also the outer part of the hide, but the lower layer has been removed. This means a good quality of leather, but not as good as the thicker, more resilient full grain. The term “full top grain” is sometimes used to refer to top grain leather. Top-grain leather used for furniture upholstery is sometimes buffed or sanded to remove surface imperfections. Top-grain is a high quality but more affordable choice than full-grain.

• Corrected Top-Grain Leather

  • Corrected top-grain leather is the same grade as top-grain, but the hide has received buffing or sanding, a textured stamping, and surface pigmentation to give a more consistent look than standard top-grain leather.

• Genuine Leather

  • Genuine leather can refer to anything from full grain to bicast leather. Generally, full-grain leather will always be labeled, as this grade is an important selling feature.

• Split Grain Leather

  • Split grain leather is the layer that is left over from splitting off the prime top grain. It is the part of the hide closer to the animal. It is not as sturdy as either full or top grain leather, but is used to produce high quality suede. These may be stamped or pressed with a grain pattern.

• Bicast Leather

  • Bicast leather is sometimes called “bycast.” Bicasts are very thin layers of leather coated with vinyl. Bicast is not as durable as full or top-grain leather, but offers a more affordable furniture option that is easier to clean and maintain.

• Italian Leather

  • True Italian leather is a type of full-grain that has been hand-selected and hand-crafted. It is a superior quality hide greatly coveted by top furniture manufacturers. In order to be called Italian leather, the piece must have been either manufactured or finished in Italy.

• Bonded Leather

  • Bonded leather is made from leather pieces that have been stitched or fused together. The resulting textile is stamped and finished with a coating for ease of cleaning. Bonded leather has 17 percent or more leather content. Bonded leather is an affordable option for upholstery.

Leather Glossary

• Aniline

  • The word aniline comes from the Portuguese word for indigo, and refers to the bluish tint a hide has after the tanning process. After final processing, the hides are not blue, but a natural range of browns. Anilinesare considered untreated hides, as they have no coatings. Because of this, they are more expensive, as well as more prone to staining. These are generally full or top grain pieces.

• Aniline Dyed

  • Aniline can refer to un-dyed leather or in some cases dyed leather. Aniline dyed means the entire hide has been subjected to dying, versus pigmented, where only the outer layer has been colored.

• Bicast

  • Bicast is a split leather with a layer of polyurethane (vinyl) applied to the surface and then embossed. Bicast was originally made for the shoe industry and recently was adopted by the furniture industry. The resulting product is cheaper than top grain leather and has an artificially consistent texture. Furniture made with bicast exhibits does not share similar characteristics associated with genuine leather.

• Bonded Leather

  • Bonded leather or reconstituted leather is a material made of varying degrees of genuine leather combined with other substances to give the appearance of leather at reduced cost. There are different types of bonded leather, but the type being used on upholstered furniture today is a polyurethane or vinyl product, backed with fabric and then a layer of latex or other material mixed with a small percentage of leather fibers in the product's backing material. The leather content contained in bonded leather upholstery is about 17%. None of it is contained in the surface of the bonded leather. The polyurethane surface is stamped to give it a leather texture.

• Brands

  • A mark of a simple, easily recognized pattern made by burning the cattle's skin with a hot iron. Used for identification purposes, brands are normally cut out of the hides and do not appear on finished furniture.

• Buffing

  • Hides are sometimes buffed with a large sanding machine to minimize the appearance of surface imperfections such as wrinkles or healed scratches. This process makes leather more uniform, but reduces the unique characteristics of a natural hide.

• Corrected Grain

  • Outside skin sand-papered to minimize flaws, then pigmented and embossed.

• Embossing / Planting

  • Embossing, or plating, is the process that creates a texture on leather by impressing it with a pattern.

• Finishing

  • To make leather more durable, substances can be applied to the hide which finish it to help prevent abrasion and provide stain resistance.

• Full Aniline

  • Aniline dyed and aniline finished leathers have no pigments, thus all natural marks are fully visible.

• Full Grain

  • Unaltered surface of the hide which has been aniline dyed but has not been buffed or sanded. Only premium leathers are full grain.

• Grain

  • Outer or hair side of the hide.

• Hide

  • For upholstery, the whole skin coverings of large animals.

• Leather

  • Generally speaking, leather is the treated hides of cattle. All cattle hides used for furniture making are split into layers at some point in the tanning process. Each of these layers has a name, but sadly these names can be confusing. Because there are no industry standard terms or descriptions for leather quality, you have to rely on the integrity of the dealer to provide you with accurate information.

• Milling

  • A natural softening process in which leather is tumbled in a drum.

• Maintenance

  • The proper actions to care for your leather furniture and guarantee a prolonged life. Please read instructions for proper care for your leather, but usually a damp cloth is recommended for general upkeep as well as frequent vacuuming or light dusting.

• Natural Markings

  • The natural markings on cattle hides can include healed scratches, scars, and insect bites, barbed wire marks, stretch marks, vein marks, neck and belly wrinkles, and brands. These marks distinguish genuine leather from man-made materials.

• Neck Wrinkles

  • Natural creases from the neck and shoulder areas of the hide.

• Nubuck

  • Also referred to as suede, proper nubuck is full or top grain leather that has been scuffed to give it a soft texture. It is good quality leather, but will not last as long as untreated full or top grain. Be extra cautious with this product because some split and bonded leather is labeled as nubuck, or the misleading “newbuck” and is simply not suitable for furniture.

• Nude Finish

  • A leather that is usually vat dyed, but has little or no protective coat.

• Patina

  • Patina is a layer that develops on the leather as the material begins to age and become more supple to the touch. Leather goods which have developed the pleasing patina over time often change in color becoming slightly darker and give the 'aged leather look' that so many adore. Patina also adds character to the valued item and a sense of comfort.

• Pigment Finish

  • Typically lower grade leather, pigmented leather is colored only on the outside and will always have a surface coating to keep the color from transferring to clothing or skin.

• Protected Aniline Leather

  • Top grain leather that is dyed for color and then receives pigment. This makes the natural imperfections of the hide less noticeable. The pigment also ensures color consistency, protects against fading, and helps the leather wear well over time.

• Pull Up Aniline

  • Same as aniline, but the hide has been treated with an oil or wax layer. It is less prone to staining, but prone to scratches on the surface. Pull up aniline gets its name from the process of pulling on the finished hide to force bursts of color through the finish. Pull up anilineis meant to look better as it ages and becomes distressed.

• Pure Aniline

  • An aniline dyed hide which has no finish. This is the ultimate leather often referred to as naked resistance.

• Semi-Aniline

  • Like aniline and pull up aniline, but the color of the leather is less variable than that of pull up aniline. Semi-aniline leather is aniline leather that has a small amount of pigment or clear finish. This allows natural characteristics of the hide to show through while offering some of the benefits of color consistency and increased durability.

• Sinusou Spring

  • A curved zig-zag of wire placed horizontally across a seat to provide support. There are typically four or more of these springs in a single seat.

• Snuffing

  • Slight abrasion of the hide’s surface, likened to removing newsprint from newspaper.

• Split

  • The underneath layer of the hide which has been "split" off from the top grain. It is then usually given a suede or pigment finish. Split hides are generally thicker and stiffer than top grain leather, and may be used in less expensive upholstered furniture applications.

• Suede

  • To rightly be calledsuede, the piece of leather must be treated and presented inner layer out. This is how it differs from nubuck, which is the outer skin of the animal presented outside. Suede is a good furniture choice for low-traffic pieces.

• Tanning

  • A chemical process which converts the raw hide into a stable product.

• Top Grain

  • When a hide is split, the top grain is the very top layer or hair cell layer of the hide that possesses the hide's natural grain. It can be corrected by snuffing.

• Uni-Coil

  • A single coiled piece of thick wire, placed in a vertical position to provide seat support. There are typically six or more springs in a single seat.

• 8 Way Hand Tied

  • A spring that is tied to other springs and the furniture frame with eight different pieces of cord in eight directions. Considered a mark of quality and durability.