Leather Glossary
Aniline: The type of dye used to
give the initial color to a skin. Aniline dying is
the process of putting skins into a drum and allowing
the dye to soak completely through.
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.
Buffed Leather: Leather from which
the top surface has been removed by abrasion. Often
known as suede
or nubuck.
Buffing: Process used to minimize
surface imperfections, creates a more uniform skin
appearance.
Corrected Grain: Leather that has
been buffed
to remove blemishes, then covered with a new, artificial
grain
created using pigments
and other finishes.
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.
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 pattern applied by
extreme pressure in a press to give a unique design
or imitation of full grain characteristics. Sometimes
leathers are embossed to make them appear to be another
leather, such as embossing an alligator pattern into
cowhide.
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 Aniline: Leather receiving
its color from dyes, however may receive a topical
stain, wax, and/or water repellant.
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.
Imitation: A variety of materials
which have been made to resemble genuine leather.
The great bulk of these are rubber or plastic-coated
fabrics. It is unlawful to use terms connoting leather
to describe imitations.
Leather: A hide, or skin, that has
been tanned into a non-perishable state.
Liming: The process of removing
hair from a raw hide through the use of chemicals.
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.
Nubuck: 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, nubuck 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.
Pigmented Leather: Leather that
has been coated with a flat surface color on top of
or instead of the usual dye finish. Leather is usually
pigmented to add durability and hide natural blemishes.
Plating: The process of pressing
leather under a heated plate. Often used in upholstery
leather to mask imperfections.
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.
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.
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.
Northern California (800) 441-3326
Southern California (800) 244-5326
South Carolina (800) 582-3326
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