Aniline

A colorless oily liquid made from coal tar used in making dyes and resins in organic synthesis.

Aniline Dyed or Aniline Leather

A finish type where leathers are dyed with aniline dyes and an additional surface coating of waxes and oils or minimum additional amounts of dye for added protection and aesthetic.

Aniline Plus

Leather that has been dyed in a dye bath with some level of dye penetration.

Bark Tanned

Leather that has been vegetable-tanned mainly by means of tannins from the bark of trees.

Bovine

An animal belonging to the cattle or ox family.

Brush Coloring

The process of applying dyestuff to the leather by means of a brush. In this cosmetic process dyes are not saturated into the hide.

Buffed

Leather from which the grain is removed by an abrasive or bladed cylinder. This process is used in altered or corrected grain leather.

Chrome Tannage

Leather tanned with chromium salts resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent color variety.

Combination Tannage

Leather that receives chrome and vegetable tannage producing suppleness and body in the hide.

Corrected Grain

Lacking an intact full grain surface. Usually pigmented. Commonly referred to as “Top Grain”.

De-grained

Leather from which the grain has been removed after tanning, by splitting, abrading or other processes.

Drum Dyeing

The application of dyestuffs to leather by the immersion of the leather in a drum that is tumbled. This process allows full dye penetration into the fiber.

Embossed Grain

Corrected grain is a pattern that is applied by extreme pressure in a press to give a unique design or imitation of full grain characteristics. Sometimes, leather is embossed to make it appear to be another leather, such as embossing an alligator pattern into a cowhide.

Enhanced Full Grain

Full grain leather, which has received minor surface alteration to improve grain appearance.

Finish

Defines a surface application on the leather to color, provide additional aesthetic, or protect or mask natural characteristics. More specifically, it refers to all processes administered to leather after it has been tanned.

Finished

Leather with semi-aniline or Pigmented finish where additional coats of pigment are applied for consistency.

Full Grain

Leather in which the grain layer or dermis has not been altered. The grain layer gives each type of leather its distinctive appearance.

Full Hand

Leather that is full bodied and robust. Also called round hand or full round hand.

Grain

The outside of the hide or skin consisting of the pores, cells, wrinkles and other characteristics which constitute the natural texture of the leather.

Hand

A leather industry term used to describe the feel, i.e. suppleness or fullness of upholstery leather.

Hide

The pelt of a large animal.

Kip

The hide from a grass-fed, immature bovine.

Leather

An animal hide that has been preserved and dressed for use.

Liming

This process includes removal of the hair, preparing the hides for the tanning process.

Milling

A process that produces suppleness in hides.

Naked

A pure aniline dyed leather that has received no topical application that may mask or alter the natural state of the leather.

Nubuck

A top-grain leather where the top hair cell layer has been removed by buffing the surface, resulting in a luxurious nap and velvet-like surface.

Oak Tannage

Originally the tannage of leather was almost entirely with oak bark, but later the term applied to tannage with a blend containing oak tannin. Now, it is loosely applied to any tannage of heavy leather with vegetable extracts.

Olive Tanning

Leather is tanned with a 100% organic tanning agent made of purely aqueous olive leaf extract.

Papillary

The upper portion of the hide that has been separated from the reticular or split layer.

Patent

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

Patina

A natural characteristic that develops on full grain leather through normal use over time.

Perforated

In leather, this is the process of die-cutting small holes to form a pattern. The holes can vary in size, density and pattern.

Pigmented

Leather that has been sprayed with a pigmented, opaque finish.

Pull-Up

During the finishing stages, leather is treated with a blend of transparent waxes and oils. When stretched or pulled, separation of the waxes/oils occurs and the color will contrast, becoming lighter in the pulled areas, resulting in a worn in effect.

Pure Aniline

A finish type where leather is colored by immersing hides in a dye bath with transparent, aniline dyes that fully penetrate the hide. Also referred to as Unfinished leather.

Rawhide

Untanned or partially tanned cattle hide.

Reconstructed

Material composed of collagen fibers, obtained from macerated hide pieces, which have been reconstructed into a fibrous material.

The Red List

The Red List contains the worst in class materials prevalent in the building industry.

Re-tannage

A modifying secondary tannage applied after intermediate operations following the primary tannage to further enrich and enhance the quality of the leather.

Saturation

A key element of high-quality leathers. Full saturation of tanning, fat liquors and dyes are essential in the production of fine leathers.

Semi-Aniline

A finish type where leathers are aniline dyed with an added layer of pigment or surface coating to enhance durability and achieve an even color consistency throughout the hide.

Shrunken Grain

A full, natural grain leather that is shrunk to enlarge and enhance the grain character of the leather.

Side

Hides that have been cut in half, forming two ‘sides’ to better accommodate small tannery equipment.

Shave

Hides are shaved to a particular thickness after tannage by a large shaving machine. The excess is removed from the bottom of the hide.

Skive

To slice or split into a thin layer, or to reduce leather to a specific thickness.

Snuffed

The grain surface is abraded with brushes, emery wheel or sandpaper. Leather is snuffed for the purpose of removing defective grain or sueding the surface of the leather.

Split

Leather made from the bottom split, or reticular layer of the hide, which has an imitation grain embossed into a heavily finished pigmented surface to simulate papillary leather.

Strap

Heavyweight, vegetable-tanned leather used for industrial purposes or to support seats and backs on certain types of seating.

Suede

A split leather that has been buffed to create a soft, fuzzy surface.

Sueded Grain

A buffing process to raise the fibers on the grain side of a hide or skin to produce a velvet-like effect. This is also known as ‘Nubuck’ leather.

Table Dyeing

The application of dyestuff to leather with a brush; the leather being laid on a table. Also called brush coloring.

Table Run

Leathers that are not graded.

Tannin

Various solvent, astringent substances of plant origin used in tanning leather.

Trim

The removal of the outer edges of the hide not suitable for making leather.

Unfinished

Defines pure aniline, naked leathers with no additional application intended to finish, color or treat in any way that would alter the natural characteristics of the leather.

Vegetable Tanning

The conversion of rawhide into leather by use of vegetable tannins. This process produces leather with greater body and firmness than the more general method of chromium tanning.

Wet Blue

Leather that after chrome tanning has not been further processed and is sold in the wet condition. A colorless oily liquid made from coal tar used in making dyes and resins in organic synthesis.

Wet Green

Ecological plant- based tanning method using the organic concentrate produced from an aqueous olive leaf extract