Glossary of Leather Terms

Aniline Dyed: Leather that has been through-dyed by immersion in a dyebath and has no finish pigmentation.

Full-Aniline/Pure Aniline: Leather that receives its only color from dyes and typically exhibits natural characteristics.

Semi-Aniline/Aniline-Plus: Leather which has been aniline dyed, then has a pigmentation added to the grain (protected).

Full Grain: Leather surface that is totally natural, without any buffing/snuffing or embossing.

Top Grain: The top layer of a hide after the splitting process.

Corrected Grain: Leather from which the grain layer has been partially removed by buffing/snuffing and upon which a new surface has been built by various finishes.

Split: The under portion of a hide that has been split into two or more thicknesses.

Nubuck: Leather made from the top grain by buffing/snuffing the grain side to give a velvety surface.

Suede: Leather made from the split by buffing/snuffing to give a velvety surface.

Not Leather: Bonded, Bicast, Reconstituted, Blended, Pleather, Vinyl, and Vegan leather.

Buffed leather: Leather from which the top surface of the grain has been removed by an abrasive or bladed cylinder or, less generally, by hand.

Crocking: Transferring of color or finish from leather to other materials by rubbing or abrasion.

Crust: Leather that has been tanned, dyed and dried, but not finished.

Embossed Leather: Leather embossed or printed with a raised pattern either imitating or resembling the grain pattern of some animal, or being quite unrelated to a natural grain pattern.

Finish: The final process or processes in the manufacture of dressed leather.

Hand: A term that describes leather's softness and feel.

Nubuck: Cattle hide leather, buffed on the grain side to give a velvety surface; white or colored.

Patina: A surface luster that develops on pure anilines and nubucks; grows more beautiful with the passing of time.

Pull-up: Refers to leather that derives color from dyes, waxes, and/or oils. When this leather is pulled during upholstering, the oils/waxes dissipate and become lighter in those areas.

Raw Hide: A hide that has only been treated to preserve it prior to tanning.

Sauvage/Kela: A two-tone effect that adds depth and character. Can be a tone-on-tone or contrasting effect.

Shrunken Grain: Leather specially tanned so as to shrink the grain layer and having a grain surface of uneven folds and valleys.

Tanning: The processing of perishable raw hides and skins by the use of tanning materials into the permanent and imputrescible form of leather.

Vegetable Tanned: Leather tanned exclusively with vegetable tanning agents or with such materials together with small amounts of other agents used merely to assist the tanning process of to improve or modify the leather, but not in sufficient amounts to alter notably the essential vegetable character of the leather.

Waxed (waxy) Leather: a. Upper Leather finished on the flesh side and dyed; vegetable tanned with a high content of hard grease, though not necessarily wax. b. Leather bearing a wax finish.

Wet Blue Leather: Leather which, after chrome tanning, has not been further processed and is sold in the wet condition.