Leather Properties and Care
Does Leather Shrink When It Gets Wet?
Usually not from water alone: tanned leather may stiffen and darken, but heat while wet shrinks it. Rawhide and alum-tawed leather shrink in water.
Usually not from water alone. Fully tanned leather, both vegetable-tanned and chrome-tanned, resists damage when it gets wet, though it may stiffen and darken as it dries. Shrinking comes from water plus heat: hot water, or damp leather heated past its shrinkage temperature.
Untanned rawhide and alum-tawed leather are the exceptions. They can shrink in plain water.
This is the wet case of can leather shrink?, part of our hub on leather properties and care.
Wet leather by type
The water columns come from the American Institute for Conservation's guide to wet skin and leather. The full temperature table is on can leather shrink?
| Leather | In plain water | In hot water or wet heat | Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome-tanned (the most common tannage today) | Keeps its shape better than vegetable-tanned leather | Holds out past 212 °F (100 °C) | – |
| Vegetable-tanned (shoes, belts, horse tack) | Resists damage but is less stable: may darken, discolor and stiffen | Shrinks a lot from about 158 to 185 °F (70 to 85 °C), turning rigid, then brittle | – |
| Oil- or smoke-tanned | Fares better than untanned, but may stiffen and discolor | Not covered by our sources | – |
| Alum-tawed | As unstable as untanned skin; a long soak washes out the alum and it reverts to rawhide | Not covered by our sources | – |
| Rawhide (untanned) | Shrinks, stiffens, thickens and cockles; a long soak can turn it to gel | Shrinks below 149 °F (65 °C) | – |
Why it can feel smaller after drying
Stiffness is the usual culprit, not shrinkage. Tanned leather dries back to a flexible form, while raw hide dries hard. So a stiff, darker jacket after rain has usually changed in feel rather than in size.
Heat during drying is the risk, because damp fibers shrink once they pass their shrinkage temperature. Leather Collection's care advice is to let wet leather dry at room temperature and never put it in the dryer. Conservators also prefer controlled air drying, with shoes and bags padded out to shape while still damp.
Don't let it stay damp for days either. The EPA says drying wet items within 24 to 48 hours usually stops mold from growing; see mold on leather. Step-by-step drying is on hosob.com: how to dry wet leather safely.
Is it okay if leather gets a little wet?
Yes, for fully tanned leather. On nubuck, water drops darken the nap for a while, then it dries back to its original color; more in is nubuck leather waterproof?
To keep water marks off, Leather Collection recommends a good water and stain repellent; its care instructions cover drying and storage too.
When wet shaping is the point
Water also makes vegetable-tanned leather soft enough to mold. Historic "boiled leather" was made by soaking it in water (most accounts say not actual boiling), pressing it into a mold and letting it set rigid. If you want an item smaller on purpose, follow tested steps such as hosob.com's guide to shrinking leather safely.
Leatherworker Ethan Carter soaks leather until it feels rubbery, presses it around an object by hand, between foam and clamps, or in a vacuum bag, and lets it dry overnight at room temperature so it sets in the new shape. He uses hot tap water only for chrome-tanned leather; as the table above shows, vegetable-tanned leather shrinks far more readily in hot water.
FAQ
Can hot water shrink leather?
Yes. Vegetable-tanned leather shrinks a lot in hot water and can turn rigid and brittle. Chrome-tanned leather holds out to a much higher temperature.
Can a leather jacket get wet?
Yes. Rain will not shrink a fully tanned jacket on its own, but it may stiffen or darken. Let it dry at room temperature, away from the dryer.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.