Leather Properties, Durability, and Care

Tanning stabilizes the collagen in an animal hide, which is why leather stays flexible and does not rot when it gets wet again. It does not make leather waterproof or fireproof. Leather resists water better when it is oiled, it smolders and chars in a flame, and it shrinks when it is heated wet past its shrinkage temperature.

This hub gives the short answer for each property and links to the page that covers it. Step-by-step care lives on hosob.com's leather care guides.

Leather properties at a glance

Water: resistant when treated, not waterproof

Leather takes on water unless it is oiled or treated, and oiling improves its water resistance. Tannage matters too: chrome-tanned leather keeps its shape and color in water better than vegetable-tanned leather. Napped leathers show water at once, since drops darken nubuck until it dries.

• Is nubuck leather waterproof? explains why napped leather marks and what a waterproof boot really relies on.
• Is leather water resistant? and is cow leather waterproof? cover smooth leathers.

Fire and heat: slow to ignite, but it burns

In one lab study, leather took 32 to 38 seconds to ignite under strong radiant heat, and the authors called that an inherently low flammability. Under tougher tests, though, leather is flammable and tends to smolder. Leather for furniture and vehicle seats must meet flammability specifications, and tanneries usually add flame retardants in the finishing stage.

• Is leather fireproof? is the full guide to flammability.
• What happens when leather burns covers char, smell and the burn test.
• Narrower questions: is leather flame resistant?, is leather heat resistant? and can leather melt?

Shrinking: heat plus moisture

Leather shrinks when its wet collagen fibers are heated past the point where their structure gives way. That point is the shrinkage temperature. Raw hide reaches it below 149 °F (65 °C), and tanning pushes it higher. Ordinary dry cleaning can also make leather shrink, crack and fade.

Read can leather shrink? for the spec answer and does leather shrink when it gets wet? for the water case.

Cracking and peeling

Real leather can crack. Ordinary dry cleaning strips its oils and can make it crack, and long spells below 40% relative humidity can leave it dried out. Peeling is a different question for real and coated materials, so it has four pages:

• Can leather peel? and can real leather peel?
• Will faux leather peel? and does polyurethane leather peel?

Mold, spew and bloom

A white or gray film on leather can be mold, spew or bloom, and each has its own page below. Storing leather somewhere cool, dry and ventilated, away from damp cellars, is the store's basic advice.

• Leather spew vs mold, what leather spew is and leather bloom vs mold
• Is mold on leather dangerous? and how to identify and prevent mold on leather
• Do moths eat leather?

Smell, patina, texture and breathability

These pages describe how leather looks, smells and feels over time: what leather smells like, what a leather patina is, whether leather is a textile, what makes leather breathable and nubuck leather colors.

Care products in one line each

Leather Collection's care page recommends a water and stain repellent to help prevent water stains. For what each product does, see what leather conditioner does, what leather balm is, what bleach does to leather and how to choose a suede brush.

Where to see the hide named

Properties start with the hide. Leather Collection men's leather jackets are mostly cowhide or sheepskin, with a few in lambskin or goatskin. Grades and finishes are covered in our leather types guide, and coated materials in real vs faux leather.

FAQ

Does real leather crack and peel?

It can. Ordinary dry cleaning can make leather crack, and long spells below 40% relative humidity can dry it out. Peeling has more than one cause, so see can real leather peel?.

What is the best type of leather?

It depends on the use. Grades such as full-grain and top-grain are compared in our leather types guide.