Leather Origins and Making
What Animals Does Leather Come From? Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Pigs and More
About 65% of leather comes from cattle, then sheep, goats and pigs. See the shares, rarer leathers like horse and kangaroo, and how labels name the animal.
Most leather comes from cattle. Cattle hides make up about 65% of leather produced, followed by sheep (about 13%), goats (about 11%) and pigs (about 10%). Horses, buffalo, deer, kangaroos, ostriches, reptiles and fish supply the rest, and together they add up to only a fraction of a percent.
This page is part of our guide to where leather comes from and how it is made.
The main leather animals at a glance
These shares are estimates. Accurate world figures are hard to get, especially where the skin is eaten rather than tanned.
| Animal | Share of leather | What its leather is known for | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle (cow, calf) | About 65% | The standard "hide"; the main source for footwear, upholstery and leather goods | – |
| Sheep and lamb | About 13% | Soft leather for more expensive clothing | – |
| Goat | About 11% | Once traded as "Turkey" or "Morocco" leather | – |
| Pig | About 10% | Historically used most in Germany | – |
| Everything else | A fraction of a percent | Horse, buffalo, deer, kangaroo, ostrich, reptiles, fish | – |
Hides from large animals, skins from small ones
The trade sorts the raw material by animal size. Skins of large animals such as cattle and buffalo are called hides. Skins of smaller animals such as goats, sheep, deer, pigs, fish, alligators and snakes are called skins. Hides go mainly into footwear, upholstery and leather goods, while skins go more into clothing such as coats and gloves.
For the trade terms and weight classes, see hides, skins and kips. Cattle get their own page: what cow hides are.
Where the animals come from
Most hides come from domesticated animals. The UNIDO Leather Panel describes hides and skins as an end product of animal production, "more correctly a by-product," and a renewable resource that is often wasted in the developing world.
Some species are different. Alligators, crocodiles and snakes are hunted and farmed partly for their skins. Kangaroos are harvested for both meat and hides, and only a few large, plentiful species may be hunted commercially.
Less common leather animals
- Horse. Horse hides make particularly durable leather. Shell cordovan comes from a layer called the shell, found only in horses, and is known for a mirror-like finish that resists creasing.
- Deer. Deerskin is soft and widely used in work gloves and indoor shoes.
- Kangaroo. Used where leather must be strong and flexible, such as bullwhips, and favored by some motorcyclists for its light weight and abrasion resistance. CSIRO studies cited on Wikipedia found that kangaroo split to 20% of its thickness kept 30% to 60% of its strength, against 1% to 4% for calf.
- Reptiles. Alligator, crocodile and snake are prized for their scale patterns.
- Ostrich, stingray and fish. Ostrich leather has a goose-bump look from its feather follicles. Stingray is tough, and fish leather is strong for its thickness because of its criss-crossed fibers.
- Buffalo and seal also appear among common leather sources.
Ashland Leather Co., a wallet maker, compares the grain of shell cordovan (horse), calf, bison, deer and steer leather up close. Use it to see how the surface differs by animal; the facts on this page come from the sources cited above, not from the video.
How to tell which animal a product used
Labels usually say. In countries where religion restricts materials, vendors typically name the source so that, for example, Muslim shoppers can avoid pigskin and Hindu shoppers can avoid cattle hide. In the US, the FTC leather guides say non-leather lookalikes should be disclosed as such.
As one example, Leather Collection makes its riding gear from cowhide, with kangaroo as an option on some suits. Its jackets come in cowhide, sheepskin, lambskin or goatskin, and the leather is named on each product page.
Suede and nubuck are not animals
Suede and nubuck name a layer or a finish, not a species. Suede is made from the underside of the skin, mostly lamb but also goat, calf and deer. Nubuck is top-grain leather buffed on the outer side, often from cowhide or calfskin. See where suede comes from and our leather types guide. If the label says faux, PU or vinyl, no animal is involved; see how faux leather is made.
FAQ
Which is better, lambskin or cowhide?
It depends on the use. Lamb is used for soft leather in more expensive clothing. One maker describes cowhide as firmer, suiting biker cuts, and lambskin as softer with more drape.
Is leather a renewable resource?
The UNIDO Leather Panel calls hides and skins a renewable resource and a by-product of animal production. Animal rights activists generally oppose using hides for clothing.
Do cows need to be killed for leather?
Cowhide comes from cattle in the food industry, and the skin is removed after the animal is killed. See hide vs leather for what happens next.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.