Leather Origins and Making
What Are Hides and Skins? Meaning, Parts of a Hide and Uses
Hides come from large animals, skins from small ones. See what hide, skin and pelt mean, the parts of a cattle hide, and what hides are used for.
Hides and skins are the outer coverings of animals, taken off after slaughter and used mainly as the raw material for leather. A hide is the strong, thick skin of an animal. The trade keeps "hide" for large animals such as cattle and buffalo and "skin" for smaller ones such as goats, sheep and pigs.
This page is part of our guide to where leather comes from and how it is made.
Hide, skin and pelt in one line each
A hide that is cleaned and dried but never tanned is rawhide, not leather; see hide vs leather. For kips, calf skins and the weight lines between them, see hides and skins in leathermaking.
| Word | Meaning | Example | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide | Covering of a large domestic animal; bigger, thicker and heavier | Cowhide, horsehide | – |
| Skin | Covering of a small domestic or wild animal; thinner and lighter | Goatskin, sheepskin | – |
| Pelt | Skin with its fur, or the skin with the fur removed | Any furred animal | – |
Where hides and skins come from
Most hides come from domesticated animals. At the slaughterhouse they are salted to stop decay, dried for 3 to 6 days and sold to a tannery. The UNIDO Leather Panel calls hides and skins "more correctly a by-product" of animal production. The full route is in where leather comes from.
The parts of a hide
A whole cattle hide is usually cut into named sections, because each part behaves differently. Names vary a little between sellers; the definitions below come from a leather supplier and a leather goods maker.
| Part | What it is like | Typical use | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butt | Cut from the rear (rump); tight fiber, low stretch | Belts, straps | – |
| Bend | Half of the butt; thickest and firmest part, 2 to 4 oz thicker than the rest | Belts, straps | – |
| Shoulder | Usually sold as a double shoulder; tight, a little more flexible and wrinkled than the butt | Belts, bags | – |
| Neck | Tensile strength as high as the bend, sometimes higher | General use | – |
| Belly | Softer, looser, thinner and stretchier | Gloves, linings | – |
| Back | Covers the bend and neck areas | Long cuts | – |
What hides and skins are used for
Most become leather. Hides go mainly into footwear, upholstery and leather goods, and skins into clothing such as coats and gloves. FAO figures put more than half of bovine hides and about 40% of sheep and goat skins into footwear.
Some are used without tanning:
- Rawhide for drumheads, whips and dog chews
- Hide glue, made from the collagen in hides, for woodworking and violin-family instruments
- Parchment for writing, used since ancient times
- Hair-on cowhides for rugs; see what cow hides are
You can see the hide and skin split in Leather Collection men's leather jackets: they come in cowhide, a hide, or in sheepskin, lambskin or goatskin, which are skins.
FAQ
What is the difference between pelts and hides?
A pelt is an animal's skin with its fur, or the skin once the fur is removed. A hide is the thick skin of a large animal used for leather.
What is an animal's skin called?
Hide for large animals, skin for small ones, and pelt when the fur is part of it. "Skin" is sometimes stretched to include furs.
What are the main uses of hides and skins?
Leather for shoes, upholstery, clothing and leather goods, plus untanned uses such as rawhide, hide glue and parchment.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.