What Is Cowhide? Hide, Hair-On Rug and Leather

Cowhide is the skin of a cow, and the word also means leather made from that skin. In home decor it usually means the hair-on hide with the animal's own coloring, as in a cowhide rug. In bags, jackets, gloves and shoes it means cattle leather, the most common leather there is.

Yes, cowhide is real leather once it is tanned. This spec page is part of our guide to leather types, textures and finishes.

Two meanings of cowhide

Cowhides are a by-product of cattle raised for food. Damaged hair-on hides are cut into patchwork rugs, and dyed "zebra" or "tiger" prints are usually made from lower-quality hides. For hair-on leather in clothing and accessories, see hair-on leather.

Cowhide, steerhide, calfskin: cattle names

The trade calls the skin of a large animal such as a cow a hide. Hides of immature cattle are called kips. Calfskin, from calves, is valued for its softness and fine grain. One Chicago tannery says that what it runs as "cowhide" almost always means steerhide, because it buys the heaviest hides. "Bovine" covers all of these; see bovine leather and calf leather.

Is cowhide good quality leather?

Cowhide is a hide, not a grade. The same hide can become full-grain, top-grain or split leather. A split from the lower layer is still cowhide, though one seller says it is less strong than the grain; see split cowhide. Combination-tanned cowhide for saddle straps is called latigo.

US guidance for bags, belts, small leather goods and footwear expects the kind and grade to be stated when cowhide is embossed to look like another leather, for example "Top Grain Cowhide With Simulated Pigskin Grain". What a "genuine cowhide" label promises is covered in genuine cowhide leather.

Compared with sheepskin, one jacket maker says cowhide is thicker and more wear-resistant, while sheepskin is softer and lighter. In gloves, cowhide is often used for lower-priced pairs and can be too bulky for fine styles.

Is cowhide cheap leather?

Not by itself. The word cowhide does not tell you the grade, and the same hide can be sold as full-grain or as a split. Cowhide is the most common leather, with cattle supplying about 65% of all leather. Upholstery leather has to come from large animals such as cattle, because sofas need big, defect-free cutting areas.

What happens if cowhide gets wet?

Tanned cowhide does not rot when it gets wet, unlike rawhide. Chrome-tanned cowhide keeps its shape and color better in water than vegetable-tanned cowhide, which can shrink and harden if soaked and dried. The store's own advice: let wet leather dry at room temperature and never put it in a dryer.

Where to see cowhide goods

Leather Collection leather motorcycle gloves are stitched by hand from 0.8-0.9 mm cowhide. The store also says cowhide jackets feel firmer and suit biker and cafe racer cuts.

FAQ

Is cow leather real leather?

Yes. Tanned cowhide is animal hide with its fiber structure intact, which is what the European definition calls leather.

What is another name for cowhide?

Cattle hide or bovine leather; tanneries often say steerhide for heavy hides.