Leather Origins and Making
What Is Leather Made From? Real, Split, Bonded and Faux Compared
Real leather is tanned animal hide, mostly from cattle. See what full-grain, split, suede, bonded and faux leather are each made from, and how labels say it.
Real leather is made from animal hides and skins that have been tanned, a chemical treatment that stops them from rotting. Most of it comes from cattle. Products sold as bonded or faux leather are made partly or wholly from other materials.
This page is part of our guide to where leather comes from and how it is made.
What is a leather?
In EU footwear labelling, leather means hide or skin with its fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned so it does not rot. Untanned hide is not leather: it dries hard and rots when wet again. See hide vs leather.
What each "leather" label is made from
| Label | Made from | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Full-grain | The whole grain layer of the hide, surface untouched; usually considered the highest quality | – |
| Top-grain | The outer grain layer, sometimes with some corium below | – |
| Split | The corium left after the top-grain is separated | – |
| Suede | The underside of a skin or split, napped | – |
| Patent | Leather with a high-gloss coating, today usually bicast | – |
| "Genuine leather" | Not a grade; often heavily processed split leather | – |
| Bonded | Shredded leather scraps bonded with polyurethane or latex on a fiber mesh; 10% to 90% leather fiber | – |
| Faux, PU, vinyl | Plastic such as PVC or polyurethane on a fabric base | – |
| Bio-based "leather" | Fungi, yeasts, bacteria or compressed cork bark | – |
How a hide becomes leather
Leather making has three stages: preparing the hide, tanning it and crusting, with an optional finish on top. Crusting thins, lubricates and often colors the leather; finishing can add oiling, buffing, coating or embossing. What ends up inside the finished material is covered in what leather is made of.
Which animals it comes from
Cattle supply about 65% of leather, sheep about 13%, goats about 11% and pigs about 10%. For the short answer on cattle, see what animal leather is made from; for the full list, see which animals leather comes from.
How to check what you are buying
In the US, the FTC leather guides cover goods such as luggage, wallets, handbags, footwear and belts, not garments. They say unqualified "leather" should mean the product is leather in all substantial parts, and lookalikes should be disclosed, for example as "imitation leather" or "vinyl". Bonded leather should state its leather-fiber percentage.
Leather Collection names the leather on every jacket page: cowhide, sheepskin, lambskin or goatskin.
FAQ
Are all leathers made from animals?
Real leather is, because it is tanned hide or skin. Faux, PU and vegan "leathers" are not. See how faux leather is made.
What things are made from leather?
Hides go mainly into footwear, upholstery and leather goods, and skins into clothing such as coats and gloves.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.