Leather Craft and Repair
What Is the Flesh Side of Leather? The Back of the Hide Explained
The flesh side of leather is the inner side of the hide, opposite the grain. How it differs, where it comes from, how it becomes suede and how makers finish it.
The flesh side of leather is the inner side of the hide or skin, the side opposite the grain. It is the rough, fibrous back of a piece of leather. The grain side is the smooth outer face where the hair grew.
This page is part of our leather craft and repair guide.
Grain side vs flesh side
| Column 1 | Grain side | Flesh side |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is | The outer side of the hide | The inner side of the hide |
| Look and feel | Shows the hide's surface pattern once the hair is removed | Rougher and less compact, with an uneven texture |
| Fibers | Finer and denser | Looser and more open |
| Behavior | The face of most finished leather. Full-grain keeps all of it | Softer and more flexible, but absorbs more and wears faster |
| Usual place in a product | Outside | Inside, unless it is processed further |
Where the flesh side comes from
Skin has a thin outer epidermis over a thick corium. The corium is the part that becomes leather. At the tannery, fleshing removes the tissue under the skin, and splitting can cut the hide into two or more layers.
So one hide can give more than one "back." The top layer keeps the grain on one face and has a flesh side on the other. The layers below it, called splits, have no grain at all. See what split cowhide leather is for how splits are graded.
What the flesh side becomes
- Suede. Sand or buff the flesh side, use it as the outer face, and you get suede, also called velour. The Weaver Leather Supply glossary describes suede as inner splits sanded to raise a nap, and Wikipedia describes it as made from the underside of the skin. More on what suede leather is.
- Hidden inside. In most products, the flesh side faces inward, where it adds flexibility.
- A treated back. Russia leather got its water resistance and smell from birch oil worked into the flesh side after tanning.
How makers finish the flesh side
The back of craft leather often has a long, fuzzy nap. It smooths with use. To speed that up, makers rub in gum tragacanth and polish it with a wooden slicker, dowel or bone folder. Leaving the nap as it is is just a matter of taste.
The rough back also takes glue well, because adhesives grip better on a roughened surface than on a slick one. If you are choosing an adhesive, see whether Gorilla Glue works on leather. For pressing a design into the grain side, see leather debossing.
Leathercraft School shows two ways to smooth the flesh side: rubbing in a slicking agent and polishing it with canvas, or pressing it with a glass slicker for a smoother, stiffer finish. The video uses Tokonole, a commercial slicking product, where this page describes gum tragacanth.
Suede gloves from Leather Collection
The Leather Collection men's glove range includes lambskin suede gloves alongside smooth lambskin dress and lined styles.
FAQ
What are the sides of leather called?
The grain side (the outer side) and the flesh side (the inner side).
What is the fuzzy side of leather called?
On most leather, the fuzzy side is the flesh side. On suede, though, the napped face is the side you are meant to see, and conservators call it the "nap side".
Which side of leather is the grain side?
The smooth outer side, where the hair was.
HitKB Editorial Team
HitKB articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.