What Is Leather Made Of? Types, Grades and How It Is Made

Leather is a strong, flexible, and durable material made from the treated skins and hides of animals, most commonly cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. These hides are primarily a byproduct of the meat and dairy industries. To prevent decomposition and create a usable material, raw animal hides undergo a preservation process called tanning, in which the skin is treated with chemicals such as chromium salts or natural agents such as tannins extracted from tree bark. The type of leather produced depends entirely on the source animal, which part of the hide is used, and the processing method applied. Full-grain leather is the highest quality grade, retaining the entire outer grain layer, while bonded leather is the lowest grade, containing only 10 to 20 percent actual leather scraps bound together with polyurethane. Non-animal alternatives include PU leather, faux leather, and plant-based materials such as mycelium, Pinatex, and cactus leather. This complete guide answers every question about what leather is made of, how it is made, and which type is right for your needs. For leather jackets built from real and vegan leather in every grade, TV Jackets carries both mens leather jackets and womens leather jackets across all major styles.

What Is Leather Made Of?

Leather is made from animal skin. The raw material is the hide or skin of an animal, which consists of three layers: the epidermis (the thin outermost surface layer, removed during processing), the dermis or corium (the thick middle layer made primarily of collagen protein fibers, which becomes the leather), and the subcutaneous layer (the fatty inner layer, also removed during processing). The dermis is the layer that matters. It is a dense network of interwoven collagen protein fibers that gives leather its characteristic strength, flexibility, and durability. Tanning stabilizes these collagen fibers to prevent decomposition and transform the raw hide into a stable, usable material.

Cowhide accounts for approximately 65 percent of all leather produced globally, making cattle the dominant source animal for the leather industry. Sheepskin accounts for around 13 percent of global production, goat leather around 11 percent, and pigskin around 10 percent. The leading producers of leather globally are China and India, with China manufacturing approximately 80 percent of the world’s leather products. Kanpur in India is known internationally as the Leather City of the World due to its concentration of tanneries and leather manufacturing facilities.

Leather making has been practiced for more than 7,000 years. The process involves four fundamental stages: preparatory stages in which the hide is soaked, cleaned, and de-haired; tanning in which the collagen proteins are stabilized; crusting in which the leather is thinned, dried, and lubricated; and finishing in which the surface is oiled, buffed, dyed, embossed, or coated depending on the grade and intended use.

How Animal Hides Are Turned Into Leather: The Tanning Process

Detailed infographic explaining how animal hides are transformed into leather through chrome, vegetable, aldehyde, brain, and alum tanning methods.

Tanning is the chemical process that stabilizes the protein structure of the raw animal hide to make it suitable for use as leather. Without tanning, raw hides dry into a hard, inflexible material called rawhide and putrefy when rewetted. The word tanning comes from the Latin tannum, referring to crushed oak bark, one of the earliest tanning agents used by humans.

Chrome Tanning: The Most Common Modern Method

The most common modern tanning method is chrome tanning, which uses chromium sulfate and other chromium salts and takes approximately one day to complete. Chrome tanning produces leather that is soft, pliable, and consistent in color, making it the preferred method for large-scale industrial production. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of all leather produced today is chrome-tanned.

Vegetable Tanning: The Oldest Known Method

Vegetable tanning is the oldest known method and uses tannins extracted from the bark of trees including oak, chestnut, and mimosa. Vegetable tanning takes weeks to months to complete and produces leather that is supple, light brown in color, and develops a rich patina over time. It is not water-stable in the same way as chrome-tanned leather but is prized in premium leather goods for its natural character.

Aldehyde, Brain and Alum Tanning: Specialist Methods

Aldehyde tanning produces what is called wet white leather, a chrome-free variant used in infant shoes, automotive leather, and applications where chemical restrictions apply. Brain tanning uses emulsified animal oils and produces exceptionally soft, washable leather historically associated with buckskin. Alum tawing uses aluminium salts and is technically not true tanning because the leather reverts to rawhide if fully soaked in water, but it produces a very white, supple material used in bookbinding and glovemaking.

Leather Grades Explained: Full-Grain, Top-Grain, Split and Genuine

Visual comparison of leather grades showing the structural differences between full-grain, top-grain, split, suede, genuine, and bonded leather.

Understanding leather grades is essential before buying any leather product. The grade of leather refers to which layer of the hide was used and how much processing the surface received. From highest to lowest quality the grades are: full-grain, top-grain, corrected grain, split leather, suede, genuine leather, and bonded leather.

What Is Full-Grain Leather?

Full-grain leather is made from the entire outer grain layer of the hide with nothing removed or buffed from the surface. It is the highest quality and most durable grade of leather available. The natural grain pattern of the animal hide remains intact, including any natural blemishes, scars, or variations that give each piece its individual character. Full-grain leather does not wear out over time in the way synthetic materials do. Instead, it develops a patina, a natural sheen acquired through age, oils from the skin, and regular use, that makes it more beautiful and distinctive the longer it is worn. Premium leather jackets, high-end furniture, and luxury accessories are made from full-grain leather. It is typically finished with a soluble aniline dye that allows the natural grain to remain visible. Russia leather is a well-known historical form of full-grain leather.

What Is Top-Grain Leather?

Top-grain leather is made from the outer layer of the hide but with the very surface sanded or buffed to remove natural blemishes and create a more uniform appearance. The surface is then typically finished with a dye or pigment coat. Top-grain leather is thinner and more pliable than full-grain leather and is the most common grade used in mid-range leather goods and fashion jackets. It does not develop as rich a patina as full-grain leather because the natural grain has been altered, but it is still a strong and durable material. Corrected grain leather is a subcategory of top-grain leather in which the surface has been more extensively processed and embossed with an artificial grain pattern to achieve a completely uniform appearance.

What Is Split Leather?

Split leather is made from the corium, the lower inner layer of the hide left once the top-grain has been separated. It is softer and more fibrous than top-grain leather and significantly less durable. Split leather is the basis for several other leather types. Suede is split leather that has been buffed on the flesh side to create a soft, napped finish. Bicast leather, also called bycast leather, is split leather coated with a layer of polyurethane or vinyl to give it a smooth, glossy surface at a lower cost than genuine top-grain. Patent leather is split leather given a high-gloss mirror finish through lacquering or coating.

What Is Genuine Leather?

Genuine leather is one of the most misunderstood terms in the leather industry. It sounds like a quality mark but it is actually one of the lowest grades of real animal leather. Genuine leather is typically made from the lower layers of split leather that remain after higher grades have been removed. The surface is heavily processed, sanded, and coated to create a uniform appearance. It is real animal leather but it is not high quality leather. Many mid-range and budget leather goods labelled genuine leather are made from this grade. It will crack and peel over time far sooner than full-grain or top-grain leather.

What Is Corrected Grain Leather?

Corrected grain leather is a subcategory of top-grain leather in which the surface of the hide has been subjected to more extensive processing than standard top-grain to remove or conceal natural imperfections. Hides selected for corrected grain processing typically carry too many natural blemishes, scars, insect bites, or brand marks to be used as full-grain or standard top-grain leather. Manufacturers sand or buff away the damaged surface layer of the hide and then apply an artificial grain pattern through embossing, followed by heavy pigment coats and a protective surface finish to create a completely uniform appearance across the entire hide. The result is a leather that looks highly consistent and clean from a visual standpoint but has lost the natural surface character and breathability that define higher grade leathers. Corrected grain leather is more resistant to stains and moisture than full-grain because of its sealed surface coating, and it is widely used in mid-range furniture, automotive interiors, and fashion accessories where visual uniformity and easy maintenance are priorities over natural character and long-term patina development.

What Is Suede?

Suede is leather made specifically from the underside of the animal hide, known as the flesh side of a split, which has a soft, fibrous texture called a nap. It is produced by splitting the hide and working with the inner flesh layer rather than the outer grain layer, or by buffing the flesh side of a full hide to raise the short protein fibers and create the characteristic velvety surface. Because it is derived from the softer inner layer of the hide rather than the dense, protective outer grain, suede is significantly lighter, more flexible, and softer against the skin than smooth leather grades. These properties make it well suited to gloves, soft garments, casual footwear, and fashion accessories where drape and comfort are the primary requirements. However, suede is considerably more vulnerable to staining, water damage, and wear than any smooth leather grade. It lacks the protective outer grain that gives full-grain and top-grain leather their natural resistance to moisture and abrasion, meaning it absorbs liquid quickly and marks easily. Care requires a specialist suede brush to maintain the nap and a waterproof protective spray to reduce water and stain vulnerability. Suede made from lamb, calf, or kid hide is considered the finest quality due to the softness and fineness of the grain on younger animals.

What Is PU Leather?

PU leather infographic showing polyurethane coating layers, synthetic leather structure, benefits, drawbacks, and vegan-friendly material composition.

PU leather, or polyurethane leather, is a fully synthetic material made by coating a fabric base such as cotton or polyester with a flexible polyurethane polymer finish designed to look and feel like genuine animal leather. It contains no animal material and is considered a cruelty-free and vegan-friendly alternative to real leather. For a deeper guide on polyurethane leather including how to identify it, how it performs over time, and how to care for it, read the complete guide on what is leather made of at TV Jackets.

PU leather is significantly cheaper to produce than genuine leather, is water and stain resistant, offers a uniform appearance without natural blemishes, and is available in a much wider range of colors and finishes. Its primary disadvantages are reduced durability compared to real leather, as it is prone to cracking, peeling, and delaminating over time, and poor breathability as the plastic coating traps heat and moisture against the skin. It is also a petroleum-derived product, raising its own set of environmental concerns separate from those associated with animal leather.

What Is Faux Leather?

Educational comparison of faux leather types, from PU and PVC leather to plant-based vegan leather alternatives.

Faux leather is a broad term for any synthetic material designed to replicate the appearance and texture of real animal leather without using animal skin. PU leather is the most common type of faux leather and the two terms are often used interchangeably in retail and fashion contexts. However faux leather also encompasses PVC leather, which is more durable but less breathable than PU, and a growing range of plant-based alternatives. For the full breakdown of faux leather materials, differences from PU leather, and how plant-based options compare, read the complete guide on what is leather made of at TV Jackets.

The term vegan leather is used across all faux leather categories to indicate no animal product was used in production. Plant-based faux leathers include mycelium leather made from fungal root networks, Pinatex made from pineapple leaf fibers, apple waste leather, and cactus leather. Each of these emerging materials is fully biodegradable unlike PU or PVC which rely on fossil fuel-derived polymers.

What Is Bonded Leather?

Bonded leather infographic showing how shredded leather fibers are pressed, coated, and why the material can peel or crack over time.

Bonded leather, also called reconstituted leather, is a manufactured material made from shredded leather scraps and fibers glued together onto a paper or fiber backing and coated with polyurethane. It typically contains only 10 to 20 percent actual leather, making it the lowest grade of leather product on the market. For a full explanation of bonded leather including why it fails, how to spot it before buying, and why it has a poor reputation in the furniture and fashion industry, read the complete guide on what is leather made of at TV Jackets.

Bonded leather initially looks visually appealing and uniform but it is significantly less durable than any grade of real leather. It cannot breathe like natural hide, is prone to scratching and surface cracking within a few years of use, and eventually peels away from its backing in sheets. It is commonly used in low-priced furniture, book covers, wallets, journals, and budget fashion accessories. If durability matters for your purchase, full-grain, top-grain, or even 100 percent PU leather are all more reliable long-term choices than bonded leather.

What Is Nubuck Leather?

Nubuck leather infographic showing its sanded top-grain texture, soft velvety nap, suede comparison, and care requirements.

Nubuck is top-grain leather that has been gently sanded or buffed on the outer grain side to create a soft, velvety texture with a slight nap of short protein fibers on the surface. Because nubuck uses the tough exterior grain of the hide, it is significantly more durable than suede, which is made from the softer inner flesh layer. For a complete guide to nubuck leather including nubuck versus suede comparison, care instructions, and styling advice, read the full guide on what is leather made of at TV Jackets.

Nubuck has a buttery, matte finish and develops a unique weathered patina over time that many leather enthusiasts consider more characterful than smooth leather finishes. It is slightly more vulnerable to stains and water damage than smooth leather because of its open sanded surface. Care requires a specialist nubuck brush to restore the velvety texture and a waterproof protective spray designed specifically for nubuck and suede surfaces.

What Is Leather Bunching?

Educational comparison showing the difference between normal leather creasing and excessive bunching caused by poor fit or low-quality leather.

Leather bunching refers to the wrinkling, folding, or gathering of leather fabric at joints, seams, or areas of movement in a leather jacket or garment. It typically occurs at the elbows, underarms, and waist area where the leather folds as the wearer moves. For a complete explanation of what leather bunching means, whether it indicates a fit problem or a quality issue, and how to address it when buying a leather jacket, read the full guide on what is leather made of at TV Jackets.

Understanding leather bunching is particularly relevant for leather jacket buyers because it is one of the most common signs of poor fit or incorrect sizing. Leather does not stretch in the same way as woven fabrics, so bunching that appears on first wearing is unlikely to improve significantly over time. It can also be caused by low-quality leather that lacks the structural integrity to hold its shape across repeated movement.

Leather Grade Comparison: Which Type Should You Buy?

Complete leather grade comparison infographic explaining durability, texture, breathability, maintenance, pricing, and best uses for each leather type.

The right leather grade depends entirely on your budget, intended use, and how long you expect the product to last. Here is a direct comparison of all grades from highest to lowest quality to help you make the right decision.

Whether you are investing in full-grain real leather or exploring premium vegan leather alternatives, TV Jackets has every grade and style covered. Browse the complete Mens Leather Jackets at TV Jackets and Womens Leather Jackets at TV Jackets collections to find the right leather jacket for your budget, style, and intended use.

Animals Used to Make Leather

Comprehensive leather guide comparing animal hides used in leather production and the unique characteristics of each leather type.

Cowhide is the dominant source animal for global leather production at approximately 65 percent of total output, owing to the large surface area of each hide, the strength of bovine collagen, and the availability of hides as a byproduct of the beef and dairy industries. Sheepskin at 13 percent produces a softer, thinner leather used in garments, gloves, and footwear. Goat leather at 11 percent is finer-grained than cowhide and used in premium gloves and bookbinding. Pigskin at 10 percent is highly breathable and used in linings, gloves, and sporting goods.

Beyond standard livestock, kangaroo leather is valued for combining exceptional tensile strength with very low weight, making it the material of choice for motorcycle racing leathers and soccer boot uppers. Reptilian skins including alligator, crocodile, and python are used in luxury fashion goods for their distinctive scale patterns. Ostrich leather is recognized by its characteristic quill follicle bumps and is used in high-end accessories. Stingray leather, used primarily in Thailand and Southeast Asia, has a distinctive pebbly surface and extreme durability owing to its criss-crossed fiber structure.

Shell Cordovan: The Most Expensive Non-Exotic Leather

Shell cordovan is a horse leather made not from the outer skin of the animal but from a specific flat membrane found beneath the fat layer on the rump of equine animals, called the shell. It is produced in extremely small quantities, with only a very small amount recoverable per horse, making natural scarcity a defining characteristic of the material. The tanning and hand-finishing process for shell cordovan takes a minimum of six months to complete and is done entirely by hand. The result is a leather with a mirror-like finish, exceptional resistance to stretching and scratching, and a lifespan measured in decades. Small accessories made from shell cordovan command significant premiums in the leather goods market, making it the most expensive non-exotic leather available by square foot.

How to Tell If Leather Is Real

Step-by-step comparison guide showing how to tell real leather from faux leather using texture, smell, edge, heat, and water tests.

Knowing whether leather is genuine is a practical skill for any buyer. Several reliable methods can help you identify real leather from synthetic alternatives before purchasing.

Test 1: The Surface Texture Test

The surface texture test is the most immediate indicator. Real leather has natural variations in grain pattern, subtle blemishes, and an irregular texture that no two pieces share identically. Synthetic leather has a perfectly uniform, repeated pattern across the entire surface with no natural variation.

Test 2: The Edge Test

The edge test is highly reliable. Real leather has a rough, fibrous edge when cut or at seams. Faux and bonded leather show a clean, plastic-like edge or a visible layered structure where the coating separates from the backing material.

Test 3: The Smell Test

The smell test works well for experienced buyers. Real leather has a distinctive, organic, slightly animal smell that is difficult to replicate synthetically. PU and PVC leather smell of plastic or chemicals, particularly when new.

Test 4: The Water Absorption Test

The water absorption test distinguishes real leather from synthetic quickly. A small drop of water on real leather is absorbed slowly into the surface. On PU or PVC leather the water beads and sits on the surface because the plastic coating repels moisture.

Test 5: The Heat Test

The heat test can be used with caution. Holding a fingertip firmly on real leather for a few seconds warms it and it retains warmth. Synthetic leather does not warm and conduct heat in the same way. Do not apply direct flame or extreme heat to test leather as this will damage any material.

How to Make Leather: Step by Step

Step-by-step infographic explaining how leather is made from raw animal hide through tanning, crusting, dyeing, and finishing stages.

Understanding how leather is made provides context for why different grades and types perform differently. The process from raw hide to finished leather involves four main stages.

Step 1: Preparatory Stage

The preparatory stage begins immediately after the hide is removed from the animal. The hide is first preserved by salting or chilling to prevent decomposition during transport to the tannery. At the tannery it is soaked in water to rehydrate and clean it, then treated with lime and sodium sulfide in a process called liming to loosen and remove the hair and epidermis. After de-hairing the hide is bated with enzymes to soften it and prepare the collagen structure for tanning.

Step 2: Tanning Stage

The tanning stage is where the raw hide becomes leather. The prepared hide is immersed in the tanning agent, either a drum of chromium sulfate solution in chrome tanning or a series of progressively stronger tannin baths in vegetable tanning. The tanning agents bind to the collagen protein chains in the hide and prevent them from decomposing, giving the material its heat resistance, flexibility, and durability.

Step 3: Crusting Stage

The crusting stage involves thinning the tanned leather to a consistent thickness, retanning with additional agents to achieve specific properties, dyeing with color agents, and fat-liquoring with oils and fats to lubricate the collagen fibers and give the leather its flexibility and softness. The leather is then dried and set.

Step 4: Finishing Stage

The finishing stage applies the final surface treatments. For full-grain leather this may be as simple as a light aniline dye that allows the natural surface to show through. For corrected grain and top-grain leathers it involves buffing, sanding, applying a pigment coat, and sometimes embossing with an artificial grain pattern. High-gloss finishes for patent leather are applied at this stage. The finished leather is then graded, measured, and prepared for cutting and manufacture.

Leather Alternatives: Vegan, Plant-Based and Lab-Grown

Comprehensive infographic explaining modern vegan leather alternatives from synthetic PU leather to plant-based and lab-grown materials.

The leather alternatives market has grown significantly as demand for cruelty-free and sustainable materials has increased. The options range from well-established synthetic materials to emerging plant-based and biotechnology-derived alternatives.

PU Leather and PVC Leather: Most Widely Available Alternatives

PU leather and PVC leather are the most widely produced and commercially available alternatives. PU leather is softer and more flexible than PVC and is the standard material in vegan fashion leather jackets and accessories. PVC is more durable and water-resistant but less breathable and more rigid.

Mycelium Leather: Biodegradable Fungi-Based Alternative

Mycelium leather is made from the root network of fungi and is fully biodegradable. It can be grown to specific thicknesses and textures without the environmental cost of cattle farming. Bolt Threads and Ecovative are among the companies developing mycelium leather at commercial scale.

Pinatex: Leather Made from Pineapple Leaf Fibers

Pinatex is made from the fibers of pineapple leaves, a byproduct of pineapple farming. It was developed by Dr Carmen Hijosa and is produced commercially by Ananas Anam. It has a natural, slightly textured surface and has been used in fashion collections by major brands.

Apple Waste Leather and Cactus Leather: Plant-Based Options

Apple waste leather is made from the skins and cores left over from apple juice and cider production. Cactus leather is made from the fibrous pads of nopal cactus and requires no irrigation or pesticides to produce. Both materials are biodegradable and increasingly available in commercial fashion applications.

Lab-Grown Leather: The Future of Cruelty-Free Leather

Lab-grown leather, also called cultured leather or bio fabricated leather, is produced by culturing animal cells in a laboratory environment to grow leather without slaughtering animals. It is still an emerging technology but represents the most structurally accurate alternative to conventional leather as it uses the same collagen proteins.

Environmental Impact of Leather Production

Educational infographic showing the environmental effects of leather production, wastewater pollution, carbon footprint, and decomposition timelines.

Leather production carries significant environmental impact across three areas that any informed buyer should understand.

The carbon footprint of bovine leather ranges from 65 to 150 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per square meter of production. The majority of this footprint comes from cattle rearing itself rather than the tanning process, as cattle farming generates methane emissions and requires large areas of land and water. This makes bovine leather one of the most carbon-intensive materials in fashion and furnishings.

The water footprint is substantial. Processing one ton of raw hide generates between 20 and 80 cubic meters of wastewater containing chromium at levels of 100 to 400 milligrams per liter and sulfide at levels of 200 to 800 milligrams per liter alongside significant pathogen contamination. Tanneries in countries with less stringent environmental regulation, including some facilities in Kanpur, India, have been associated with serious water pollution in surrounding communities.

Leather biodegrades slowly, taking between 25 and 40 years to decompose depending on the tanning method and finishing applied. Chrome-tanned leather biodegrades more slowly than vegetable-tanned leather. For comparison, vinyl and petrochemical-derived synthetic leathers take 500 or more years to decompose, meaning that while real leather has a higher production footprint, it has a significantly lower end-of-life footprint than PVC alternatives.

Leather Care and Longevity

Complete leather care infographic explaining cleaning, conditioning, storage, water exposure, and maintenance methods for leather jackets and accessories.

Understanding what leather is made of directly informs how to care for it. The collagen fiber structure of real leather requires moisture to remain flexible and strong. Without conditioning the collagen dries out and the leather becomes brittle and cracks.

Clean leather regularly with a soft damp cloth to remove surface dust and oils. Use a dedicated leather cleaner for deeper cleaning rather than household detergents which strip the natural oils from the leather surface. After cleaning, apply a leather conditioner to replenish the oils and maintain flexibility. For full-grain and top-grain leather jackets, conditioning two to four times per year depending on how frequently the jacket is worn is sufficient for most climates.

Store leather jackets on wide, padded hangers to maintain the shoulder shape. Never store leather in plastic bags as it needs to breathe. Keep leather out of direct sunlight for extended periods as UV exposure breaks down the collagen fibers and fades the color of the surface dye. For water exposure, allow leather to dry naturally at room temperature and away from direct heat sources, then condition the leather once dry.

Different leather grades require different care approaches. Nubuck and suede require specialist brushing tools and waterproof sprays. Patent leather should be wiped with a soft dry cloth only. PU and faux leather require only a damp cloth and mild soap and should not be conditioned with oil-based products as these can degrade the polyurethane coating.