Lambskin

Skin from a lamb, or young sheep.

Laminated leather

Has a coating greater than one third of the total thickness, but less than half

Latigo Leather

Cattlehide leather tanned to be used for cinches, ties, saddle strings and other saddlery work. Formerly defined as leather tanned with a combination of alum and other substances.

Leather

The pelt of an animal which has been transformed by tanning into a non-putrescible, useful material.

Leatherette

A manufactured product which imitates leather.

Liming

The chemical process involving treatment with lime and sodium sulphide for removing the hair from the raw hide.

Lining Leather

Any leather used for making shoe linings which includes sheep, lamb, kid, goat, calf, kip and splits.

Loading

The process otherwise known as "filling" or "stuffing". Loading is adding such materials as glucose and magnesium chloride, which are leather conditioners erroneously referred to as adulterants, but which are really necessary for conditioning leather to modern shoe machinery.

Machine Antiqued

The machine application of contrasting colors onto the surface of the hide to create highlights.

Mat Finish

A smooth, dull finish applied to chrome tanned leather for shoe uppers, handbags, belts, etc.

Matadero Hides

Hides from Argentina corresponding to city butcher or small packer hides of the United States.

Matte finish

A flat or dull finish.

Mechanical Leathers

A collective term for many types of leather used in connection with machinery and textile equipment.

Milling

Process in which hides are tumbled in a drum to soften the hand, enhance the grain or increase the suppleness.

Mineral Tanned

Leather which has been tanned by mineral substances, notably the salts of chromium, aluminum, and zirconium.

Naked leather

A dyed leather which has received no topical application that may mask or alter the natural state of the leather.

Unfinished Leather

A leather with no surface treatment which might mask or alter the natural state of the leather (other than aniline dyes).

Native Hides

Hides from steers, cows or bulls which are free of brand marks.

Natural Grain

Leather with the natural appearance of the grain has not been changed in any way. A leather which retains the full, original grain.

Natural Markings

Common leather markings include: shading variations, healed scratches, neck wrinkles, insect bites, barbed wire marks, stretch marks, vein marks and brands. Although useful in distinguishing real from fake leathers, and "naked" leathers from pigmented ones, new finishing techniques make it possible to simulate natural markings.

Nubuck

Top grain leather which has a slight nap effect produced by removing (buffing) the top hair cell layer. Most nubuck leathers are pure aniline leathers and many feature a moisture (stain and spill) repellent.

Oak Tanned Leather

Leather tanned from the bark of the oak tree, although the term is often applied to leather tanned with oak extract in combination with other types of tanning material.

Offal

Parts of hides and skins not normally used for making the finest grades of leather. The word used in this sense does not mean waste, because, in the heavy leather field, it refers to heads, shoulders and bellies to differentiate them from the more valuable bends. These parts are finished into serviceable leather for shoe uppers, gloves and other items.

Oil Tanned

Leathers tanned with certain fish oils. Produces a very soft, pliable, water absorbent leather such as chamois.

Ooze Leather

Term applied to vegetable tanned suede leather.

Ounce

Measurement of the thickness of leather. 1 ounce = 1/64 inch = 0.4 mm. In theory this measurement is based on the assumption that one square foot of leather will weigh a certain number of ounces and will be a certain uniform thickness. Hence, one square foot of leather which would weigh 3 ounces theoretically would be a 3-ounce leather. However, in practice, this rule varies because of the specific gravity of diverse tanning materials used, and for that reason a splitter's gauge has been adopted to control the thickness of leather when sold by the square foot.

Overtannage

A modifying secondary tannage applied after intermediate operations following the primary tannage to further enrich and enhance the quality of the leather. All leathers are not retanned, however, Spinneybeck leathers are always retanned..

Papillary

The upper portion of the hide which has been separated from the reticular or split layer.

Parchment

Tanned sheepskins. Vellum is practically the same as parchment except it is made from calfskins. In addition to its use as "parchment" for diplomas and records, it is also utilized for banjo and drum heads, lamp shades, etc.

Pasting

A system of drying leather by "pasting" the leather to large plates. The plates pass through a drying oven where controlled temperatures and humidities are maintained.

Patent Leather

Leather with a glossy impermeable finish produced by successive coats of drying oils, varnish, or synthetic resins.

Patina

A natural characteristic that develops on full grain leather through normal use over a period of time. Usually associated with fine antiques and vintage furniture.

Peccary

From a wild boar native to Central & South America; like pigskin.

Pelt

An untanned hide or skin with the hair on.

Perforated

In leather, this is the process of die-cutting small holes to form a pattern. The holes can vary in size, density and pattern. Common in automobile seating and occasionally used in furniture.

Pickling

The process of adding salt and sulphuric acid to hides to transform them into an acid environment for tanning.

Pigment Finish

A process of coloring and coating the leather surface with colored pigments disbursed in film-forming chemicals called binders. The latter can be tailor-made to produce surfaces that are highly resistant to wear, fading, etc.

Pigmented Leather

Leather that has been sprayed with a pigmented, opaque finish for consistency of color and texture. Sometimes called "painted" leather.

Pigskin

Skin from pigs and hogs.

Plated Leather, Plating

Pressing leather with a heated metal plate under high pressure to cover imperfections.

Premium Select

The finest leather hides available, exhibiting few imperfections.Only 5% of all hides harvested are suitable for upholstery as premium-select quality.

Preservation

Preventing deterioration of the skin or hide until the tanner is ready to convert it into leather. Methods include salting and/or chilling

Protected Aniline (also Semi Aniline)

Leather which has been aniline dyed and then slightly pigmented with a clear topcoat to ensure color consistency and stain resistance.

Protection

A stain resistant application applied either during finishing or after as a topical coat.

Pull Up Leather - Oil processed

Premium leather saturated with oil's in a two step process which gives a two tone effect when pulled.

Pull Up Leather - Paraffin processed

The wax gives a similar effect as an Oiled Pull up with the color change being less radical.

Pull-Up

A full grain, aniline dyed leather that is waxed or oiled. When pulled, the oils/ waxes cause the color to migrate and become lighter in pulled areas. A look associated with quality leather.

Pure Aniline

A top-grain leather that receives all its color from aniline dyes only, and has no topical applications. Natural markings are visible and the leather is unprotected. Also called full aniline, naked aniline or naked leather

Rawhide

Cattlehide that has been dehaired and limed, often stuffed with oil or grease, and sometimes undergone other preparatory processes, but has not been tanned.

Reconstructed leather

Material composed of collagen fibers, obtained from macerated hide pieces, which have been reconstructed into a fibrous material.

Retan

The process of tanning initially chrome tanned leather with vegetable materials. to further enrich and enhance the quality of the leather Allows the tannery to alter the original tannage to more specific end use properties, I.e. softness and color applications.

Round hand

A full-handed leather, usually slightly swelled through tannage and fat liquoring.