Leather terms can be confusing because they mix words for animals, tanning, finishing, and tools. This glossary groups them by theme. The definitions are short on purpose. For how these processes developed over time, see our history of leathercraft overview.
What leather is made of
Leather is mostly collagen, a protein that forms a dense network of fibers in the hide. Tanning chemically stabilizes that network so it does not rot, and it stays flexible. Untanned hide is not leather, even though it is often sold and worked as a raw material.
Hides, skins, and sections
Hide: the skin of a large animal, such as cattle or a horse. See hide vs skin.
Skin: the skin of a small animal, such as a calf, goat, or sheep.
Kip: a size between a hide and a skin.
Side: half of a hide, split along the backbone. Leather is often sold by the square foot, and a side is roughly 20 to 25 square feet, though this varies.
Sections: the bend or back is the firmest part. The shoulder is next. The belly is stretchier. The butt, sometimes called the croupon, is the thick rear section.
Grain and surface
Grain: the outer, hair-side surface of the hide.
Flesh side: the inner side of the hide, which faced the animal’s body.
Full grain: leather with the original grain intact and not sanded. It is generally considered the highest quality. Types of leather explained ranks the grades.
Top grain: leather whose surface has been sanded to remove flaws. Top grain is not higher quality than full grain.
Corrected grain: leather that has been sanded and then embossed or coated to look uniform. It hides scars, but it has less of the natural feel of the hide. See what corrected grain leather is.
Splits, suede, and nubuck
Split: the lower layer left after the top grain is split away from the hide.
Suede: a split or flesh side with a soft nap. Suede is a surface, not a separate animal or tanning method.
Nubuck: grain-side leather lightly sanded to a soft, velvety nap. It can stain easily. Suede vs nubuck compares the two.
Finished split: split leather with a synthetic grain applied to look like full grain. It is often sold as genuine leather.
Tanning terms
Tanning: the process of turning a hide into leather that will not rot.
Vegetable tanning: tanning with plant tannins from bark and other plants, such as oak, chestnut, quebracho, and mimosa. Vegetable-tanned leather takes carving and tooling well.
Chrome tanning: tanning with chromium salts, mainly chromium sulfate. Chrome-tanned leather is soft and even in color, and it is faster to make. It does not take tooling well. See how to identify chrome tanned leather.
Wet blue: chrome-tanned leather before it is dried.
Crust: leather that has been tanned and dried but not yet finished.
Alum tanning or tawing: tanning with alum, which produces a white leather. Tawed leather can revert if it is soaked.
Brain tanning: a traditional method using brains, fat, and smoke. It produces a soft leather known as buckskin.
Latigo: a firm, strong combination-tanned (chrome and vegetable) strap leather, used for straps and horse gear.
Post-tanning, dyes, and finishes
Retanning: a second tanning step that changes the leather’s properties.
Fatliquoring: adding oils to make leather supple.
Staking: working leather over a blunt edge to soften it.
Setting out: stretching and smoothing leather as it dries.
Aniline: leather dyed all the way through, with no pigment coat, so the natural surface shows.
Semi-aniline: leather with a light pigment layer over the dye.
Pigmented: leather with an opaque coating that hides natural marks.
Thickness and temper
Ounce (oz): a measure of thickness. One ounce equals 1/64 inch, or about 0.4 mm. It measures thickness, not weight.
Temper: how stiff or pliable a piece of leather feels. Leather can be soft and supple, or firm and rigid.
Tools and stitching terms
Awl: a pointed tool that pierces or enlarges stitch holes.
Pricking iron: a stitching chisel that marks evenly spaced holes. Each iron is made for a set stitch length.
Stitch length: the distance between stitches.
Saddle stitch: a hand-stitch using one thread with a needle on each end, passed through the same holes from opposite sides. How to hand sew leather walks through it.
Harness needle: a blunt-tipped needle used for stitching holes that are already punched.
Waxed thread: thread coated in wax, which passes through holes more easily.
Skiving: thinning an edge so it can fold or join without adding bulk.
Edge beveler: a tool that rounds off sharp edges.
Burnishing: rubbing an edge until it is smooth, often with a slicker and a compound such as gum tragacanth.
Edge paint: a finish that seals an edge, applied in two or three coats.
Mallet or maul: a heavy hammer, often made of rawhide or rubber, used to strike chisels and stamps.
Tooling: pressing or carving decorative designs into damp vegetable-tanned leather with stamps, swivel knives, and mallets.
Contact cement: an adhesive spread on both pieces, which then join.
Rivet and burr: copper or brass fasteners used with or instead of stitching.
Untanned materials and look-alikes
Rawhide: dried hide that has not been tanned.
Parchment: untanned skin, scraped and dried, traditionally from sheep or goats.
Vellum: a fine parchment, usually made from calfskin.
Bonded leather: leather fibers mixed with a binder and pressed into sheets. The leather content varies widely.
Faux leather: a synthetic material, such as polyurethane or vinyl. It may also be called synthetic leather or vegan leather. See real vs faux leather.
Common misconceptions
- “Top grain” is not higher than full grain. Full grain is generally considered the top quality.
- “Genuine leather” is a marketing grade. It is often split leather or a lower grade.
- Suede is not a separate animal or tanning method. It is a surface finish on split or flesh-side leather.
- Rawhide is not leather. It has not been tanned.
- Ounces measure thickness, not weight.
For the history of tanning methods, see medieval leatherworking techniques. For the names of the people who worked with these materials, see what leather makers are called.