This is Part 3 in a five part series on leather.
The quality of leather depends largely on which part of the hide it’s cut from, the tanning methods used, and the type of
Anatomy of Animal Skin
The anatomy of animal skin shows which part of the skin the type of leather stems from, whether it’s grain, junctions of grain and corium, or the corium.
Full grain leather, the top grade quality of leather, is derived from higher sections of grain and corium, while top grain leather, considered the second-best grade of leather, is created from the junction of grain and corium. The lowest grades of leather like split leather and bonded leather are often made from
Grades of Leather
The grading system for leather operates on an A to F scale with A Grade leather being the best quality with no imperfections, and F Grade meaning that it should be rejected by the factory.
A Grade
No imperfections, marks or scars.
B Grade
5-10% imperfection
C Grade
10-20% imperfection
D Grade
20-40% imperfection
E Grade
30-40% imperfection
F Grade
Factory Rejected
Conclusion
Understanding that the quality of leather stems from what part of the animal skin the hide is cut from as well as the grading system in which leather quality is judged by is helpful when considering the five types of leather and which type of leather is the best quality. In the next article in this series, we’ll dive into what is full grain leather and what are the five main types and grades of leather quality.