Glossary of Leather Terms

Analine leather

A leather hide that has been dyed completely through with dyes. If you cut the leather the color shows all the way through.

Conditioner

A product that is used to soften or rehydrate the leather. This keeps the leather soft.

Corrected grain

Leather that has been sanded, grain imprinted and color coated to hide the imperfections

Crick

The little wrinkles or crows feet that form to the side of you finger tip when you push down on a piece of leather.

Hand

A term used to describe the feel, softness or suppleness of the leather when you touch it.

Naugahyde

NOT LEATHER!!!! This is another name for vinyl. A term used to describe the feel, softness or suppleness of the leather when you touch it.

Nubuck

A brushed top grain leather. It has a velvet look to it.

Top grain

This means the top layer of the hide. This part contains all the strength of the hide. Always look for top grain leather.

Weight

Usually referred to in ounces, the weight of a square foot of leather.