• Cattle - This makes up about 65% of all leather products made today. The grains on the hide are uniform and closely packed together. These hides are usually split into two layers because of the thickness of the hide. The top grain being the better of the two. Because of the large size of the hides they can be used for a variety of products ranging from wallets to luggage. Buffalo leather is a cheaper alternative to using cow but has some of the same characteristics.
• Sheep – The grain patterns of these hides are grouped together and are less uniform than the cow hides. They only make up about 20% of leather. They are weaker than the cow hides because of looser fiber network and are only about half as thick. However they tend to be softer than the cow because of the looseness in the fibers. Sheep have a high content of fat which when removed gives the leather the wrinkle effect seen in the products.
• Goat or Kid – These hides produce finer suede compared to cow. They have two types of hair markings on the grain, larger ones are arranged in trios and smaller ones around them. The fibers are compact when compared to sheep and hold up better to wear. They only make up about 5% of the leather products.
• Pig – Having fewer hairs on the hide they show less marking but have larger pores that penetrate deeper into the hide. This can be seen on the top grain or deeper splits in the leather. Fine suede can be produced because of the compact fibers. These hides make up about 10% of leather in the market place.
• Other – Skins from other hides are usually called exotic leather. These hides are produced for their unique markings and come from alligator, snake, ostrich, and many others.

• Bonded Leather – The lowest grade of leather is bonded leather. It starts with a manmade product such as cardboard and surrounded with fragments of split leather secured by glue. This is used to save materials and time but greatly reduces durability and strength. It will be made to take on the look and feel of leather but does not have the strength to stand up to wear.
• Split Grain Leather – A step up from bonded leather. Split grain leather is the inner most layer of a hide. Making it out of one full piece of leather makes it more durable than the bonded leather but not as durable as the top of the hide due to looser fibers. It also has no natural marking that gives the leather the unique look.

• Top Grain Leather - Top grain leather is the outermost layer of a hide that is prized for its durability and texture. The outer layer of a hide will usually have natural markings in the leather. To create top-grain leather, the outer layer of the hide is processed or sanded to get rid of the natural markings that occur. When any of these fibers are buffed (sanded) in order to reduce the number of apparent blemishes, leather's natural strength diminishes. A common way you may see these are embossed animal prints. Cheaper than actual exotic leather this may be an alternative for someone not looking to empty their pocket books.
• Full Grain Leather – Full grain leather is made up of the outer layer of a hide. However, unlike top-grain leather, the natural look of the leather is left untouched and the imperfections remain. It is the strongest leather available and can be found on anything from luggage to wallets. This leather is prized for its strength, durability, and appearance. There are five different types of tanning processes that can change the feel and look of full grain leather.

• Belting Leather – Originally this type of leather was used in factories to drive the pulleys of the machines. Its stiffness made it perfect for this and makes it perfect for briefcases today. Usually not died to keep its natural color this leather darkens after time creating a rich look unique to each piece.
• Oil Pull Leather – “Oil pull leather” gets its name from the effect when you rub your hand on the surface of the leather pulling the oils and creating the changes in color. The oil returns to the leather after the pressure is released, thus the surface will show two tone effects.
• Saddle Leather – Sometimes known as crazy horse and is made from applying special waxes to surface of the leather. The effect here is that when rubbed the color will change and does not immediately reverse giving it an antique look.
• Napa Leather – This leather is typically dyed black and is known for its soft supple feel. Many imitation leathers try and copy this great feel but do not keep the great durability.
• Exotic Skins – All types of exotic skins fall into this category because you wouldn’t want the alligator leather if you couldn’t tell it was alligator. The same goes for any other animal skin such as ostrich, eel, or even stingray.

• Is it real leather?

Usually you can tell from the tag on the product but if you are in a market in Mexico they may not tell you. A way you can tell for yourself is by looking at the backing of the leather. Try and find a place that is a little loose and pull it up to reveal the back of the leather. If it looks like a fabric on the underside of the leather it is a vinyl. Or you can try the old “if it smells like leather it is leather” approach.

• What type of leather it is and what is it worth?

Check to see what animal it came from. They rank in order from cow, sheep, goat, and pig as far as quality. After you determine what animal it is then you can start considering the quality of leather. Check for the natural markings on the leather, the fewer the markings the more expensive the hide for full grain. The larger the pieces of leather in the pattern the more costly it is to make the item. You have to consider each part of the product. Is the lining leather or only the outside? How thick is the leather? After you determine all this it should give a pretty good idea how the quality compares to other types of items.

• Is it made well?

Another deciding factor is the quality of the stitching and the hardware. Imperfections in nature are unique, but imperfections in the manufacturing are just plain bad. Look for the same number of stitches in each inch and that they are straight. Do you see any threads that are loose or glue streaks sticking out? It doesn’t matter how good the leather is if the bag falls apart because of bad stitching. Check and see if all the hardware works properly. Do the zippers work smoothly? All of these are considerations when determining the quality of the product.

• Is it functional for your needs?

Feel the wallet in your pocket. Put your computer in the briefcase and onto your shoulder. You don’t want to use a product if it doesn’t suit your needs.

• Is it the look that you want?

Look in the mirror. Is it you? I ask some of my customer what color watch they usually wear. Would you want brass hardware on your briefcase if you have a silver watch? Does this matter to you? These questions can narrow down a selection to the one piece that really fits you.

• How much is it?

Are you going to be using it everyday? Do you want to keep it forever and pass it down to your kids or are you just using it occasionally? These will determine how much you should spend on any piece of leather. Remember Full Grain Leather is worth the extra money but are you going to use it.

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