Leather and Life: Comprehensive Analysis of Quality, Types, and Uses

What is leather? Leather is a type of leather that has ideal physical and chemical characteristics after being coated, and generally has a good hand feel and a high appearance value.

The leather industry covers the main industries of leather making, shoe making, leather clothing, leather goods, fur and its products, as well as supporting industries such as leather chemicals, leather hardware, leather machinery, and accessories. High correlation between upstream and downstream, driven by the market, with evergreen products, integrating foreign exchange earning, enriching the people, and employment.

The raw materials for leather include cowhide, Calf skin, goat skin, sheep skin, pig skin, reptile skin, and so on. It is widely used and can be roughly divided into four directions: leather for daily use, leather for national defense, leather for industry and agriculture, and leather for cultural and sports goods.

1、 Natural leather: cowhide, sheepskin, pigskin, miscellaneous leather, etc
There are many types of leather, with different effects and physical properties:

1.Cowhide

The characteristic of cowhide is that the pores on the leather surface are small, circular, evenly distributed and tight. The leather surface is bright and smooth, with a rich and delicate texture. The appearance is flat and soft, and the texture is solid and elastic when touched by hand. If the leather surface is Pressed hard, small wrinkles will appear.

2.Pig skin

The upper leather is rough, with obvious holes, arranged in a triangular shape, with poor elasticity, poor aesthetic effect, durability, and strong firmness.

3.Sheepskin:

The characteristic of sheepskin is that the pores on the grain surface are flat and round, which are inclined to penetrate deeper into the leather; The pores are clear, arranged in groups of several, resembling scales or serrations. The pattern features a “water ripple” shape. Sheepskin is light, thin, and soft, making it an ideal fabric for leather clothing. The clothing patterns made from it are beautiful, with a soft and natural luster. It is light, thin, soft, and elastic, but its strength is not as strong as cowhide and pig skin.

4.Miscellaneous hides

Slightly similar to cowhide, the pores are oval in shape, shallow and not obvious. The grain size is finer than cowhide, but slightly larger than cowhide. The pores slant into the leather, forming a mountain shape and arranged regularly. The leather surface is soft and loose, with a dim color and less brightness than cowhide.

2、 Substitute leather:

1.Regenerated leather

The corner waste of leather, after processing, becomes the entire piece of leather, which is called recycled leather.

2.Artificial leather

A synthetic resin based on textile or knitted materials, belonging to the category of imitation leather products. The coating material is mainly PVC resin, with a bright luster, bright and diverse colors, and no scars on the surface. Imitation sheepskin feels and looks like sheepskin, with no pores upon closer inspection.

3.Synthetic leather

Made from non-woven fabric as the base and coated with a new resin material. Good moisture absorption and breathability. The coating is made of a new material, polyurethane, which has a good feel, wear resistance, bending resistance, and better strength than synthetic leather.

4.PU leather

He appearance coating has strong simulation ability, can press multiple patterns, and has bright and beautiful colors. However, it has poor moisture absorption, is affected by temperature, and has poor tear resistance. When there are cuts, it is easy to expand, but the quality is uniform and consistent. The surface is not damaged or moldy, and has a certain resistance to water and solvents.