What is the strongest type of leather?
One of the best materials that nature gives is leather. The most gorgeous, practical, and durable of all. But the question is are all leathers the same? The answer is no, not all leathers are the same, there are natural differences and there are some processing differences that arise in the processing and handling of animal skins. Knowing this difference is very important for anyone so that they can make a more educated choice whenever they deal with this amazing material called leather. This brief article will give you an insight into types of leather and the factors affecting them.
Types of leather
Full grain–
The topmost layer of the hide that is just underneath the hair and contains the entire grain layer is called full-grain leather. Full grain is the strongest type of leather Its natural grain texture and defects show the life of animals like branding marks, scratches, and insect bites. Full-grain leather tends to develop a nice patina over time with usage.
Top grain–
Full-grain leather is subjected to treatments to create a uniform surface. The treatment practice involves sanding and buffing the surface and taking away all imperfections then dying and embossing the surface to get an even textured leather. Top grain is less durable as compared to full grain leather.
Split leather–
The leftover part of the hide after the full grain and top grain are separated is known as split grain, it is called drop split. In thicker hides the drop split can further split into middle split and flesh split. This is the least strongest type of leather.
Other factors affecting leather quality
There are other factors that also affect the quality of leather: type of animal it is sourced from; diet and age of that animal; the climate; living conditions of an animal; method of slaughter; tanning process and chemicals used; Coating dyes and colors are some of the major factors that affect the quality of leather.
What is the strongest type of leather?
Full grain aniline leather is the highest quality leather which is most durable of all. Full grain leather is usually finished with soluble aniline dye which retains its grain structure. It has more densely packed fibers as compared to other leather types. The tightly packed grain structure also makes it moisture very well. The appearance of full-grain aniline leather gets nicer gradually as it tends to develop a patina over time.
The full-grain leather made out of kangaroo skin is considered one of the strongest types of leather. Studies conducted by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) confirm that kangaroo is one of the strongest leathers of similar substance available. The kangaroo hide consists of the highly uniform orientation of fiber bundles in parallel with the surface of the skin in addition it doesn’t contain sweat glands which results in the greater strength of leather.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading our article on the strongest type of leather and which type of leather is best.
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