Leather is one of the biggest looks in home furnishings. It has style, practicality...and its own special vocabulary. The following glossary will explain the most common terminology. To become a smarter leather consumer, read the more in-depth Leather 101.


A

Aniline: A transparent dye used to color fine leather hides.
Antiquing: A method of aging the appearance of a hide. Usually done by hand, this technique is best suited for full-grain hides.


B

Buffing: A mechanical process for removing scars and scratches from hides.


C

Corrected Grain Leather: Leather with artificial grain embossed into the hide.
Cowhide: In upholstery terms, the entire animal hide, averaging 45-55 square feet.


D

Drum Dyeing (Vat Dyeing): A process of immersing hides in dye and tumbling them in a steel drum to assure full dye penetration.


E

Effect Coat: A process to give leather a smoky, marbled look for surface interest.
Embossing: A process to add permanent, artificial grain patterns by applying heat and pressure to corrected grain hides.


F

Fat Wrinkles: Marks or wrinkles in the grain of the leather caused naturally by fat deposits. These "beauty marks" are not visible in corrected grain leather.
Finishing: Any treatment or process performed after tanning. Includes antiquing, dyeing, glazing, lacquering, pigmenting, and embossing.
Full Grain: Leather in which the natural grain pattern has not been mechanically altered. Full-grain leather features the genuine grain texture of the hide.


G

Glazing (Top Coating): The application of protective transparent resins to the leather. The glazed leather features a high gloss or matte finish.
Grain: The natural pattern of pores and wrinkles that creates the texture on a hide.


H

Hand: Industry term for the feel of leather. For example, "The hand of this aniline-dyed leather is excellent, very soft."


K

Kela: The mechanical process in which a relief roller creates a marbled look.


M

Milling: The process of massaging hides to ensure softness. Hides are tumbled for several hours after being tanned and dyed.


N

Nubuck: Leather that has had its finish surface-buffed to produce a slight nap or suede-like appearance.


P

Patina: The luster or shine that develops on leather surface with age, use and care.
Pigmenting: Coloring and coating the leather surface to cover imperfections and produce hides that are wear- and face-resistant.
Premium Select: The finest leather hides available, exhibiting few imperfections. Only 5% of all hides are premium-select quality.
Pure Aniline Leather: Leather dyed with aniline dyes. Only premium-select, full top-grain hides are dyed in this manner, permeating the entire hide and resulting in a rich color.


S

Sauvage: A marbled appearance, resulting from blending similar colors to add character and depth to a hide's finish. The look is created as the hides are tumbled during the dyeing process.
Semi-Aniline Leather: Hides that have been dyed throughout and have a surface finish applied. These leathers offer both a soft hand and protective benefits.
Splits: The undersides of leather, generally used for suede and lower quality leather furniture.


T

Tanning: The chemical and mechanical process used to treat hides and eliminate perishability.
Top Grain: The uppermost layer and highest quality part of a hide, used for fine upholstery leather.
Tumbling: A mechanical process to soften and enhance the grain of hides by tumbling for several hours in a rotating steel drum.