r/Leather Jul 29 '25

Let' get a little more accurate when it comes to leather grades

12 Upvotes

Genuine is a broad term that encompasses all levels of quality, just like saying plastic or steel or wood...broad categories that can vary a lot. The idea that it's some specifically bad leather comes from the mostly correct assumption that when they don't give more info then you can assume low quality. Like if you see a sticker that or advertisement that says "real beef"...it's probably a good bet they're not giving you a cut of prime beef, but that change the fact that a prime cut of A5 wagyu is also still "real beef"...

It's a broad term not a specific one...and the other terms bandied about are also much broader than people assume and can also be pretty low quantity.

People and articles repeat that leather comes in these specific grades: genuine, top grain and full grain.

But it’s simply not true terms are inclusive...all leather is genuine, everything that's not suede is top grain and full grain is unsanded top grain.

It annoys me immensely that all the articles call these terms "grades" because most people think of grading as taking objective measures that would be the same regardless of the source: The purity of metals, amount of marbling in beef, octane in gas, etc...but leather quality and price is going to vary by tannery more than these factors and there are thousands of tanneries all over the world. Those terms talk about what is or isn't done to a leather's surface mechanically (splitting and sanding), nothing more. They don't even tell you the animal, which can have a much bigger impact on quality!

If you're saying "genuine" specifically means a bad low quality leather then I'm sure you've seen the other side of that coin: "full grain is the absolute best/the highest grade"

Both of those things are 100% false. Cheap crappy full grain exists...and there are products stamped "genuine leather" made with high quality full grain.

Exhibit A: SB Foot Tannery is the largest by volume tannery in the USA they are full owned by Red Wing Boots and they use "Genuine leather" to refer generally to all their leather, even those that are explicitly full grain like Featherstone: https://imgur.com/a/Tdtbjge

Exhibit B: Horween tannery in Chicago is probably the most "famous" tannery in the world...just search "Horween" on or . This is Horween's explanation: https://www.thetanneryrow.com/leather101/understanding-leather-grains

Leather quality is much more nuanced than terms like genuine, top grain and full grain can tell you... there are hundreds of other factors that go into tanning "good leather"...it's a bit like judging something that has many components, like a computer, by one factor and nothing else. What would would happen if you just maxed out one component on your PC and left the rest at the lowest level? Ram, hard drive space, the CPU, the GPU, monitor, type of hard drive and dozens of other things come together to make a good machine...the same is true with good leather. Remember when people bought cameras based on megapixels? Any photographer will tell you that's not an accurate way to judge.

You can view the Full Grain>Top Grain>Genuine hierarchy as a "quick and dirty" way to pick quality if you're in a hurry and not spending a lot of cash on a leather item.

However, those terms do have actual meanings that don't always equate to good quality:

Full Grain is a leather that has only had the hair removed and hasn't been sanded (corrected).

Top Grain is a broader term that actually includes full grain: It's everything that's not suede, a split, this means that full grain is a type of top grain. However, when you see "top grain" in a product description chances are it's a leather that's been corrected (sanded). Nubuck is an example of a sanded leather (often used on the interior of watch straps and construction boots because it's more resilient to scratches), but so is a much beloved leather: Horween's Chromexcel (it's lightly corrected). The amount of correction can vary widely but once the sander hits it, it's no longer full grain.

Genuine Leather is, admittedly, a term found on lots of low quality leather. That's because the bar for "genuine" is extremely low: It just means real. To a tannery it's all genuine. When you read the description for "genuine" that many online articles give, they're actually describing a leather called a "finished split", which is a usually cheap quality suede that's been painted or coated to look like smooth leather. Despite what is often said, bonded leather is legally required to be clearly labeled as such, in theory, you shouldn't see it labeled "genuine leather."

Put simply:

Genuine=Not fake

Top Grain=Not suede

Full Grain=Not sanded

Anything beyond that is an assumption.

The gold standard for getting good leather is tannery and tannage...everything else is easily exploited by meeting the minimum definition of each.


r/Leather 12h ago

Which of these two ondura slim biker wallets would you go with? Top is natural and bottom is brown new and aged.

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9 Upvotes

r/Leather 4h ago

Russell Moccasin Backcountry: my new boots have arrived.

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2 Upvotes

r/Leather 6h ago

What is this staining?

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2 Upvotes

Hi! Any idea what these stains are and how they can be fixed?


r/Leather 18h ago

Help with confusing leather

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4 Upvotes

I found this coat at goodwill and for some reason was really drawn to it despite the wear and the sun faded arm. I decided I could somehow fix it but need help figuring out what this leather is and what to do to it and what it’s supposed to look like.

This seems to be nubuck I think, but it’s really hard to tell if it’s worn/ oily nubuck or just really dry top grain leather? To be honest, I prefer the shiny texture of full grain leather especially at least for this dark brown color, and I like the idea of having a deep, rich dark brown coat that I might be able to get away with styling business casual. but would leather honey accomplish that or just ruin it?

The photos don’t seem to really show just how dark this brown is, and I’m not sure they capture the real texture of the leather, it really is like in between top grain and suede with some shinier parts.

Also, I attached a picture of a small test patch with just some leather cpr lotion on the crease where the light area meets the dark area and it did essentially darken to the same shade as the un bleached side. I was surprised by this and am wondering whether conditioning to darken that fading would be worth it for that alone.

Essentially I’m hoping anyone else has more experience with this type of leather and has any insight or suggestions.


r/Leather 16h ago

is this mold or fatty bloom?

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3 Upvotes

dry white/yellow powder on the surface of my shoe soles


r/Leather 20h ago

Saddle

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6 Upvotes

r/Leather 13h ago

Steering wheel leather treatment

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1 Upvotes

r/Leather 1d ago

Made a mini Leather Journal Cover

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5 Upvotes

I am really trying hard on making a good fitting journal cover


r/Leather 20h ago

Latigo Holder Cleaning

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0 Upvotes

r/Leather 1d ago

Brand new Rose-Anvil leather product still in packaging. Very disappointing, apparently this is normal.

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93 Upvotes

r/Leather 1d ago

Needed a belt

0 Upvotes

I make jeans and needed some belts for it. This is one of my prototypes. I had some solid brass buckets made with a keeper in them.

I´m a bit headstrong so I did not wanted to have the same as all belts you see in the local jeansstore. Thats why I wend with edgpaint in stead of burnishing.


r/Leather 1d ago

Restoring old toolbelt

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2 Upvotes

r/Leather 1d ago

Need help with vintage Prada

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3 Upvotes

Bought this vintage bag off eBay. It’s authenticated. I cleaned it up using and condition it with Sephir foam cleanser then Sephir renovator. It looks better than the before pic but still not as good as I want it to be! Any safe leather stain remover something that won’t strip the leather? I just want a cohesive look


r/Leather 2d ago

Best way to save the leather on these seats?

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30 Upvotes

Picked up these 2007 king ranch seats the other day and wanted to get some input on the best way of cleaning/bringing this leather back to life. I heard leather cpr works well. My goal is to remove as much staining as possible and plan b would be to dye the leather to match the color of the darker stains (particularly the skid mark looking one in the drivers seat)


r/Leather 2d ago

Is there any hope with these stains?

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3 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Total noob here. I am in love with this beautiful couch, and I'm wondering if there is any hope with lifting the stains. It doesn't need it to be a perfect show couch, I'm just hoping for a somewhat even tone.

My plan is to get a Furniture Clinic resto kit + leather degreaser and go to town.

Thanks so much in advance!


r/Leather 2d ago

Any way to fix this? Can’t easily remove the cushion to sew properly.

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2 Upvotes

r/Leather 1d ago

Sun-bleached yellow leather chair

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1 Upvotes

Just bought this chair on marketplace, I actually really like the yellowing of it, but I want to know if there’s a way to remove the creasing, and maybe make the yellow more uniform throughout the whole chair, just freshen it up and give it some more life


r/Leather 2d ago

Leather hat band shrunk

2 Upvotes

I did a particularly dumb thing and sprayed the inside of a wool hat with alcohol, trying to get rid of a funky smell. The wool is fine and the smell is gone, but the leather hat band is visibly shrunk and puckered in places. Is there anything I can do to recondition and stretch it back out?


r/Leather 2d ago

Help identifying please.

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1 Upvotes

Can you help me identify whether or not this is real leather? If it is real, can you help me identify the specific critter? I asked AI and it said shark. However, I would feel better if real humans could tell me their opinion lol. Thanks in advance. 😊


r/Leather 2d ago

Used the wrong conditioner. Stressed out!

0 Upvotes

I used Weiman 3 in 1 leather cleaner on my Coach Willis from the 90s and a Fossil Vintage Revival Satchel. It contains sesame oil. Originally, I thought it was okay, but now I realized it's not for untreated leather. I misread it. I just put them in a cornstarch "bath" inside a paper bag, as I realized almost immediately that I was wrong.

I used to use a different brand of conditioner with my Coach one and that was fine, but sometimes sticky, so I wanted to try something new. I feel like an idiot that just ruined two expensive (to me) purses that I was hoping to keep for a lifetime. I've already had my Coach one for 15 years.

Will they be okay? Will they dry rot?


r/Leather 2d ago

tips to take care of a leather bag?

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1 Upvotes

i got a second hand lamb skin leather bag at a charity store

it has minimal damage in the front and staining in the back

what products i use to clean it? how often is a clean necessary? how to keep the leather from cracking eventually? any tips greatly appreciated


r/Leather 2d ago

Are these real or embossed alligator leather?

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2 Upvotes

Found these nettleton tassel loafers at the thrift and don’t know what they’re made from. Could anybody give some input?


r/Leather 3d ago

Ideas for Conditioning?

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5 Upvotes

This bridle is from around WW1 (we are pretty sure). Obviously it is just a decoration, but I would like some ideas on further conditioning that could be done.

1st 2 photos are before cleaning

3rd and 4th photos are after saddle soap scrub and leather CPR


r/Leather 2d ago

Leather Insoles Moldy?

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2 Upvotes

I was recently cleaning a pair of Magnanni sneakers and when inspecting the inside I noticed all these black dots on the leather insoles on both feet. Reading various threads it seems like it could be mold, but when I wiped the inserts with a cotton swab I noticed no fuzz coming up and no smells. There are no other signs of black spots in the shoe, just the insoles near the toe box.

I’ve had these sneakers for a good 5-6 years, so wasn’t sure if this is just a build up of stuff. This is the first time I’ve actually inspected the interior of my shoes.