I believe everyone will have a certain understanding of leather, but how much do you know about the characteristics of different leathers?
1. What is real leather?
"Leather" leather is a common word in the leather product market. It is a customary term for natural leather to distinguish synthetic leather. In consumers' minds, "leather" also has a non-fake meaning. It is mainly processed from animal skins. There are many kinds of leather, with various varieties, different structures, different qualities, and different prices. Therefore, leather is not only the collective name of all natural leathers, but also a vague mark on the commodity market. According to the level, it can be divided into the first layer and the second layer of leather. From a physiological point of view, any animal skin has hair, epidermis and dermis. Since the dermis contains small net-like fiber bundles, they have considerable strength and air permeability. The raw material for tanning is animal skins. Although pigskin, cowhide and sheepskin are the most common in our lives, in fact most animal skins can be used for tanning. However, cowhide, pigskin and sheepskin are of good quality and large in output, and they are the main raw materials for leather making.
2. What is the first layer of leather? What are the characteristics?
According to the level of leather, there are first layer and second layer leather. The first layer leather includes grain leather, trimmed leather, embossing, etc.
Grain leather: Among many leather varieties, full-grain leather ranks first, because it is processed from the finest raw leather with less disability. The leather surface retains the natural state intact, the coating is thin, and can show The natural pattern beauty of animal skins. It is not only wear-resistant, but also has good air permeability. Leather goods use this kind of leather as raw materials to make high-quality leather goods. The characteristic is to keep the grain intact, the pores are clear, small, tight, irregularly arranged, the surface is plump and meticulous, full of elasticity and good air permeability. It is a high-grade leather. Leather products made from this cowhide are comfortable, durable and beautiful. In the production process, it is processed by equipment and ground into only half of the grain, so it is called half-grain cowhide. Part of the style of natural leather is maintained, the pores are flat and oval, the arrangement is irregular, and the hand feels hard. Generally, poorer grade raw materials are used. So it is a mid-range leather. Due to the particularity of the process, it has no disability and scars and high utilization rate, and its finished products are not easy to deform, so it is generally used for large briefcase products with larger areas.
Shaved leather: It is made by lightly grinding the surface with a leather grinding machine and then pressing the corresponding pattern surface. In fact, the natural leather surface with disability or roughness was "facelifted". This kind of leather has almost lost its original surface condition, and is also called "smooth cowhide" in the market, also known as matte and shiny cowhide. The characteristic is that the surface is flat and smooth without pores and grains. The grain surface of the leather is slightly polished. A layer of colored resin is sprayed on the leather to cover the leather surface texture, and then sprayed with water-based light-transmitting resin, so it is a high-grade leather . Especially shiny cowhide, with its dazzling, noble and gorgeous style, is the popular leather for fashion leather goods.
3. What is two-layer leather? What are the characteristics?
According to the order of leather, there are first layer and second layer leather, and the second layer leather is mostly classified according to raw materials, such as cattle second layer and pig second layer.
The two-layer leather is obtained by machine-splitting layers on a thick leather sheet. The first layer is used to make full-grain leather or trimmed leather. The two layers are made into two-layer leather through a series of processes such as painting or filming, which makes the leather surface appear different. A variety of colors, a variety of patterns, and without losing the advantages of breathability and folding resistance of leather, has its unique appearance and waterproof performance.
Two-layer cowhide features: the reverse side is the second layer of cowhide leather, coated with a layer of PU resin on the surface, so it is also called film cowhide. The price is relatively cheap and the utilization rate is high. With the craftsmanship and changes, it is also made into various grades, such as physique two-layer cowhide. Because of its unique craftsmanship, stable quality, and novel varieties, it is the current high-end leather, and the price and grade are no less than the first-layer leather.
4. Artificial leather is the earliest invented substitute for leather fabrics. It is made by calendering and compounding PVC with plasticizer and other additives on cloth. In other words, it is completely different from the first layer of skin and the second layer of skin, and it is not cortex itself.
The advantages are low price, rich colors, and various patterns, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to harden and become brittle. The two-layer PU leather mentioned above is used to replace PVC artificial leather, and its price is higher than PVC artificial leather. In terms of chemical structure, it is closer to leather fabrics. It does not use plasticizers to achieve softness, so it will not become hard or brittle. At the same time, it has the advantages of rich colors and various patterns, and the price is cheaper than leather fabrics. So it is welcomed by consumers.
