Cows are sexy? They can be!
Leathers are made from the skins of many animals but mainly cattle, goat, sheep and pigskins. Although there is a great variety of leather types, a leather can usually be put into one of three categories :
- Aniline
- Semi-aniline
Pigmented (protected)
The type you choose depends on the appearance you want, the product and the usage which the product receives:
Aniline leather is the most natural looking, with natural surface visible, but is less resistant to soiling
Semi-aniline leather is somewhere in-between on both counts, having a light surface coating
Pigmented (protected) leather is the most durable but is less natural in appearance, having a polymer coating
…so if you’re buying a leather suite and you’ve got a young family, an aniline suite probably isn’t for you! If you look closely at the tag label on the leather item you’re looking at, it should say what type of leather it is – otherwise ask the salesperson!
So now you know a bit about the three types of leather, but to find out what makes a leather aniline or pigmented and why some are longer-lasting than others,see below.
More than you think:
More than meets the eye…
Here you should be able to find out the more technical aspects of the main types of leather…you can even go to our how to tell section, where you are shown how to identify different leathers…
Aniline leather is the most natural looking leather with the unique surface characteristics of the hide remaining visible. Aniline leather is coloured only with dye and not with a surface coating of polymer and pigment . A light surface coating may be applied to enhance its appearance and offer slight protection against spillages and soiling. Aniline leather
Semi-aniline leather is more durable than aniline whilst still retaining a natural appearance. The increased durability is provided by the application of a light surface coating which contains a small amount of pigment. This ensures consistent colour and imparts some stain resistance.
Pigmented Leather is the most durable and is used in the majority of furniture upholstery and almost all car upholstery. The durability is provided by a polymer surface coating which contains pigments.
The surface coating allows the manufacturer more control over the properties of the leather, e.g. resistance to scuffing or fading.
The thickness of the surface coating can vary but if the mean thickness is more than 0.15mm then the product can't be sold as leather in the United Kingdom due to consumer protection legislation.
Full grain pigmented leather The grain surface is left intact before applying the surface coating.
Corrected grain pigmented leather The grain surface is abraded to remove imperfections before the surface coating is applied. A decorative grain pattern is then embossed into the surface.
Terms:
Full grain refers to leather which has not been sanded or buffed.
Sanding or buffing removes surface imperfections from the leather, except in the case of nubuck where the buffing is very light.
Embossing is a process that heat presses an artificial grain pattern into the leather. If not sanded or buffed, these leathers are still considered to be full-grain. This process is usually applied to pigmented leathers but can also be used on aniline and semi-aniline.
When it comes to identifying the type of leather you can’t beat proper training and experience, but with care and patience anyone can do it!
How to tell :
How does it feel for you?
Aside from appearance, how the leather feels and handles is a big clue to its type. Aniline leathers feel like real skin – light and flexible – whilst a heavily pigmented (protected) leather can feel rather like plastic.
Leather upholstery in cars is almost exclusively pigmented to protect it form years of heavy use, as are domestic upholstery leathers. One of the current challenges facing the leather industry is to produce lighter, aniline type leathers that have the durability and resistance to soiling that pigmented leathers have.
Have a good look at the pictures to see if you can identify the leathers you own.
Aniline Leather
Notice how the creases are very distinct because they have not been filled out by a surface coating. The grain pattern depends on the species (sheep in this case) and which part of the animal it came from. Ê Ê
Semi-aniline
leather Ignore the slightly different grain pattern (this is a different breed of sheep) but notice that the creases are less distinct because they've been partially filled by the surface coating, as if the surface had been covered with a thin coat of paint. Ê Ê
Pigmented leather
Notice how the creases of the grain pattern have been filled out as if the surface had been given a few coats of paint. In this case the grain pattern you see was embossed onto the finished leather. You couldn't tell if this was full grain or corrected grain without examining it under a microscope. Although this sample has a matt finish pigmented leathers can also be shiny.
