Tanned Cowhide: A Material Worth Investing In The Upholstery Industry

Characteristics and general structure of leather

 

Leather consists of many tightly interwoven collagen fibres. Each fibre has about 2 million small collagen fibres. With each different type of leather, the number of collagen fibre bundles is also different.

How many layers does leather have?

There are 3 layers

- The top layer (grain layer): is the collagen fibres thinner than the middle layer, the hair follicles on this layer create patterns, leather textures, and effects.
- The middle layer (Corium layer): is the collagen bundles that are thicker and stronger, creating the elasticity and firmness of the leather.

- The lower layer (flesh layer): lies below the grain layer and corium layer, usually the flesh removed during the leather processing.

 

Where is leather taken from?

Leather is mainly taken from animals such as buffalo, cows, goats, sheep, crocodiles, pigs... However, the main source is still cowhide.

Why is cowhide more popular than other types of leather?

Currently, there is no source of information verifying the durability of cowhide compared to other types of leather accurately.

However, cowhide is a by-product of the meat and dairy industry. People do not raise cows just for leather but for meat and milk.

A report by Leather Dictionary shows that, as the number of vegetarians increases, the consumption of these meat and dairy products has not decreased.

Compared to buffalo, goat, sheep, crocodile, etc., these animals are less commonly raised for meat. Pigs are also raised in large numbers.

However, pig skin is often softer and people also use pig skin to prepare dishes.

In short, cowhide is an abundant and durable source for the leather industry.

Where is cowhide mainly sourced from?

Cows are raised in most countries around the world. Except for some places with extremely harsh weather like the Arctic. However, there are 3 most popular sources that AURY wants to introduce to you below!

They are South America, North America, and Europe. This is often called Rawhide (raw material).

What is the raw material (Rawhide)?

It is the type of leather taken from a cow, not processed with any chemicals. Tanners need many stages to turn it into a finished material, meeting the needs of users.

Characteristics of material sources: 

- South America: quite large average size; leather has a brandmark, has a hump in the middle. The natural surface is uneven. Relatively cheap price

- North America: small average size, has a brandmark, the surface is relatively even. Relatively cheap price.

- Europe: medium or large size. Leather has no hump holes and no brandmark. Even surface, beautiful, high price.

Materials from Europe will help your final product to be beautiful, even on the surface, using the entire leather without having holes or a brandmark. However, you should also consider, because the cost of this input material is high.

Refer to some high-end cowhide collections at AURY Vietnam

Aury Vietnam provides cowhide products with rich input material sources. From materials with brandmark, and hump holes to materials with beautiful surfaces, high price. Contact us now to receive suitable advice for your project!