What is Full Grain Leather | Understanding it all!

When it comes to leather, there is so much more that you need to be aware of, that goes beyond the basics - feel, smell, and texture. Here, today, we are going to take you through a detailed explanation of what is full-grain leather. You will find this article quite interesting and exciting if you are a leather enthusiast. Let’s start…

What is full-grain leather? 

Full-grain leather is the strongest kind of leather that is known for being the most durable. This is simply because it is made up of the strongest part of the hide of an animal that is just below the hair and has not been treated yet. By treated we mean it is not buffed, sanded, or snuffed. Obviously, if it is not treated, it is bound to display the natural characteristics of leather Another reason why it is the most preferred form of leather used to create leather products is that it has more fibre strength and becomes stronger with time. It is known to develop a patina over time. More about this later. 

Usually, the full-grain leather often comes with an aniline finish which sustains the natural grain look even after staining or dying. All the products at LeatherMega are made using full-grain leather to ensure their durability and strength.

Full-Grain Leather | What It Looks Like?

As we have mentioned before, full-grain leather is made to retain the natural look and feel of the leather. This kind of leather contains natural markings as well as blemishes which in turn add a bit of character and lovely texture to it. To make the leather look more uniform and clean, sanding is performed. Sanded leather is known to increase the life of the leather. 

With time, this type of leather tends to develop a patina which refers to the colour change. This change tends to be quick especially when the leather is not treated. If you check the smooth and untreated full-grain leather surface, you will also see the pores as well as small hair follicles. This is a sign that the leather is of the best quality. Apart from this, you can also note fat wrinkles, growth lines, scars, and even shading in untreated full-grain leather.

Note - No two hides are the same as it comes from different animals.

Full-grain leather preparation procedure!

When it comes to the preparation of this full-grain leather, there are 3 major stages in which this is done. The 3 stages are -

1. i) Preparation
2. ii) Tanning

iii) Crusting 

These are the 3 major steps in which this full-grain leather is made. If you wish to add colour to the leather, you can do it after the third step. 

1. i) Preparation 

The first step in the manufacturing of full-grain leather is the preparation of the animal skin or hide. There are several steps that are taken to prepare the hide. These steps include -

• The skin, firstly, is treating the skin for preserving & making it temporarily imputrescible.
• In the second step, it is cleaned and rehydrated by soaking in water.
• The next step is liming. Liming is the process of removing the proteins and natural fats & greasing from the skin. This is done by soaking it in an alkali solution.
• Then comes the hair removal part which is followed by the removal of subcutaneous materials as well as fat.
• This is the step in which the hide is split into horizontal layers which provides you with different layers like top later that is known as full-grain, the corium layer which is “genuine leather” and the suede.
• Liming - Following the slicing, liming and de-liming is done. This removes any remaining proteins.
• Slicking is the next step in the preparation of the hide. In this step, the fats are removed from inside the skin physically.
• Bleaching - Next, bleaching and picking are done to lower down the pH level and then is de-pickled to increase it if needed.

1. ii) Tanning

Once the hide is prepared, it is time to get on with the tanning process. This is the process in which the rawhide/skin is turned into a stable form of material that once dried, will take a flexible form that won’t putrefy. There are many different methods by which tanning can be done. What type of tanning is to be done will depend on the application of the leather.

Chromium is the most common type of tanning procedure. In this process, the vegetable dye is used on the leather.

What is this Chromium process?

This process includes 2 steps -

1. i) The prepared hide is soaked into a drum with the tanning liquor which is rotated slowly.
2. ii) Basification - Once you have achieved he even amount of penetration, the pH levels are gradually increased to fix the tanning of the material.

iii) Crusting 

Once the tanning of the hide is complete, it then goes into the crusting process. This is the process in which the hide is thinned, tanned, and lubricated. This is the step after which the colouring process comes in. The main purpose of this process is to dry and soften the skin. Here are the following steps included in Crusting -

• Oiling
• Brushing
• Padding
• Spraying
• Buffing
• Embossing
• Glazing

These are the steps that are used to prepare full-grain leather. 

Full-grain leather maintenance

One good news about full-grain leather is that it needs very low maintenance. Simply wiping the leather product made of full-grain leather can avoid building up dust and dirt. When it comes to maintaining full-grain leather, storage is crucial. Note that you should never place these leather products near the radiator & never use a hairdryer. 

Bottom Line

Most of our products at LeatherMega are made up of full-grain leather. These products come with the assurance of quality. Every product we have at Leather Mega is known for its durability and strength which makes them exceptional. Each one of these products is made using the highest quality of full-grain leather. So, if you are looking for quality leather products, you must check out our collection.

Different Full Grain Leather Products We have At Leather Mega

There are several different products that you can choose from at Leather Mega. Some of these products are - leather bags, leather diaries, leather notebook covers, leather journals, and more. We also design personalized leather products.

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