While buying our favorite leather item, the most common concern that arises in our minds is whether will the leather we are investing in lasts for longer. Leather is not a fabric and is natural skin, which can be transformed into desired texture and feel.
Although every leather material seems to appear the same, the difference in quality cannot be determined. Every type of leather varies in quality. The leather of high quality will last longer. Therefore, for newbies buying leather items, having ample knowledge about different types of leather and their quality, is necessary.
Types of leather and how long does each of them lasts:
Let’s see the different kinds of leather and how long each of them last:
Let’s start from the lowest to the highest grade quality.
Fifth Grade – Faux Leather:
Faux leather is not real leather, so it is not often placed in the above four types of leather. It is synthetic and has a similar look and feel to real leather.
How long it lasts: Since faux leather is not real leather so its longevity can’t be questioned.
Fourth Grade – Bonded Leather:
Bonded leather comes in the lowest grade. It has the lowest quality because it is manufactured by stitching together the leather scraps, leftovers, and everything that is left from making the below three leather materials. These leftovers are often weak and so they can degrade quickly.
How long it lasts: It is obvious that bonded leather is of the lowest quality so it cannot last long. It is weak and not durable so it may easily wear and tear as it degrades quickly.
Third Grade – Genuine Leather:
Genuine leather is the bottom part of the split layers (one among the two layers, after removing the top-most layer, obtained from an animal’s hide). It has low quality and therefore it is not as strong and durable as top-grain leather. This type of leather is manufactured so that it looks like top-grain leather.
How long it lasts: The durability of genuine leather is not so promising. Due to the low quality of genuine leather as compared to top-grain and full-grain, it cannot stand well and rip apart when placed under a specific amount of stress. It can last longer if used with good care. But it cannot last as much as the other two top-grade materials.
Second Grade – Top-Grain Leather:
Although it is called top-grain leather, it is not the highest quality of leather. After removing the top-most layer from the animal’s hide for full-grain leather, the following layers are split into two, the outer one called “top-grain” and the bottom one “genuine leather” (which comes in 3rd grade).
Top-grain leather is manufactured by going through the process of sanding to remove imperfections. As compared to “genuine leather” top-grain is strong and durable.
How long it lasts: The reason top-grain leather is not placed in the first grade is due to its one flaw. It can last for as long as its finish remains unbroken. However, this type of leather can often last for a lifetime but only with proper use and care.
First Grade – Full-Grain Leather:
It is the highest quality leather among the other types because it comes from the topmost layer of the animal’s hide, just below the hair. It contains all the natural grains of the hide.
Full-grain is the most durable and strongest part of the hide. Due to its high-quality, full-grain leather is the most expensive.
How long it lasts: Full-Grain leather is known as the highest quality. Due to the long-term durability of the other four grades of leather, full-grain lasts longer than a lifetime. It also possesses a unique characteristic that it beautifies with time and this is because it is made naturally. The more it is used, the more it looks better.
To conclude:
We recommend investing in full-grain leather because it is just beautiful…And make sure to care for it properly and then it will last more than a lifetime.