ALTERED LEATHER - Leather that has had the original surface of the skin or hide removed (usually due to imperfections in the original grain surface), and a new grain embossed into the leather.  This is also called corrected grain.  Most top-grain leathers have altered or corrected grain.

ANILINE - The name given to the particular transparent dye used to color dyed leather.

ANILINE LEATHER - Leather that has been dyed through with aniline dyes.  Pure aniline leathers represent approximately 5 percent of all upholstery leathers produced worldwide.  Sometimes topped with a protein, resin, or lacquer protective coating; can also be waxed.

BARK TANNED - See "Vegetable Tanned"

BASEBALL LEATHER - Leather used for the covers of baseballs.  Prior to 1974 baseballs are covered in cowhide; today quality baseballs are covered in alumtanned horsehide.

BELTING LEATHER - The vegetable-tanned leather used in the construction of furniture and other strength-related requirements.

BLUE, IN THE - The state of hides being "chrome" tanned after they have been removed from the tanning solution.  Hides have not been dyed or fatliquored.  Chromium salts cause the tanned hides to be light blue in color.

BOARDED LEATHER - Leather softened by creasing the grain by folding to and fro across the hide, either by hand or boarding machine.

BOAR DY - An adjective applied to stiff, inflexible leather.  This term is not to be confused with boarding, which is the process of softening leather.

BRUSH COLORED - The application of dyestuff to leather with a brush, the leather being laid on a table.

BUFFED - Leather which has been abrased or sueded.  This can also be referred to as snuffed, nubuck leather, or grain-sueded leather.

CASE LEATHERING - A general term for leather used in traveling bags and suitcases.  The staple material for case leather is bovine hides.

CENTER CUT SUEDE - A suede split that has had the edges trimmed to leave the bends and the shoulder, leaving the best and most usable part, or the center of the material.

CHROME TANNAGE - Leather tanned in chromium salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent color variety.  Currently the most widely used tannage in the USA.

COMBINATION TANNAGE - Leathers tanned with more than one tanning agent, such as chrome and vegetable together, resulting in both softness and body in skins.

CORDOVAN - Leather made from the tight, firm shell portion of horse butts.  Cordovan has very fine pores and a characteristic finish, and is very durable.

CORRECTED GRAIN - The outside skin is sanded or abraded to minimize faults.  It is then pigmented to cover the sanding and printed with an artificial grain.  A spray sealer topcoat is then applied.  Corrected grain material is usually called top grain leather.

CROCK (noun) - The coloring matter that rubs off of poorly dyed leather.

CROCK (verb) - To transfer color of rubbing.

CROCKPROOF - Leather, suede or fabric that has been treated to prevent color from rubbing off.  With suede, this term also means to treat to prevent shedding or rubbing off of fibers.

CRUST - Leather which has been tanned but not finished.  Such leathers referred to as being "in the crust."

DEGRAINED LEATHER - Leather from which the grain has been removed after tanning, by splitting, abrading or other process.

DOUBLE BUTT SUEDE - A term sometimes used to mean center cut suede.

DRAWN GRAIN - Shrunken, shriveled, or wrinkled grain surface of leather.

DRUM DYING - The application of dye stuffs to leather by the immersion of the leather in a drum that is tumbled.  This process allows full dye penetration into the fiber.

EMBOSSED LEATHER - Usually corrected grain, in which a pattern is applied by extreme pressure in a press to give a unique design or imitation of full grain characteristics.  Sometimes leathers are embossed to make them appear to be another leather, such as embossing an alligator pattern into cowhide.

EMBOSSED, FANCY - A fancy or geometric pattern is impressed into the leather.