Leather has been used to make other materials for more than seven thousand years. It is one of the most commonly used materials that has been around for a long time. Everywhere you go, whether it be a shop or a house, there is leather. You are either wearing it, sitting on it, or carrying it around in some other form. Leather is used to make several products. It is used in making clothes, furniture, accessories, and many other items we regularly come into contact with. The popularity of leather comes from its highly durable and flexible ability. This makes it a highly desirable material for many projects.
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Uses of leather
Leather is a part of many projects. It is used to prepare many final products we use daily. Some of the things that use leather are;
- Clothing (shoes, gloves, jackets)
- Furniture (chairs, sofas)
- Accessories (belts)
- Footwear
- Sportswear
- Saddles
- Holsters
- Bags (purses, satchels, wallets)
Many of these items are everyday items we cannot go through the day without. This makes leather a highly important material.
Benefits of Leather
Durable
Well-made leather is long-lasting and, unlike most artificial materials, gets better with age, acquiring a deep shine and a pattern specific to the user. Anyone who invests in quality leather goods invests in the future.
Can be repaired
Another benefit of leather is that it can be repaired easily. The road to sustainability begins with products that can be repaired over a long service life. Leather requires little maintenance over its lifetime, is easy to care for at home, and does not consume many resources in washing and drying. This makes it an attractive option for people who are concerned about the sustainability of products. Leather is a sustainable product and can be used again and again. If it is maintained properly, it can have a long life, much more than anyone would expect.
Can be recycled
Repair offering services for valuable leather goods has increased by many folds. They can be combined to make other products, such as leather boards. These leather boards are used for shoe insoles and heel counters. The leather can be shredded at the end of its life and used like this. These are then leather trimmings. At the end of its useful life, leather biodegrades. There are many uses for leather trimmings as well. Leather trimmings are now being used to make wallpapers more aesthetic, and many more companies are recycling the leather component of shoes and leather goods to make them new ones. This recycling factor makes the leather more desirable.
Versatile
Leather is highly versatile. Preparing anything with leather starts with the same raw material that is turned into different items with varying qualities and benefits. Leather can be engineered to be durable enough for furniture. At the same time, it can be engineered differently to be soft enough for comfortable shoes. All the uses of leather are due to its high versatility. It has been used in making things for more than seven thousand years because it can be shaped into several different things. The same basic raw material, i.e., a piece of leather, can be processed and given characteristics of items that have made their way into our daily lives, such as belts, accessories, bags, furniture, and many more.
Comfortable
Leather is a breathable material. This means that it facilitates temperature regulation, naturally absorbing moisture and keeping it away from the skin until it evaporates to the outside. Another benefit is that it becomes the perfect fit for the wearer. Whether it is gloves, shoes, leather jackets, purses, belts, or any other item carried in the back pocket for years, leather adapts to the wearer, giving a very personal feel to the item.
Natural shine
Leather has a natural shine to it, unlike many other materials. Leather tends to stay shiny and beautiful even as the years progress. This gives it a bonus characteristic that many other raw materials might have. The shine also adds to the leather’s natural beauty, giving it a classy look.
Luxury look
Leather gives off a luxurious look. It has long been the raw material for luxury goods, from luxurious handbags to shoes to clothing. The unique feeling of wearing leather cannot be reproduced. For this reason, leather is engineered into different forms to bring a more luxurious and personal feel.
Leather thickness
Leather is the basic raw material in many projects. To know how to use leather properly, one must be aware of the thickness of leather and how to measure it. With this knowledge, you might have the final product you were looking for.
Measuring leather thickness can be a challenge, but this challenge can be undone with the right guidance. The most common measure of leather thickness is a millimeter. To understand leather thickness, one must first understand leather weight.
Leather weight
Leather weight is not how much the leather itself weighs. It is in terms of leather thickness. It is measured in ounces. The ounces give the thickness of the leather in millimeters.
When we understand these terms and how they are related, it becomes easier for us to understand how much and what kind of leather we need.
Measuring leather thickness
There are charts for the measurement of weights and thickness. In these charts, the ounces and millimeters are given side by side to understand the weights and the thickness.
| Ounces | Inches | Millimeter |
| 1 OZ | 1/64 | 0.4 mm |
| 2 OZ | 1/32 | 0.8 mm |
| 3 OZ | 3/64 | 1.2 mm |
| 4 OZ | 1/16 | 1.6 mm |
| 5 OZ | 5/64 | 2 mm |
| 6 OZ | 3/32 | 2.4 mm |
| 7 OZ | 7/64 | 2.8 mm |
| 8 OZ | 1/8 | 3.2 mm |
| 9 OZ | 9/64 | 3.6 mm |
| 10 OZ | 5/32 | 4 mm |
| 11 OZ | 11/64 | 4.4 mm |
| 12 OZ | 3/16 | 4.8 mm |
| 13 OZ | 13/64 | 5.2 mm |
| 14 OZ | 7/32 | 5.6 mm |
| 15 OZ | 15/64 | 6 mm |
| 16 OZ | 1/4 | 6.4 mm |
With the help of this chart, you can determine what kind of leather you want. Different items require different types of thicknesses. Another thing to see here is the ranges that the thickness comes in. Whenever we talk about leather thickness, we give it in ranges. There is a reason for this. This is because when we get a piece of leather, all sides might weigh differently. Leather is a natural material, so the sides vary in thickness and weight. This is why we measure thickness in ranges instead of taking one whole number. To give you an idea, some examples are given below to illustrate how the difference in thickness of leather leads to different outcomes.
4-5 OZ
The chart shows 4-5 OZ leather thickness is 1.6 to 2 millimetres. This means that the projects that use this thickness use it for lightweight items. Examples of materials in this category include small purses, wallets, masks, or any other lightweight accessory.
6-7 OZ
The thickness of the leather for these ounces is 2.4 to 2.8 millimetres. This thickness is useful for projects requiring a little more durability and flexibility. Some items made with this thickness are knife sheaths, belts, and gun holsters.
8-9 OZ
8-9 ounces amount to 3.2 to 3.6 millimetres. This thickness is used to make belts, bags, and other bigger things that need more strength and durability.
As we go up and up, the projects get bigger. As the projects get bigger, so do their requirements. Bigger things need more strength, higher durability, and flexibility. This means we need to use leather with an appropriate thickness to meet all our requirements. With the knowledge of the weight and thickness of leather, meeting these requirements becomes easier.
How to choose leather thickness?
The leather thickness that is required for different items varies. Different items need different thicknesses to be presented well. Here are some tips to help you choose your leather thickness for different items.
Furniture
Cattle are used to make the leather for this category. It is the largest with a thin thickness and has a uniform and durable finish. This makes it suitable for furniture projects such as sofas, car interiors, and chairs. A thickness of 1mm up to 1.5mm is recommended for such projects.
Bags
To make products of such type, high-quality leather is needed. This is because this leather is also used to make some luxurious products. The thickness required for this category lies between 1mm and 2.5mm.
Clothing
This category requires leather that is soft and lightweight. The recommended thickness for such leather is between 0.4mm to 1mm.
Belts and saddlery
Belts and saddlery require a good amount of thickness. These products need to be durable and also a bit flexible. The best thickness for such items ranges from 2mm to 5mm.
Every category requires a particular thickness to meet its needs. Like all the items discussed above, other items also have different leather thickness ranges. Once you figure out the nature of your project, it will be easier to determine the thickness of leather required for it.