How to Identify Genuine Leather

Genuine leather items are of a class apart from those made from synthetic fibers thanks to its natural, gorgeous and elegant surface. On the market today there are many synthetic materials that look like real leather at a much cheaper price. There are also products that are made only partially from pure leather but are labeled as “real leather” or “made of genuine leather”. This misleading term is used by businesses to deceive consumers. If you are planning to buy an expensive luxury leather item, you should know how to distinguish genuine leather from imitation leather.

Table of Contents

Distinguish real leather from fake leather

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Beware of any products that don’t claim to be genuine leather. If an item is labeled “artificial material”, it is definitely synthetic leather. If there is nothing on the product, it is very likely that the manufacturer wants to hide the fact that the item is not genuine leather. ^{[1] X Research Sources} of course used goods may lose their labels, but most manufacturers pride themselves on using genuine leather and will note the following:

Real leather (real leather)
Genuine leather (leather grade 3)
Top/Full grain leather (2nd grade/first grade leather)
Made with animal products (made from animal products) ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Inspect the surface of the product for grain, i.e. “nodules” and small holes, for imperfections and uniqueness that indicate genuine leather. In leather, imperfections are actually a good thing. Remember that real leather is made from animal hides, so each hide is as unique as the animals that wear it. Particles that are regular, equal, and very similar often indicate that they are machine-made.

Genuine leather may have scratches, wrinkles or creases – that’s a good sign!
Note that, as manufacturers’ techniques improve, their designs will become more and more like real leather. This makes online shopping very difficult, because then you only see pictures of the item.

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Press into the skin, watch for wrinkles. Real leather will wrinkle when you press on it, similar to animal skin. Synthetic materials usually just sink under finger pressure but retain their stiffness and shape. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Smell the leather, check for natural musty smells instead of smells like plastic or chemicals. If you’re not entirely sure the item smells like genuine leather, go to a genuine leather store and test out a few bags or shoes there. Ask if they sell synthetic leather goods and try sniffing them too. Once you know the smell to look for, you won’t be able to mistake it.

Remember that real leather is only made from animal skins. Faux leather made of plastic. This may seem obvious, but real leather will smell like animal skin, and fake leather will smell like plastic.

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Try the burning method, but be aware that this may partially damage the item. While in many cases it’s best not to burn, this test can also work if you can select a small and invisible area to test, such as the underside of a sofa. Heat over the flame for about 5-10 seconds to try:

Real leather will only burn lightly and smell like burnt hair.
Faux leather will catch fire and smell like burning plastic. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Pay attention to the edge of the leather, as real leather will have a rough edge, while fake leather will have a smooth, straight edge. Synthetic material will look like it was machine cut. Genuine leather consists of many fibers that naturally fray at the edges. The faux leather is made from a fiber-free plastic, which means the leather edges will be neatly cut. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Fold the leather item, observing the slight change in color if it is genuine leather. Similar to the “wrinkle test”, real leather has elasticity when folded down, and naturally changes color and wrinkles. Faux leather is firmer and more uniform and harder to fold in than real leather. ^{[6] X Research Source}

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Test by putting a drop of water on the item, as real leather is hygroscopic. If it is imitation leather, the water will only stay on the surface. Real leather will absorb water drops in just a few seconds and indicate if it is real leather or not. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Know that genuine leather goods are rarely cheap. Products made entirely from genuine leather will be very expensive. They are also often sold at a fixed price. Take a look around to see the prices of genuine leather, semi leather, and synthetic leather products to understand the difference between leather types. Cowhide has the highest price among leathers due to its durability and ease of tanning. Split leather is the lower layer of leather that separates from the surface of the leather, cheaper than top grain leather or belting leather.

If the price of the item appears to be suspiciously cheap, your suspicions are most likely correct. Real leather is not cheap.
Although all genuine leather products are much more expensive than imitation leather goods, there are actually many types of genuine leather, and the prices also vary widely.

Know about real leather

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Understand that “Genuine Leather” is the only recognized genuine leather on the market. Most people are often interested in distinguishing real leather from fake leather. However, connoisseurs know that genuine leather also has many grades, of which “Genuine Leather” is actually the leather with the highest quality. Other types of genuine leather ranked from most expensive to cheapest are as follows:

Full Grain Leather (1st grade leather)
Top Grain Leather (2nd grade leather)
Genuine Leather (3rd grade leather)
Bonded Leather (rolled leather)

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“Full grain” leather for premium products. This type of leather uses only the top layer of skin (closest to the air), which is the roughest, most durable and beautiful part. Full grain leather has no top finish, meaning it has unique properties, wrinkles, and coloration. The surface layer of animal skin is less in quantity, and the roughness of layer 1 is more difficult to process, so the high price tag is justified.

Note that manufacturers will declare their products “made with full grain leather” even though only a few parts of a chair or sofa are made from grade 1 leather. This is another reason why people rarely encourage consumers to buy goods without seeing them with their own eyes.

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Look for “top grain leather” to buy good quality items at a much more affordable price. The most common “premium” leather is top grain leather that is removed from the skin just below full grain leather and is lightly treated to remove imperfections. This type of leather is smoother and more uniform than full grain leather, but is also easier to handle, which results in a lower price tag.

Although not as durable as full grain leather, it is also a tough, well-treated leather.

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Know that “genuine leather” (grade 3 leather) usually has a suede surface or feels like it. Genuine leather is removed by peeling off the stronger, higher-grade leather on the surface, using a softer, easier-to-handle leather underneath. This type of leather is not as durable as full grain or top grain but is much cheaper because it can be easily crafted.

Remember that “genuine leather” is a specific type of leather, not the usual meaning of the phrase. If you go to a leather goods store and ask for “genuine leather”, they will think of this type of leather.

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Stay away from “bonded leather”, leather made from powdered leather and real shavings mixed with glue. Although it is also leather, it is not a full-grain hide derived from the hides of animals normally. Skin shavings are collected from various types of skin, milled and mixed with a colloidal solution to make skin flakes. Despite its cheap price, this type of leather is very poor quality.

Because of its poor quality, lamination is often used for book covers and other smaller and less prone to wear items. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Advice

Always buy leather products from a reputable seller to avoid buying synthetic leather, unless you are a vegan.

Warning

If you want to buy leather goods online, look for reputable sellers and brokers you know well to avoid being scammed.

Steps

Distinguish real leather from fake leather

Know about real leather

Advice

Warning

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