Full Grain, Top Grain, and Genuine Leather Types: A Comprehensive Guid – JUNYUAN Bags

Leather handbags come in various colors, textures, and patterns, and each one has its distinct personality. Understanding the difference between top-grain and full-grain leather might help you choose which leather is most suited to your lifestyle.

You’re sure to find the perfect leather for your needs since each is unique. If you’re always on the go, you’ll want heavy-duty, fuss-free, and durable leather. Buttery smooth leather is a luxurious option for individuals who value the finer things in life.

Full-grain leather

Full-grain leather is the best quality type of leather for bags that can be found. When it comes to the utmost quality, no one can match it. The grain must remain unbroken for the leather to be deemed whole grain. Natural defects cannot be removed by sanding or polishing.

There will always be faults in full-grain leather since it has not been altered, exactly like human skin. While this may not be to everyone’s taste, a full-grain leather bag will always be unique, and no two are the same. 

To work with full-grain leather, you need a high level of artisanal talent since it utilizes the whole hide thickness. Only 1% to 3% of a cowhide may be used for full-grain leather, depending on the kind of leather. Full-grain leather is the most costly to work with and purchase.

Top grain leather

Second, only to the highest grade of hides, top grain leather is prized for its suppleness and durability. High-end leather purses often feature this sort of stitching.

Top grain leather is full-grain leather that has been rectified in some manner. To put it another way, this implies that full-grain leather may be smoothed or sanded to eliminate defects. As a result, top-grain leather handbags are generally described as faultless finish.

Top grain leather bags may lack the originality of full-grain leather, but this is a worthwhile trade-off for many people. Full-grain leather is often thinner than whole grain, making it simpler to work with and usually less expensive since adjustments are available.

Genuine leather

There are three levels of leather, with genuine being the most expensive. Genuine may also be referred to as rectified or split leather. Natural leather is formed from the leather that remains after the top layer is broken off for whole grain and full-grain leathers.

After the tanning process, this leather for bags would not have a natural skin finish. Thus it would need to be artificially finished to appear like it. A mixture of fake grains, spray painting, and pattern embossing is often used to give the surface a more authentic aspect.

Genuine leather bags may easily be mistaken for top grain leather bags because artificial treatments are permissible with genuine leather.

As a result of its location under the surface, genuine leather tends to be exceptionally durable. This extends the lifespan. Due to the artificial methods involved, this leather often has less breathability.

Coated leather

The lowest quality of the leather is bonded, often known as reconstituted or mixed leather.

It is common practice to use chemicals and fillers to join scraps of leather that have been crushed into a pulp. 

It takes so many synthetic chemicals, fillers, sprays, paints, and embossing coatings to make it seem whole-grain or top grain leather. Many don’t consider its genuine leather. It’s not uncommon for the final product to have just a tiny amount of genuine leather.

Since this material contains so little actual leather, bonded leather will likely come apart rapidly and not last very long. We don’t advocate buying a related leather bag if you want a leather bag that will last for years.