Full-grain leather is considered among the best quality leather you can buy. It can be made from a variety of different animal hides, but most usually is made from cow skin. Leather can undergo complex treatment processes in order to create numerous products. Many of these treatments may result in weaker leather that will not wear as well. This is especially true when the leather is treated with chemicals. Full-grain leather is desirable because of its minimal treatments and its durability.

With full-grain leather, the hides of the animal used are not treated significantly. Instead they have the hair of the animal removed but they are not sanded. This can result in some minor flaws in the leather, but as used in fabric, it also results in the most breathable leather you can wear. Like a great pair of jeans, full-grain leather clothing actually gets more comfortable the more you wear it, becoming softer and some say even more attractive as it gets older.

Though full-grain leather is not sanded, it can still be dyed, called an aniline finish. Non-dyed full-grain leather is harder to find. In fact if you don’t buy full-grain leather with an aniline finish, you will usually find it with a semi-aniline finish. This is a clear finish placed on the leather that will allow imperfections in the leather to show. Actually many desire the semi-aniline finish in full-grain leather because it gives a more natural look to the leather.

Unlike other types of leather, full-grain leather uses the whole hide rather than layers of the hide. In contrast, top-grain leather, another very desirable product uses the top layers of the animal hide. Using the whole hide makes full-grain leather much thicker, and great for products that require a certain amount of durability. For instance, you’ll find great messenger bags, duffel bags and briefcases made by designers like Kenneth Cole, using exclusively full-grain leather. Louis Vuitton makes some beautiful full-grain leather handbags that can be quite pricey, as much as 1000 US dollars (USD) each.

Many different types of shoes may be made with full-grain leather. Natural choices include the cowboy boot, but popularity of full-grain leather has resulted in athletic, dress, golf and a variety of other style shoes made with this leather. You’ll also find a number of furniture pieces upholstered with full-grain leather only. These are most desired because of their exceptional durability and their actual improvement in look and feel the longer they are used.