Hide Areas

Leather from different parts of the animal varies in its characteristics and this must be taken into account when using leather in products. Although hide thickness varies over the animal, leather is usually split and buffed to an even thickness. The illustration shows a cow hide but the same principles apply to other hides and skins.

Shoulder
The shoulder is thick and strong but prone to creases caused by the movement of the animal's head.

Butt
The back and sides of the animal provide the strongest leather with the tightest fibre structure.

Belly
The belly is thinner and weaker and has a looser fibre structure than the back and leather from this area is prone to stretching under stress.

Axillae
The thin stretchy areas behind the fore legs and in front of the hind legs (the 'armpits') produce leather with a very loose fibre structure which is even more prone to stretching than the belly.

When cutting leather for any product it is important to use areas suited to the application. In particular, cutting patterns should be arranged so that the belly and axillae don't end up in areas prone to high stress and wear and tear, such as the seating and arm rest areas on a sofa, or the top part of a shoe where it flexes, or in the main panels of garments.