What Is Upholstery Leather?
Upholstery leather, made from cattle hides or faux leather, is used for upholstery. Based on combining the characteristics of leather materials themselves, the advantages of leather materials are given full play to the maximum. At present, upholstery leather material has a lot of varieties, which are applied to every corner of daily life like automotive interior, car seat, furniture, clothing, etc.
There are different kinds of upholstery leather, and genuine leather, bonded leather and faux leather are three most popular options on the market today. What is the difference between them and how to choose the best one? Let us help you work this out.
Genuine Leather
Genuine leather is made from animals’ skin and is conceptually opposed to artificial leather, which is made from artificial chemical fiber materials. The surface characteristics of common leather materials vary with different animal species and processing methods. Sheepskin, cow skin, pigskin, and other reptile skins have different surface grain characteristics, determining their visual effect and style. The leather has good toughness, wear resistance, and air permeability. It maintains the characteristics of natural leather, such as breathability, moisture absorption, softness, wear resistance, and extreme comfort. It is also antistatic and has good elasticity. However, genuine leather is quite expensive because of its scarcity and the accused of animal cruelty.
Bonded Leather
Bonded leather is a mix of both natural and fake leather. It is made from leftover scraps and fibers from processing genuine leather mixed with a polyurethane binder. These fibers are then rolled together using adhesives to bond them onto a paper backing.
Bonded leather has both the characteristics of leather and PU. Like genuine leather, bonded leather has moisture absorption air permeability. It is also light, soft, and elastic. However, bonded leather is too soft to make shoes and other products that need high pressure.
Faux Leather
Artificial leather is a kind of plastic product that looks and feels like leather and can be used instead of it. It is usually based on fabric coated with synthetic resin and various plastic additives. Faux leather has been quite popular these years. Faux leather has many characteristics, including its appearance, physical performance, and wide application.
Faux leather has a natural feeling like genuine leather. It also has various patterns and textures, which can meet personalized and customized demands in upholstery and other industries. It performs well in physical characteristics. Faux leather has good water resistance. Shoes made of faux leather are waterproof even though it rains heavily outside. It is softer than genuine leather, making it popular in making coats and shoes. Faux leather is more resistant to wear and fold.
Compared to genuine leather, faux leather is perfect in its appearance. Real leather has nature defects like scratches, hair roots, brands, neck wrinkles, tick marks, etc. When made into upholstery, real leather may waste and cost a lot, making it expensive and may have defects in its appearance.
Good maintenance of faux leather sofas or coats can make it longer in durable years. Besides, faux leather is more cost-effective than bonded leather and genuine leather because of its wide appliance. Faux leather is mainly used in shoe-making, bags and suitcases, clothes, and other industries that need leather. Faux leather also has its disadvantages: its permeability is poor, so it is not suitable for making underwear.
Conclusion
Upholstery leather mainly includes genuine leather, bonded leather, and faux leather. They have their characteristics and also apply to different parts of upholstery. Our company has a factory producing raw materials. We always maintain a rigorous, efficient, and pragmatic style from raw materials to finished products. Our design is beautiful and novel with good quality and stable, cost-effective, popular market pricing to meet personalized and customized demands. If you want to know more about our company and our products, please get in touch with us at
