Guides
Leather grades explained
If a leather jacket has disappointed you, it was almost certainly a grading problem rather than a workmanship problem. Here is the whole vocabulary.
The grades, worst to best
PU. Not leather. Polyurethane on a fabric backing. Fine when it is labelled as PU, and increasingly good — but it should never be sold as leather, and in the US the FTC leather rules say so.
Bonded. Leather scraps ground up and glued onto a backing. It looks like leather for about a season and then peels. We do not use it and we would advise you not to buy it.
Genuine leather. Here is the one that matters. It sounds like a quality guarantee and it is close to the opposite: a grading term for hide that has had the top layer split away. It is real leather, and it is the lowest grade normally sold as such. If a supplier tells you “genuine leather” and will not say which grade underneath, that is the answer.
Split. The lower layer of the hide, below the top grain. Softer, less durable, fine for linings and panels. Often finished to look like top grain.
Top-grain. The outer layer, sanded and finished for consistency. Ages well, takes colour evenly, and is the usual choice for a retail jacket. This is what most good jackets are made from.
Full-grain. The whole hide with nothing sanded away, including the marks the animal collected. Develops a patina, lasts decades, costs the most, and is not always what a customer expects if they have only owned top-grain before.
What to specify
For a jacket retailing between $150 and $250, top-grain is almost always the right answer. Full-grain makes sense above that, or for a piece you want to build a reputation on. Below $120 retail you are usually in split or PU. Say so on your own product page: a customer who finds out later leaves a review about it.
The question to ask any supplier
Not “is it real leather” — almost everything is. Ask which grade, what thickness in millimetres, and which tannery. A supplier who can answer all three is a supplier who knows what they bought. One who answers “premium quality genuine leather” has told you nothing, and possibly on purpose.
One thing nobody mentions
Chrome-tanned leather can carry chromium VI, which is listed under California Proposition 65 and has been the subject of settlements over leather goods. If you are selling into the US, ask for a test report. Test reports sent on request.
All-in, duty paid
What this costs, delivered
All-in prices, duty paid, by product and quantity
| Product | 5 PCS | 50 PCS | 200 PCS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leather jackets & vests | $114 | $102 | $95 |
| Varsity, wool melton | $141 | $127 | $119 |
| Satin jackets | $148 | $134 | $126 |
| Hoodies & fleece | $77 | $68 | $63 |
Freight and US duty included. Nothing to pay when it arrives. Under 5 pieces: charged per piece at the sample rate, all-in ($129 hoodie / $186 varsity / $178 leather).
Your patches, names, numbers and labels are in every price.
Duty unpaid
Delivered prices, duty unpaid
Delivered prices, duty unpaid, by product and quantity
| Product | 5 PCS | 50 PCS | 200 PCS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leather jackets & vests | $95 | $85 | $79 |
| Varsity, wool melton | $105 | $95 | $89 |
| Satin jackets | $105 | $95 | $89 |
| Hoodies & fleece | $59 | $52 | $48 |
Freight included. US duty is paid by you on arrival – estimated rates below. Under 5 pieces: charged per piece at the sample rate ($99 hoodie / $139 varsity / $149 leather).
Your patches, names, numbers and labels are in every price.
Ready to price your own order?
The calculator runs on our published prices and the duty rate for your garment. When the number works, a sample tells you whether the quality does.