The Wallet Shoppe
Looking for a guide to the different grades of leather? Full grain and top grain, genuine and bonded, suede and nubuck: figuring out which one suits your needs, your budget and your taste can be a serious challenge!
Part of the problem is that these labels don’t all describe the same thing. Some tell you which layer of the hide was used, some describe how the surface was treated, and one (“genuine”) just tells you it’s leather. So they’re not a neat best-to-worst list, although some are much better bets than others.
What to Look For
Think about what the item has to put up with. Wallets and belts get flexed, sat on and stuffed every day, so they need to be durable and strong, and that’s where it pays to buy the best leather you can afford.
For things that get gentler use, you might happily trade some toughness for a softer, more uniform finish. Whatever the label says, a great hide won’t rescue weak stitching, so look at the construction too.
The Layers of a Hide
How is full grain different from top grain? Is there a real difference between nubuck and suede? It all makes more sense once you see where each one comes from.
Full Grain Leather
What is “full grain” leather? Simply put, it’s leather that keeps its whole grain surface, the tough top layer of the hide, without any sanding or buffing. (The name confuses a lot of people: “full” because none of the grain has been taken away.) The Leather Working Group’s terminology guide draws the same line between full grain and corrected grain.
Because the surface is left alone, you see the natural grain of the hide, scars and all, and it develops a lovely patina as it ages. It’s usually stiffer to work with at first and costs more. If you love leather that shows its character, this is the one. Just judge the finish and feel of the actual product too; the label alone doesn’t tell you how supple a wallet will be.
Top Grain and Corrected Grain Leather
Despite the name, “top grain” isn’t the top quality. It still comes from the upper, grain side of the hide, but the surface has usually been sanded or buffed to remove blemishes and then finished, which gives it a more uniform look. Leather with this kind of treatment is also called corrected grain.
That uniform finish suits plenty of products, and good corrected-grain leather can be perfectly durable. The trade-off is that it won’t develop the same patina as full grain, because the surface that ages so nicely has been altered. Ask what finish is on it and how to care for it.
Nubuck and Suede
Nubuck is grain leather that has been buffed on the grain side to raise a fine, velvety nap. Suede is usually made from a split: the lower layer left over once the grain is taken off. Splits tend to be softer and thinner, and because they lack that tough outer surface, they’re generally less durable.
Suede’s texture and open surface also make it easy to stain and quick to soak up water, so care can be a challenge. Don’t buy a suede bag expecting to clean it with the same cream you use on smooth leather; our leather bag care guide covers the difference.
Genuine Leather
“Genuine leather” might sound great, but all it actually promises is that the thing is real leather. (Marketers, huh?) It doesn’t tell you which layer it is, and it isn’t a grade at all.
In practice, the label often turns up on cheaper goods, made from split leather with an embossed grain pattern and a painted finish to look like something better. But not always. We’ve seen some “genuine leather” wallets that were okay: not heirloom quality, but good for a couple of years.
So ask for more detail. What animal? Grain or split? What’s on the surface? If the seller can’t answer, judge the product by what you can see and by its return policy, and don’t pay extra just for the word “genuine”.
Bonded Leather
Hint: run far and fast from this “leather”!
Bonded leather (also called reconstituted or blended leather) isn’t an intact piece of hide at all. Leather scraps and fibers are ground up, mixed with a binder such as polyurethane or latex, spread onto a backing sheet and stamped with a leather grain. Think of it as the particle board, or the hot dog, of leather. The Leather Working Group definitions separate this kind of reformed leather-fibre material from real leather panels.
The ratio of leather to binder varies a lot, and so does the quality. Bonded leather is common on book covers and furniture, but for something you use every day, like a wallet, avoid it. With wear, it tends to peel and flake as the binder gives way, and no amount of leather conditioner will fix that.
Tanning and Coatings Are Separate Questions
Vegetable tanning describes how a hide was tanned, not which layer it came from, so you can have veg-tanned full grain or veg-tanned split. And PU leather is a polyurethane coating over a backing, which may or may not be leather, rather than another grade.
Leather Grades - Wrap Up
The key with any leather is thinking about the quality you need, the price you want to pay, and the finish that fits your taste. There are pros and cons to every type (except bonded leather - avoid it at all costs!), and knowing what the labels really mean makes you a much harder customer to fool.
Our wallet quality checklist covers the details worth checking beyond the label: edges, stitching, lining and hardware.
