Raw material quality is a prime concern of tanneries the world over. For its raw materials, the tanning industry is entirely dependent on cattle hides, sheep skins, as well as a small number of goat and other skins. For the tannery, the raw hides and skins represent 50% to 60% of the cost of producing a piece of leather.
For competitive reasons, many companies in the leather industry specialize in producing specific types of leather. These companies are dependant upon the tannery to supply hides and skins of the appropriate quality to suit their target markets.
The quality of leather that the tannery can produce is determined primarily by the quality of the raw hides that it buys. However, the quality of the hides cannot truly be fully assessed until after the hair or wool has been removed, and after the completion of the tanning process when the hide has been turned into leather. The value of the hide depends on the leather’s end use.
Like all natural products, leather is not always perfect. The quality of the hide or skin is largely related to the amount of damage to the grain (or “outside”) surface. The damage may be due to skin parasites, related scratches, husbandry practices on the farm or in transport of the live animal. Most types of damage can be reduced or avoided altogether by proper management of the animal or the hide. While most imperfections are typically removed from the finished hide, common types of markings that can appear on the leather’s surface include: brand marks; insect bites; healed scratches and scars; stretch and vein marks; and wrinkles due to age.