Cowhide Leather

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Natural Dyed
Double Butts Double Shoulders
Thin (0.8–1.6 mm) Medium (1.5–2 mm) Thick (2.4–4 mm)
Full-grain leather Split leather
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Cowhide Leather – what to choose?

Vegetable-tanned cowhide leather, also known as sole, strap, saddle or bag leather, is an essential material for leatherworkers and workshops. We offer natural leather for tooling and dyeing, as well as dyed leather that is ready to use straight away. Natural leather is easy to customise: simply dampen it lightly with a sponge, let the water soak in, and the surface is ready for stamping tools and other leatherwork. Choose from various sizes and shapes, such as double butts or double shoulders, and adapt the material to your exact needs.

Guides & articles

Types of Leather: How Leather Is Made, Graded and Used

Quick selection

Jump straight to what you need.

Leather Colour

Natural Dyed

Leather Type

Double Butts Double Shoulders

Leather Thickness

Thin (0.8–1.6 mm) Medium (1.5–2 mm) Thick (2.4–4 mm)

Leather Layer

Full-grain leather Split leather

Prefer to choose for yourself? Set up the filter exactly to your needs.

Detailed filter

Parameter guide

What the parameters mean and how to choose the right values.

The leather type defines which part of the animal’s body the leather comes from. Different parts have different properties – for example, the double butt is the strongest and most stable, while the double shoulder (neck and shoulder area) tends to be softer and more flexible. Choosing the right type affects the final strength, dimensional stability, and price of the leather.

Leather thickness determines how firm and stiff the leather is and how easy it is to work with. Thicker leather holds its shape better and withstands more stress – suitable for collars, harnesses or sheaths. Thinner leather bends, sews and shapes easily – well suited to wallets, cases or linings.

Firmness indicates how stiff and resistant the leather is to bending. Stiffer leather is suitable when shape retention is required – such as for belts, sheaths, or saddles. Softer variants, like milled leather, make sense only where maximum flexibility is needed – such as for gloves, fine straps, or areas in direct contact with the skin.

The leather layer indicates whether it is the upper grain layer or the lower split. Thicker cowhide is divided horizontally into two layers during processing.

  • Full-grain leather – the upper layer with its natural grain. The strongest part of the hide; it ages naturally and develops a patina. On suitable types the surface can be decorated with stamping.

  • Split leather – the lower separated layer without a natural grain. The surface is finished further (buffing, pigmented coating), so it can be smooth, velvety or otherwise uniform. Commonly used for collars, belts, bags and leather goods.

Leather quality indicates how much of the surface is free from visible defects such as scars, scratches, or stains. Higher quality means less waste, faster work, and a higher price – a good fit when you need large, clean pieces. Lower quality is more affordable and makes sense for smaller products where defects can be easily avoided.

Leather size sorts pieces by area into three groups: small, medium and large. The exact area of a given piece is shown by the Size ~dm² parameter. Larger pieces suit you when you need large, continuous parts – for example for a saddle or a bag. Smaller pieces make sense for small items and are easier to handle.

Leather colour indicates the shade the leather is dyed in. Dyed full-grain leather is dyed through its full thickness – not just on the surface – so the colour shows in cut edges and stays even where the grain gets scuffed. It is not fixed at the tannery, so treat the finished product with a suitable finish. On split leather, the look also comes from a pigmented coating, which can wear over time where the leather is often bent or rubbed. Colour choice is essential for matching metal parts, contrast details, brand identity, or fashion style.

Natural leather is the right base for those who want to dye or patinate it themselves. Black and brown are classic choices for belts or bags, while blue, red, or pink tones suit fashion, women's, or designer products.

Tanning type indicates the method used to transform raw hide into finished leather. Vegetable-tanned leather is made naturally using plant-based agents – it is firm, stiff, and well suited to embossing patterns or logos into the surface. It is also suitable for tooling and for products that develop a natural patina over time. Chrome-tanned leather is treated with chromium salts – it's softer, more resistant to water and color fading, and fits well for linings, softer straps, or fashion accessories.

What the leather suits, judged by thickness, firmness and surface. It is a starting point for filtering, not a limit: thinner and softer leathers point to wallets and small goods, thicker and firmer ones to belts, harnesses and saddlery. If you know what you are making, it saves you going through the whole range.

The country the leather comes from. It works mainly as a filter when you need to document origin to your own buyers or keep one source across a series. Origin says nothing about firmness, thickness or color; those have parameters of their own.

Frequently asked questions

The most common questions – materials, selection and practical tips.

No, we don't normally supply health safety test reports for leather and leather straps.

Why. Testing every batch is neither common practice nor mandatory in this industry. The obligation to hold test reports lies with the manufacturer of the final product, where EU legislation requires it for that type of product.

In the past we had part of our range tested on a random basis. Where we do have a test report, it is listed directly on the product. If it isn't on the product, we don't have it.

If you need a test report, you have to arrange the testing yourself at an accredited laboratory and at your own cost.

Why Pet Hardware®

  • About us 37 years supplying hardware to makers and workshops, 103,033 customers so far.
  • About us Hardware, leather and tools under one roof. For collars, leashes, halters, belts and handbags.
  • Why choose us Buy more, pay less. You see pack and carton prices and any order-value discount before paying.

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