TYPES OF LEATHER USED IN BIKER CLOTHING

Leather can actually come from many different sources including:  cattle, bison, water buffalo, hogs, lambs, goats, snakes, ostriches, kangaroos, sting rays, deer, elk, alligators, yaks, and many more.  There are many resources you can use to learn about each of these types of leather.  For the purposes of this article however, I am only going to discuss some of the more commonly used leathers.

Cowhide:  Cowhide comes from regular beef or dairy cattle and is one of the heaviest leathers.  Cowhide is thick, strong, stiff and abrasion resistant.  Cowhide tends to be expensive, but is well suited for use in motorcycle leathers.

Buffalo:  Buffalo leather is also well suited for use in motorcycle leathers.  Usually when motorcycle leathers are made of buffalo leather, they are made from water buffalo, not the American bison.  The majority of leather products sold in the U.S. are made in Asia.  There are large numbers of water buffalo in this area of the world.  In many respects, buffalo leather is similar to cowhide.  However, it is not as stiff or as thick as cowhide and is more abrasion resistant.

Lambskin (Nappa):  Lambskin is often used to make pants and fashion jackets.  This leather is lighter, thinner, and has fewer blemishes than either cowhide or buffalo leather.  However, it is also not as strong and will not wear as long as cowhide or buffalo leather.  Due to the fact that it comes from a much smaller animal, lambskin can be very expensive.

Pigskin (Pig Nappa):  Pigskin is used to make a variety of items.  Pigskin has a very uniform grain, but is usually thinner than almost all other leathers.  This leather is not suitable for biker leathers that are worn for protection.  It is often used for fashion clothing.  If you buy an item made of pigskin, you may want to purchase some leather conditioner at the same time, as pigskin tends to dry out quickly.  Pigskin tends to be inexpensive compared to other leathers.

Patched Leather (Diamond Plate Rock Design):  Patched leather or Diamond Plate Rock Design consists of many small pieces of leather sewn together to make a larger piece of leather.  The quality, type, strength, and stiffness of the leather will vary.  Patched leather usually costs less.