What is real leather?
Real leather is peeled off from animals, like pigskin, sheepskin, crocodile skin, and so on. The first layer of leather is directly processed from the raw skin of various animals or cut the thick skin of cattle, pigs, horses, etc into upper and lower layers. The upper part is processed into the first-layer of leather. The second layer of leather is a combination of PU resin and the lower layer of skin or scrap material of the animal skin. The toughness, handfeel, and abrasion resistance of the second layer are much lower than the first layer of leather.
How to distinguish real leather and PU leather?
1). from visual identification
First, we must identify from the aspects of leather pattern, pores, etc. Can be seen in the surface of natural leather, the pores do exist, and the distribution is uneven, there is animal fibers, side section, and the layers are obvious, and there is animal fibers in the lower layer. Try with your fingernails, there will be leather fibers, there is a feeling of napping, and a small amount of fibers can be removed, and the faux leather can see the fabric, there is no animal fiber in the side, and the general epidermal has no pores, but some are imitation leather pores, there will be undesirable pores, some of the patterns are not obvious, or have a compared artificial pattern, and the pores are also quite consistent. At this time, they can be carefully observed by the aid of magnifying glass, or can see the fine difference.
2). identification from odor
Natural leather has its own animal skin odor, even after treatment, the odor is also obvious.
3) identify from burning
When natural leather burns, a hair burnt odor is made, and the ash of the burning is generally fragile.
PU leather or real leather?
Generally speaking, the prices of real leather (especially the first layer leather) are very much higher than PU leather, so is real leather is with much better properties than PU? The answer is no. Real leather is expensive is because of its many reasons. Such as scarce sources and tedious processing of animal skins. Nowadays with the development of technology, nature leather can not achieve many excellent properties of PU leather especially solvent-free PU and DMF-free water-based PU. Due to their excellent physical & chemical properties, healthy & eco-friendly & animal-friendly performance, good uniformity, etc, Europe and United States, etc are highly respected and gradually choose innovative PU leather instead of real leather.
