Pressed leather - high-quality new product or disguised leatherette. What is pressed leather and what is sewn from it?

"Pressed leather" is usually called material obtained from industrial waste. genuine leather, although experts do not use this term. It turned out that pressed leather is, in essence, not leather. This is real leatherette. It’s just that one of the components used in the manufacture of so-called pressed leather contains part of the leather waste. These are small scraps, shreds, shavings, even leather dust and other various waste (everything is used) remaining after the production or cutting of leather, and not necessarily natural leather, perhaps it will be waste from the pressed leather itself. The second component (this is the main one) is various synthetic binder fibers: polyester, polyamide, polyethylene, etc. All this is crushed, mixed, heated and pressed. When heated, the fibers melt, impregnating and gluing the material. There is also a third component (for additional strengthening) - these are very harmful synthetic thermoplastic resins. The resins also melt and permeate the entire fibrous structure.

The result is a fairly cheap material with low air and moisture permeability, but its production is waste-free. 100% of this very harmful production (during production, phenol-formaldehyde gases that are hazardous to health are released during heating) is concentrated in China. Almost all Chinese leather items are made from pressed leather. This may be acceptable for bags, wallets or belts, but shoes made from such leather (and not necessarily sewn in China) are very harmful - your feet will sweat and get tired, even kidney disease and skin diseases legs Such shoes will not last long and will quickly lose their shape.

There is probably no need to explain for a long time why pressed leather is needed - to reduce the cost of the leather manufacturing process and reduce the cost of the leather products themselves. To obtain natural leather from animal skin, about fifty production operations are required, and the production of pressed leather, with the appropriate equipment and materials, is much more economical and faster. Pressed leather has the same properties as synthetic leather and consists of a fabric base with a face layer that imitates the surface of natural leather. Pressed leather has a number of disadvantages: it is airtight, brittle and not resistant to wear. In terms of hygiene, this material also cannot compete with natural leather. Clothes made from pressed leather, although cheaper, will not last long, and severe frost pressed skin becomes covered with wrinkles and cracks. In this situation, all that remains is to make a choice: buy an expensive one once leather item or buy another cheap jacket every season?

When choosing leather clothing, consumers can be misled by the fact that pressed leather is practically no different from natural leather and even smells the same. The most common advice that experts give is not to buy Chinese shoes on the market, since in the vast majority of cases they are made of pressed leather. If you look carefully leather clothes When purchasing, you can find a fabric base or the presence of threads, which indicate that this leather product is made of pressed leather. Honest manufacturers mark this leather clothing with a “diamond”, but in our conditions they usually prefer to make a branded label, attach it to pressed leather clothing and sell it at exorbitant prices. Not only clothes and shoes are made from pressed leather, but also furniture, bags and various souvenirs imitating genuine leather.

A reasonable question arises: why produce products from a material whose negative characteristics prevail over positive ones? The explanation is quite simple: there is a demand for leather products made from pressed leather. A fairly large category of consumers cannot afford to buy a product made of genuine leather, but want to have a leather item in their wardrobe. Along with this, pressed leather can be of quite high quality, which is difficult for non-specialists to recognize, so you can safely tell your friends that you are wearing a genuine leather jacket. If you treat clothes or pressed leather products with care, they will last for more than one season, although they will lose their presentation. In a word, while manufacturers of clothing and accessories made from genuine leather are struggling with such a “surrogate” as pressed leather, there are no fewer buyers in cheap markets.

Many buyers want to purchase a quality item at a low price. In fact, it turns out that understanding pricing is much easier than determining the quality of a product. Especially if it is a product from a new manufacturer and made from an unknown material. First of all, this concerns shoes.

Nowadays, in stores and markets, cheap shoes made in China from pressed leather.

Being unaware of the quality of the material, the buyer purchases the product, hoping that it does right choice. However, after a month of active wear, such shoes will become covered with cracks, and after 2-3 months they will burst at the bend. This is a sign of how unreliable pressed leather.

It consists mainly of dust, shavings, trimmings and shreds remaining after a series of manipulations with the skin. It also contains fibers of synthetic origin, which can be made from any materials: polyester, polyethylene, polyamide. When exposed to high temperatures they melt and stick together. The third component of this material is thermoplastic resin. Its purpose is additional gluing and improving the density of the product structure.

First of all, using special equipment, the skin waste is chopped into small pieces. The fine fibers are then separated from the peri-fiber products. The last step is to add synthetic fiber and resin. The resulting mixture is then pressed to form a flat sheet. The sheet is sent to the oven, then pressed again (the temperature should be 17-20 points higher than the degree of melting of the resins) for about a minute. The resin melts and holds the fibrous structure together. After cooling, a leather-like material is obtained, which is called pressed leather.

Genuine leather is made from a single piece of skin taken from an animal. Only after fifty technological procedures and actions raw hide will become a finished material: the result will be a durable, wear-resistant and, moreover, hygienic material, while preserving its natural structure.

Types of leather substitutes

There are materials that are similar to leather in structure and appearance, but are not leather. They are called leatherettes.

Leatherette - artificial material, creating the appearance genuine leather. It consists of several layers. Leatherette is used in various fields production. Most artificial substitutes can hardly be distinguished from natural material: they withstand moisture and frost. Leatherette is popular because it is not expensive, practical and durable.

Types of leatherette: How to distinguish

• Vinyl leather is a durable material, has good elasticity, is prone to draping, and completely imitates natural matter;
• Dermantin is an artificial material. It is resistant to abrasion, has a slight odor, and is cheap;
• Eco-leather is a soft material, wear-resistant, breathable, has good elasticity, does not crack, does not smell.

Features of eco leather

Few people know what eco-leather is on shoes and how to distinguish eco-leather from genuine leather. Eco-leather is made from a cotton base, on which apply polyurethane film: it imitates natural matter, and thanks to the base, the material becomes resistant to abrasion, stretching and tearing.

Its main advantage is that it is environmentally friendly (hence the name), because during its production not a single animal suffers, and during use it does not emit harmful substances to the air. It is hypoallergenic. This material is resistant to moisture and does not let it in, but at the same time the foot breathes in it. And in shoes made of eco-leather you will be comfortable in all weather conditions. It creates a complete imitation of natural matter, costs less than leather products, but also lasts a long time.

Its downside is that it is not as warm as leather and not as frost-resistant. Compared to regular leatherette, eco-leather is more expensive, but it also wears better.

Caring for eco-leather shoes

Caring for products made from eco-leather is exactly the same as for products made from natural leather:

• Product cleaning and periodic impregnation are required. by special means, repelling water.
• Shoes should be dried before next wear.
• It is best to immediately remove dirt with a damp cloth and then wipe dry.
• Shoes made from this material are stored in cardboard boxes. The inside must be stuffed with paper, and each pair must be placed in a dust bag.
• If necessary, eco-leather is painted with the same colors as natural leather.

To be sure of the quality of the product you are purchasing, you need to know how to distinguish natural leather from artificial leather. There are several ways to find out that this is a fake:

One way to check whether leather is genuine or not is to use a simple lighter. When exposed to fire, leatherette immediately begins to melt, and sometimes it can begin to burn. This is due to the fact that many manufacturers process raw materials with special aniline compounds. Things from natural materials not exposed to flame. You can only smell the slight smell of scorched leather.

Another way to determine the authenticity of a product is to use water. Of course, you will not be able to use this method in a store or market; you simply will not be allowed to conduct such experiments. In order to recognize the naturalness of a product (be it a jacket or a bag), you need to drop a little water on it. Natural material will instantly absorb moisture, artificial material will repel it.

Focus on smell when choosing leather product not worth it. Yes, natural raw materials have their own special aroma that cannot be confused with anything else, and leatherette can smell like oilcloth and plastic, but nowadays manufacturers resort to the help of flavoring agents and add them when creating a product. After which you simply will not be able to smell the fake.

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This unusual name - pressed leather - is becoming more and more common. Is it worth purchasing products from it, what is good and what is bad about it, and what is sewn from it? Today we will discuss its advantages, qualities and disadvantages.

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Pressed leather and its properties

Most frequently asked question in relation to this material - is it genuine leather or artificial leather. And you can’t answer it that easily; it would be more correct to say: both at the same time.

What does it mean? The production technology is such that it is made from natural leather waste, with additional introduction artificial components.

How it is made: scraps of natural raw materials, which include tanning dust, shreds, scraps and shavings, are combined with a binding component (polyamide, polyester, polyethylene), to which another substance is added, which is used to strengthen the structure and additionally glue the entire mass. These are usually thermoplastic synthetic resins.

Then the mass is heated, melted and all components are joined together under high pressure. The result is a leather-like sheet.

Essentially it is artificial leather, but often sellers pass it off as 100% natural, taking advantage of the inexperience of consumers. This is wrong!

Features of pressed leather:

• Low moisture permeability.
• The material is weakly breathable.
• Does not tolerate frost well.
• Not too wearable.

You will find out what this material looks like by looking at the photo below.

Whether it is worth taking products from this material is a difficult question. It is cheap, but not durable - genuine leather will last longer. But care is easy - the same as. It is believed that this type of leather is not environmentally friendly, unlike other leather substitutes, and is harmful to health in comparison with them.

How long does such a product last? It’s difficult to say, it depends on the conditions and intensity of wear, but in general, other things being equal, pressed leather is fragile and not very wearable. This is definitely a bad choice for shoes!

How to distinguish pressed leather?

At first glance it seems difficult to distinguish it from the natural one. They say that even the smell is approximately the same - “leather”, however, an admixture of chemicals will be felt. The main difference is in the external texture.

Since all parts melt, then appearance It would be absolutely smooth, but embossing is applied to its surface, a pattern reminiscent of natural leather. However, if you look closely, the difference will become obvious: natural leather has a fuzzy pattern, it is uneven, the pores are located differently and different shapes, there are dents and minor defects.

Also try placing your palm on the product and holding it for a while. Natural leather will remain dry, but will heat up, and the pressed palm will become moist. There is also no leather tag on the products.

Jackets and other pressed leather products

Most often, this material is used for bags; it can also be backpacks, wallets, purses, and so on. It is often used to make shoe soles, sneakers, and it is not uncommon to make a belt, key holder or other similar accessory. Clothes are made into jackets, raincoats, trench coats, and so on.

If you purchase something that is subject to heavy loads, such as shoes or furniture, then do not expect the product to last long. Natural material will still survive it.

A characteristic feature of this material is that over time it cracks in places of intense stress, for example, these could be the handles of a bag or holes in a belt.

There are only two types of genuine leather and they all differ from each other. In this article you will learn about what types of genuine leather there are.

Genuine leather may vary:

1. By type of animal:

Pigskin is the cheapest. Used to make the most budget-friendly shoes and linings. Cheap leather jackets are also made from it.

Oxhide is thick, tough and lasts much longer than pork. Belts, some bags, backpacks and jackets are made from it.
- Cow leather is quite tough, the strength is slightly lower than that of calf leather. Most inexpensive and mid-price shoes are made from it.
Calfskin is soft and highly durable, with virtually no creases. Shoes, bags, jackets are made from it.
- Sheep leather is soft and durable. It is used to make bags, jackets, gloves, belts - mostly premium ones.
- Goatskin is soft and dense. Used to produce expensive gloves, wallets, purses and accessories.
- Deerskin is soft and pleasant to the touch, retains its shape well and retains heat. Products made from it are rarely found on sale.
- Crocodile leather is durable. Shoes, bags, jackets are made from it.
- Snake skin has an original appearance. Shoes, bags, jackets are made from it.
- Ostrich leather is soft and elastic; it is used to make shoes, jackets, raincoats and luxury accessories.

2. According to processing and painting methods

Aniline coating is a finish that adds shine to leather and slightly evens out the surface. Unlike varnish, this coating has an unexpressed shine and is more transparent.

Tanning is a chemical process that turns animal hides and skins into tanned leather. The process uses acids, alkalis, salts, enzymes and tannins to dissolve fats and non-fibrous proteins. Vegetable tanning is based on the chemical action of plant materials containing tannin (tannic acid). The skins are soaked in cauldrons in a strong solution of these substances. Chemical tanning uses mineral salts such as chromium sulfate. Tanning can also be done using fish oil and synthetic types of tannin.

Suede

Suede has always been highly valued among knowledgeable people. This material is not for the lazy. Because it requires special care. First you need to define the terms and understand how to choose the right thing made of natural suede. Or rather, how not to buy fake faux suede.

And what is suede anyway? Suede is leather obtained from the hides of deer or sheep by fat tanning.

Natural suede is breathable and looks very elegant and sophisticated. Natural suede perfectly allows water to pass through, but as it swells it becomes waterproof. Today many famous designers they make elegant bags from suede.

When choosing a suede item, you need to remember that:

1. Natural suede should always have small scratches and pores;
2. By running your finger over natural suede, you will leave a trace of a different shade. The color of natural suede generally by its nature cannot be monochromatic;
3. Fine natural suede cannot be cheap;
4. Natural suede should subtly smell like leather. Faux suede either has no odor at all or has a faint synthetic odor.

Nappa

Nappa is treated cattle leather, which is distinguished by its high ductility, softness and very even coloring. Durable, but not very expensive. For example, leather jackets are made from it.

Velours

Velor is chrome-tanned leather, finished on the bakhtarma side to look like velvet using special grinding.

Suede

Suede - leather made from the skins of any not very large animals; the front side is melon; the pile is thick, but not fluffy and without shine; the skin is soft and does not absorb water well.

Shagreen

Shagreen - soft skin vegetable tanned made from the skins of sheep or goats, with a beautiful small relief pattern.

Laika

Laika - leather made from the skins of sheep, goats, dogs; tanning with aluminum alum using salt, flour and yolk; the leather is very soft, thin, flexible, and is used to make gloves.

Nubuck

Nubuck is a fine-haired leather of cattle (cow or calf), similar to suede, velvety to the touch.

patent leather

Patent leather - smooth skin, covered on top special varnish. Products made from it can only be worn at temperatures from −10 to +25 degrees and only in dry weather.

Faux leather

Artificial leather is a polymer material used instead of natural leather for the manufacture of shoes, clothing, haberdashery and technical products. It is made by applying a polyurethane film coating to a fabric base. Modern artificial leathers are complex multicomponent composite polymer materials with diverse purposes and compositions. Depending on which polymer is used, the corresponding prefix is ​​used in the name: elasto (elastomers (rubbers) are used), vinyl (polyvinyl chloride), amido (polyamides), nitro (nitrocellulose), urethane (polyurethanes).

Boiled leather

Boiled leather is vegetable tanned leather that has been immersed in hot water, boiling wax, or similar substances to increase its strength. Historically, such leather was used as armor and armor, due to its hardness and light weight, and also as a raw material for book bindings.

Vegan

Vegan - vegetable tanned, cattle or pork leather with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm. Designed specifically for the manufacture of carved elements that are widespread in subcultures, among bikers, as well as in the manufacture of traditional elements of costume and everyday life of residents of the Western United States (belts, saddles, holsters, scabbards, etc.).

Parchment

Parchment is a leather that gets its name from the name of the Greek city of Pergamum. This is rawhide, made from the skins of lambs, kids, and calves. It is used to make musical instruments, such as drums, some machine parts, book bindings, and women's jewelry. In the old days it served as the main material for writing.

Morocco

Saffiano is a thin, soft leather of special tanning (vegetable tanning), bags and cases from which are resistant to scratches and stains and are easy to clean.

Spilyuk (split velor)

Split leather (split leather velor) is a layer of leather obtained as a result of lamination (sanding). Used for making shoes, clothing, furniture. Small split grains and split grains (thin edges cut off) are used to prepare technical gelatin, glue and other collagen dissolution products.

Cheprak

Cheprak is a thick, dense leather produced by fat tanning from cattle hides taken from the back of the animal. It is the thickest type of genuine leather. It is used in the manufacture of saddles and all parts of harness, belts, trunks (musical, travel and sports), jewelry and accessories.

Shagreen

Shagreen is leather with a decorative pimpled surface. There is soft, vegetable or alum tanned, and hard, which is raw leather. Usually made from goat meat, sheep skins. A type of shagreen - galyusha - is made from raw skins of shark or stingray, which have a natural roughness.

Chevrette

Chevret - durable and elastic skin, made from sheep skins through chrome tanning. Used in the textile industry, used in the production of outerwear, footwear and various haberdashery products.

Shero

Chevro - soft, dense, durable leather, made by chrome tanning from goat skins, and later lamb, sheep and calf skins, used for shoes. Used for sewing haberdashery, bags, purses or dress shoes. Chevro is produced in Spain and Italy.

Floater

Floater is soft leather, but quite dense. It is ideal for making classic cases, purses, purses, bags, briefcases, business card holders and similar products.

Cheprak

Cheprak - leather raw material, the densest part of the skin; used for the production of belts.

Yuft

Yuft is a thick leather produced by fat tanning from cattle hides taken from the belly of the animal. The leather is very durable and they even say that if leather jacket from the yuft leather accidentally catches on the head of a nail, then more likely that the nail will fly out of its fastening, which will tear the jacket. Most often, it is used in the shoe industry, mainly for paramilitary units and security structures. The upper of the shoe receives an almost indefinite guarantee of wear resistance.

Madras

Softy

SOFTI is a classic leather, universal in its application. An excellent choice for both shoes and leather goods, since leather has all the necessary characteristics both in quality and strength.

We have listed for you almost all types of genuine leather, we hope you found it interesting!

In our online store, as well as men's, are made only from the most best views skin. Hurry up to choose the option that suits you only!

One of the most popular questions in stores with bags and shoes is whether this leather is genuine or is it fake leatherette? Often, even experienced specialists cannot immediately answer such a question. But how can you distinguish pressed leather from natural leather?

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What is pressed leather?

The vast majority of people, being in the role of buyers, want to receive the product High Quality, but the price is cheaper.

But, as practice shows, it is much easier to understand pricing than to ensure proper quality, especially if the manufacturer is new or the product is made from an unknown material. Most of all this concerns, of course, shoes.

In recent seasons, markets and stores in large quantities Inexpensive Chinese-made shoes made from newfangled “pressed leather” began to appear.

Sellers immediately positioned it as genuine leather. Not being a specialist, when a buyer sees a new item, he will take the product, being fully confident that he is buying high-quality shoes.

The cruel truth will emerge quickly - after just a month of active wear, such shoes will be covered with a network of cracks, and closer to two or three months, as practice shows, they will burst at the bend. This relates to the question of how reliable pressed leather can be considered.

Natural products are made from whole skins taken from animals. In order to obtain finished material from raw hide, more than fifty technological processes and manipulations will have to be carried out, during which its natural structure is carefully preserved.

The result is a strong, durable, slow-wearing material with excellent hygienic qualities. What is pressed leather for shoes? Only a material that is formed under high pressure from the last waste of natural materials. At this point, any similarity ends, and only differences remain.

Let's look specifically at what pressed leather for bags or shoes is.

• The most important component used in the production of such material is small trimmings and shreds, shavings, dust from cuts and all sorts of waste that remains after processing and cutting the skin.
• The second component is a synthetic binder fiber. It can be made from any material of synthetic origin: polyester, polyamide, polyethylene. At high temperatures they melt and stick together.
• The third component is a synthetic thermoplastic resin. It is added for additional better gluing and compaction of the fibrous structure of the product.

First, the leather waste is finely chopped in a granulator. The mixture of tiny fibers is then separated from the peri-fiber products. At the third stage, synthetic binder fiber, thermoplastic resin and other synthetic components are mixed into the composition. Then, using a special press machine, it all turns into a flat, thin sheet.

The next thing in line is drying the sheet in a special oven. Finally, the dried sheet is pressed again at a temperature above the melting point of the resins by 17-20 points, for a minute. With this effect, the resin melts and impregnates the entire fibrous structure, binding it together. After all these manipulations and after it all cools down, this leather-like matter is obtained, which is called “pressed”. Then all that remains is to make a beautiful finish.

How to distinguish pressed leather from real or artificial leather

The first thing you should pay attention to is that items made of genuine leather must have a special tag with information attached or glued to them. It indicates the country of manufacture, a special badge (it should repeat the design on the product itself), and on the pressed one there will simply be a diamond made of the same fabric attached. In addition to stickers and tags, you can find labels with the phrases: “Genuine Leather”, “Echtes Leder”.

Another important difference is the unique, special smell, it can be equated to the smell of good expensive perfume. Sellers are also well aware of this “trick” and therefore often specially use all sorts of aromas in stores to deceive the sense of smell of dear customers.

The next point is that good workmanship differs from artificial leather its softness, non-fragility, uniform structure (the pattern must always be visible and be the same throughout the entire product), color and thickness (an exception can only be when the matter is compacted according to GOST). The pores on the pressed product are absolutely identical and are in a strictly unnatural order, while natural pores are placed randomly.

Another attribute is slices. Try to find them, in a real product this will be quite problematic since they are all always hidden. If you notice a textile base (fabric and protruding threads) in the seam, it is absolutely certain that this is real leatherette. There is no need to focus on the cut of the tape that covers the zipper or fastener; often this is where the natural material is specially placed to divert eyes.

Now carefully and carefully examine the seams: the edge is sealed, straight and flat, this indicates that this is an “abs”.

A natural product is always produced with a large, slightly rolled, folded edge.

Another little trick that will help you distinguish a fake: bring a lighter to your shoe (but so that the seller does not find out about this, they can often force you to pay for the product for this!), the natural lighter will not light up or flare up, but will simply smolder slowly.

The press will quickly turn into dust. Which means that with high humidity, such a low-quality product will simply lose its entire presentation in just a week.

Another option is to drip some water onto your skin. If it quickly absorbs and darkens, then this is a 100% natural product; if not, it’s leatherette.

Finally, touch the product with your palms. The “correct” leather will quickly heat up and give off its heat to your hands, but the leatherette will remain cold.

And most importantly, remember that a product that is too cheap cannot be made from natural materials. It is best to choose fashionable and high-quality products in branded shoe and bag stores with a good reputation. And then your purchase will last you a very long time.