Skip to main content

Why Is Car Leather Different From Other Leather

Most consumers are not aware that there is any difference between the leather of their shoes, sofa, or car seats. Leather is leather (unless it isn’t), but closer inspection reveals that there’s a big difference between the materials used in fashion or upholstery and the ones used in your car. Automotive leathers are an entirely different product, highly engineered and designed to meet the most stringent performance, aesthetic and environmental requirements, and customer demands.

Quality and performance

Leather is a natural product, which means there’s a certain level of variety. Normally it’s the surface texture that tells us something about the quality. Yet, like with every product, you need to find the right balance between quality, performance and application. Some examples in different kinds of leathers are: An upholstery leather will need to be softer and more malleable than shoe upper. Grease Additive are used to make the hide fibers soft. Belts, saddles have a focus on appearance but are working items that need more firmness and may have less softness. Chamois leather used to dry your car uses fish oils.

Why are all these leathers produced with different properties and not just treated to have the best on all fronts? Different ways of making leather result in performance tailored for the purpose. Unlike the leather for your jacket or shoes, automotive leather would be a little firm. Compare it to fabrics: the material that would be beautiful for a wedding gown is a horrible choice for hiking gear. Another example is denim shirts, which are a much softer, thinner denim than is used for your jeans. More and different performance qualities than needed would simply be wasted and use more resources than needed. Car leather is a peculiar case in that regard, as it is one of the leathers that needs to do a lot. Its property is not singularly focused on either hardness, flexibility, resistance, or touch. It’s all of these properties. Let’s have a closer look.

Automotive leather – Thickness

One of the differences is in the leather thickness. Weight reduction in car interiors is a focal point and has been for some years, especially with the increase of electric car mobility. Other mobility sectors face the same challenge because less weight means a reduction in fuel consumption. The thickness of leather, though, determines how strong and resistant it is to damage. Car leathers are commonly less than 1.4mm thick, with surface coatings less than 50µm thick.To achieve this thickness, the hide is shaved. The thickness is always quoted as a range by the tanner as it will vary by as little as 0.1 mm (one-tenth of a millimeter).

Automotive leather - performance

Another major difference between automotive leather and other leather types are performance standards. Consumers expect higher expectations from car leather compared to other leather types. After all, car interiors are subjected to heavy use, high temperatures, sunlight (UV), staining, and soiling. Many of these issues are already dealt with by the natural properties of leather. Standards continue to improve, and coatings enhance the natural qualities of the materials. Light fastness, rub fastness, (chemical) resistance, and flexibility help car seats to withstand the daily wear, tear, scuff, stain, and soiling. Temperatures in vehicles can go up to around 100°C, so stopping the leather from shrinking or cracking is vital. Obviously, these properties are not unique to car leather, but combining high-resistance levels with a pleasant touch and feel qualities is where it stands out.

Automotive leather - Look and touch

Leather gets a lot of additional properties during the finishing stage. It determines resistance levels, but also the final look and feel of the material. Automotive interiors demand perfection, so every leather is finished in such a way to create an equal surface and even cut. It needs to be flexible as well, move with its user, but bounce back afterwards.

Special colouring using dyes and pigments add a unique appeal, often with a matte look effect. This serves both aesthetic and safety needs, as sunlight should not be reflected from the surfaces. Special coating technologies help realize this, but also add a unique feel to the material. Milling leather in the dry milling, enables tanners to add specific textures, which add to the interior appeal. Car interiors need uniformity, so everything is reproducible. The texture and even the feel of the material. The handling can be vastly different.

Car leather is built to last

It probably comes as no surprise that automotive leather is made to last for many years. Little special care is needed, as the leather is made to withstand its use and most frequent forms of damage. Most impressive though is the type of treatment the leather has had. Any material we touch frequently, in a space we spend hours in, should be safe. Most of the treatment of leather, the finishing, and aftercare products are water- or bio-based. If you also wonder about the ‘new car smell’ being gone from many cars, it’s because interiors are more and more VOC-free. Meaning, no volatile organic compounds in the in-car air.

Bensen auto leather matches each mat model to a specific car model. we offer different color products, and it is a healthy material, it does not contain formaldehyde, keep the fresh air in the car.

Media Contact
Company Name: D&L Industry And Trade (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd.
Email: Send Email
Phone: 86-13776589505
Country: China
Website: https://www.carsleather.com/


Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.