What is the Characteristics of Vegetable-Tanned Leather?

Characteristics of Vegetable-Tanned Leather:

1. High Tensile Strength and Good Toughness

Vegetable-tanned leather can be crafted into leather with excellent toughness. To this day, Veg-tanned leather remains the primary material for creating durable and resilient horse equipment leather and industrial use. The technology for producing vegetable-tanned leather has been mastered, including techniques for oiling, pressing, and tanning.

2. Strong Plasticity

Plasticity refers to the ability of vegetable-tanned leather to maintain its shape after being altered. Leveraging this property, one can create resilient leather goods that perfectly fit the items they contain, as well as clothing and footwear that adapt to the wearer’s body, providing a comfortable experience. However, due to its susceptibility to retaining imperfections and impressions, it is also known as a plastic leather.

3. High Water Absorption

Compared to chrome-tanned leather, vegetable-tanned leather has good water absorption, making it easier to remove stains. This characteristic has the downside of being prone to deterioration due to moisture, but it also has the advantage of being easily dyed.

4. Color Change Over Time

Vegetable-tanned leather is highly plastic and changes color over time. After a period, it can turn into a tea-brown hue, adding a unique charm to the leather as it ages, which is widely appreciated by many.

5. Time-Consuming Tanning Process

Depending on the specific conditions, the process of tanning raw hides into vegetable-tanned leather can take several months, making the finished product extremely time-consuming and costly. As a result, the production is limited, and the price is high.

Influenced by light and pressure, vegetable-tanned leather also changes color over time. Its plasticity allows it to maintain its shape and enables the possibility of embossing designs on the leather.