GUIDE - Parts of bovine leather

1. THE NECK

The NECK is the skin located around the animal's neck. Since this part is very mobile on the animal, the leather may show some wrinkles (in our opinion, this adds visual richness). It remains a very resistant part of the leather.

2. THE BUTT

The BUTT is the part of the skin covering the back down to the rump (i.e., the hindquarters). This part is renowned as the noblest part of the leather: regular, dense, and thick. Its stretch* is almost nil.

At the end of the butt is the croupon: this part is less regular but remains a good part, especially in small animals.

3. THE BELLY

The BELLY corresponds to the underside of the animal (i.e., its stomach). It is the least noble part of the leather with a high stretch* (elasticity) which limits its use. Its use should be limited to items that are not subject to significant traction.

4. THE STRIP

A strip corresponds to a half-hide.
A strip is therefore composed of a half-neck, a half-butt, and a belly.

5. THE HALF-BACK

A half-back corresponds to a strip without the bellies, so only the noble parts of the leather remain. This part is used for creations requiring great lengths (more than 2 meters): for example, saddlery and equestrian items. By deduction, a full back is a whole hide sold without the bellies.

6. *THE STRETCH

The stretch direction of leather refers to the direction of the skin's elasticity, specifically the direction in which the leather will lengthen and deform the most. The stretch direction is distributed differently across the same hide. Generally, for an adult bovine hide, the stretch direction is lengthwise in the rump and crosswise in the butt, neck, bellies, and legs.