Did you know that Genuine Leather is actually the lowest quality of real leather you can get?

Whether it’s ‘authentic Genuine Leather’ or ‘Genuine Italian Leather’ it’s a front for lower quality yet affordable leather. Discover the trick to spotting Genuine Leather and the reason why people use it.

Here’s the untold truth on Genuine Leather.

While Genuine Leather is still real leather it is the lowest of the low quality leather you can possibly make. In order to make Genuine Leather you What this means is that it isn’t as durable as the other grades of leather and does not age well. Genuine Leather is the result of whatever is left after the Full Grain and Top Grain Leather has been stripped away.

The image below depicts where the Genuine Leather would be located on the cow's hide. It also shows where Full Grain, Top Grain and Genuine Leather would be cut from.

Here's something rare that we'll share with you, the truth. In many circumstances Genuine Leather is in fact split leather. What this means is that the interior of the lower layers of the hide are stripped off. In other cases Genuine Leather is made up of multiple materials like scraps of leather, artificial materials, and bonding agents. Genuine Leather may make a great impression at first, but don't be fooled because it won't last for very long. The term Genuine Leather was purposefully made to be vague. The term, Genuine Leather, is simply defined as real leather being present in a product. The lowest quality of leathers like Biscast and Bonded Leather could also be considered Genuine Leather. Leathers like Biscast and Bonded Leather are known as the bottom leathers and are not durable or breathable. These type of leathers will never develop a leather patina and they tend to crack and split quickly.

Genuine Leather is often sold at a cheaper price point and can be seen in lower-priced department stores. It also doesn’t look as nice in comparison to Top Grain and Full Grain Leather. Genuine Leather is typically made up of multiple layers bonded with glue.

Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference at first glance, because Genuine Leather is painted to look like a higher and better quality leather. Genuine Leather will not have any natural imperfections imbedded in its texture. Nor will it develop a rich patina overtime with age. In other words Genuine Leather will not have any characteristics or a personality as it ages and will simply wear out.

The biggest attraction to genuine leather is that it is quick and cheap to produce. If you are buying something cheap and you’re not that interested in the quality then Genuine Leather is acceptable. Generally the advantages of selecting Genuine Leather aside from the price, is to have something that looks and feels like leather even if it's not the highest or top quality of leathers. However if Genuine Leather is properly cared for and isn't used on a daily basis then it could last for several years.

If you wanted to buy a more affordably priced product that wouldn’t be used on a daily basis then this leather is the right fit for you.