Fake Leather Is Not Real Leather. But it is very hard to know what is real or fake; therefore we help you identify What Fake Leather Is by discussing the following.
What Are The Characteristics Of Fake Leather vs Real Leather
✓ The Smell
Real leather has the leather smell or a leather scent. Fake leather has a chemical smell.
✓ The Cost
Real leather is more expensive than fake leather. Man-made leather does not require searching for the best hide or skin and performing elaborate tanning and finishing processes.
The Touch And Feel
✓ Fake leather does not have the same touch and feel; however, they do feel so much like real leather.
The Look
✓ The surface of fake leather is definitely not the same. The best way to identify the difference is to compare a piece of real to a piece of fake. The real does look natural.
The Moisture
✓ Real leather will absorb a droplet of water. The droplet will stay visible on the top of fake leather.
The Edge
✓ The edge near a seam will be smooth or precisely cut if it is fake. Real leather has a more natural rugged looking edge.
The Burn
✓ Of course you will not be able to test this. But real leather will char. Fake leather will actually burn and smell awful, like plastic.
The Pores
✓ Real leather has pores which are noticeable when the leather is bent or folded.
The Puncture Or Tear
✓ Fake leather can be punctured or torn. Real leather cannot be punctured though the pores may be stretched.
The Luster Or Patina
✓ Fake leather will not increase in luster or patina during wear. Real leather looks more exquisite as it ages.
The Peel
✓ Many fake leathers will peel during the aging process. Real leather will not peel.
The Label
✓ Real leather will always have a label indicating 100 percent real leather, 100 percent genuine leather, 100 percent full-grain leather, 100 percent top-grain leather, 100 percent suede leather, or such.
Buying a product online does not give us the opportunity to touch, feel, or see the leather to know if it is real or fake unless the product description is very specific. In some cases it is impossible to really identify the fake from the real using the product description. Therefore, use the names of fake leather to help you out.
What Are The Names Of Fake Leather?
The names used for “fake leather” can be very deceiving because they sound like great “real” leather names. The names falsely lead consumers to think they are getting something better than they actually are. We don’t want you to make the mistake of buying fake leather when you really wanted to buy “real” leather. The following list of fake leather names is meant to help you know if a particular material is real leather or not.
Bi-cast Leather
This material is not 100 percent leather. In actuality it is a byproduct of leather. It is made from split leather, which is then laminated and strengthened with polyethylene or a vinyl top layer. It is embossed to give it the appearance of grain and to make it look more leather-like.
Blended Leather
This is made up of small pieces of real leather bonded together with polyurethane.
Bonded Leather
It has small pieces of discarded real leather bonded to a polyurethane backing.
Cordura Leather
This is a strong, tough nylon fabric.
Eco-Leather
This a synthetic leather look alike made from man made materials. Do not confuse it with leather treated in a eco-friendly way or the leather tanning process which uses non chemicals such as chrome but uses vegetable tanning instead.
Faux Leather
This material is made by applying or laminating a polyurethane or vinyl finish to base material, usually polyester, cotton, nylon or rayon.
Faux Grain Leather
This has a base material such as polyester, cotton, nylon or rayon coated with polyurethane or a similar polymer and then has a roller applied artificial grain pattern to the material’s surface to recreate the look of animal hide.
Leatherette
It is a synthetic leather. It is typically made from natural or synthetic cloth fibers coated in PVC or polyurethane. It contains no animal by-products such as animal hide.
Man Made Leather
The material is not made from an animal hide. It is made in the laboratory including the use of chemicals.
Microfiber Leather
This is microfiber PU (polyurethane) synthetic (faux) leather. It is a microfiber non-woven fabric coated with a layer of high performance PU (polyurethane) resin.
Mirror Effect Leather Or Lai Mirror Leather
It is fake leather with a metalized, mirror effect, made of Polyester/Polyurethane. The fold test will not work because when folded Lai Leather will get a wrinkled, leather-like effect.
Naugahyde Leather
This is vinyl coated fabric. It is often a knit fabric with a plastic coating.
Patina Leather
This is a new technological term applied to the process of taking high grade polyurethane resin and combining it with ultra-fine microfiber bundles to mimic the structure of leather.
Pleather Leather
This is a slang term for “plastic leather”. It is made by bonding the plastic on top of a fabric.
PU Leather
This material has no leather. It is constructed with polyurethane.
ReCast Leather
Just like its name suggests, it is recycled leather granules that are highly processed with polyurethane.
Reconstituted Leather
It is small real leather pieces bonded together with polyurethane.
Textile Leather
This is a fabric not real leather.
Ultra-microfiber Leather
This is material made by taking high grade polyurethane resin and ultra-fine microfiber bundles and combining them together to mimic the microscopic structure of leather.
Vegan Leather
The material is made from innovative and sustainable materials such as pineapple leaves, cork, apple peels, or other fruit wastes. It can also be made from polyurethane.
Vinyl Synthetic Leather
This material is constructed with polyvinyl chloride.
New names keep appearing as the textile industry creates new chemical formulas. If you find a name that is not already on our “Fake Leather Names” List, please let us know so we can add it.
How To Identify Fake Leather
Looking at the image on the right makes it impossible to identify the fake from the real genuine leather; therefore, if you are shopping online, be sure to always look at the product description.
Look for phrases such as “Real Genuine”, “Full-Grain”, “Top-Grain”, “Split Leather”, “Suede Leather”, “Nubuck” and such terms. These are real genuine leather products.
We endeavor to include only real genuine leather products on GenuineLeatherWear.com. So if you are looking for only Real Leather, this website will save you time during your shopping experience.
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