Reference

Leather & thread database

Fourteen leathers and twelve threads, with the properties that actually change how they work: tannage, thickness, temper, wax and size. Sort by any column, open a row for detail, or compare up to three side by side.

Leather

Name	Tannage	Thickness	Temper	Colour	Origin	Cost band
Veg-Tan Natural	Veg-Tan	1.8 mm	Firm	Natural	Italy	$$
Veg-Tan Natural — Wallets, card holders and any piece that will be tooled or burnished. The default beginner leather. It takes dye and stamps well and burnishes to a hard, glossy edge.
Veg-Tan Shoulder	Veg-Tan	3.0 mm	Firm	Natural	USA	$$$
Veg-Tan Shoulder — Belts, straps and heavy bags that need to hold their shape. Dense and firm with a tight grain. Expect a long break-in and a very durable result.
Veg-Tan Double Butt	Veg-Tan	3.6 mm	Firm	Tan	USA	$$$
Veg-Tan Double Butt — Heavy belts, harness work and saddle parts. Cut from the thickest part of the hide, so the fibres are dense and the temper is stiff.
Veg-Tan Skiver	Veg-Tan	1.0 mm	Medium	Natural	Italy	$$
Veg-Tan Skiver — Linings, pockets and folded edges where bulk must stay low. A thin, even split that glues down flat. Useful for lining wallets without adding thickness.
Veg-Tan Tooling	Veg-Tan	2.4 mm	Firm	Natural	UK	$$
Veg-Tan Tooling — Carved and stamped panels such as notebook covers and sheaths. Cased and stamped cleanly with a crisp impression. Keeps the tooling sharp after drying.
Veg-Tan Chestnut	Veg-Tan	2.0 mm	Medium	Chestnut	Italy	$$
Veg-Tan Chestnut — Bags, satchels and straps that want a warm pre-dyed tone. Factory dyed through the thickness, so cut edges stay coloured and need less finishing.
Chrome-Tan Calf	Chrome-Tan	1.2 mm	Soft	Black	Italy	$$
Chrome-Tan Calf — Wallets, small goods and linings that must feel supple. Smooth, fine grained and pliable. Will not burnish, so finish edges with paint instead.
Chrome-Tan Garment	Chrome-Tan	0.9 mm	Very Soft	Brown	India	$
Chrome-Tan Garment — Garments, soft pouches and lightweight linings. Drapes like cloth and takes a machine stitch well. Too soft for structural work.
Chrome-Tan Upholstery	Chrome-Tan	1.6 mm	Medium	Brown	China	$
Chrome-Tan Upholstery — Bag panels, covers and practice pieces where cost matters. An economical all-round chrome-tan with a slightly embossed grain. Good for first projects.
Chrome-Tan Goat	Chrome-Tan	0.8 mm	Soft	Grey	France	$$
Chrome-Tan Goat — Lining fine goods and small folded pieces. Thin, strong and lightly grained. Excellent as a lining where weight must stay minimal.
Chrome-Tan Black	Chrome-Tan	1.4 mm	Medium	Black	Turkey	$
Chrome-Tan Black — Everyday bags, straps and covers in a plain black finish. Even colour with a matte surface. Holds shape better than garment leather.
Oil-Tan Pull-Up	Oil-Tan	2.0 mm	Soft	Tan	USA	$$
Oil-Tan Pull-Up — Belts, bags and straps where a patina is wanted. Oils move under the surface and lighten where the leather bends, giving a lived-in look.
Oil-Tan Crazy Horse	Oil-Tan	1.8 mm	Medium	Brown	Italy	$$$
Oil-Tan Crazy Horse — Boots, bags and rustic goods that should age with use. A waxy pull-up with a heavily distressed look. Scratches rub out with a little warmth.
Oil-Tan Field	Oil-Tan	2.4 mm	Medium	Brown	Germany	$$
Oil-Tan Field — Work belts, tool rolls and outdoor gear. Tough and water resistant from the oil content. Stiff at first, then softens with wear.

Thread

Name	Material	Size	Wax	Length	Colour	Cost band
Waxed Linen Natural 0.6 mm	Linen	0.6 mm	Beeswax	25 m	Natural	$
Waxed Linen Natural 0.6 mm — General hand stitching on wallets, belts and bags. The classic saddle stitch thread. It swells slightly with wax and fills the hole neatly.
Waxed Linen Black 0.8 mm	Linen	0.8 mm	Beeswax	25 m	Black	$$
Waxed Linen Black 0.8 mm — Heavy straps and belts where a bold seam is wanted. A thicker linen for large stitches. Use it with a 5 mm chisel so the seam stays balanced.
Waxed Linen Brown 0.5 mm	Linen	0.5 mm	Pre-waxed	50 m	Brown	$
Waxed Linen Brown 0.5 mm — Fine wallet work and small goods with a tight pitch. A fine linen that suits a 3 mm chisel. Brown blends well with tan and chestnut leather.
Waxed Linen Ecru 0.7 mm	Linen	0.7 mm	Beeswax	25 m	Ecru	$$
Waxed Linen Ecru 0.7 mm — Mid-weight bags and covers with a natural contrast seam. Ecru gives a soft contrast against natural veg-tan without the harshness of white.
Waxed Linen Red 0.6 mm	Linen	0.6 mm	Beeswax	25 m	Red	$$
Waxed Linen Red 0.6 mm — Decorative seams on black and natural leather. A deliberate contrast colour. Keep the stitch line straight, since any wobble will show.
Polyester White 0.5 mm	Polyester	0.5 mm	Unwaxed	100 m	White	$
Polyester White 0.5 mm — High contrast seams and machine-assisted work. Strong and rot resistant. Wax it yourself before hand stitching so it grips in the hole.
Polyester Black 0.4 mm	Polyester	0.4 mm	Unwaxed	100 m	Black	$
Polyester Black 0.4 mm — Fine work and small goods with a discreet seam. Very fine and smooth. Best with a 3 mm chisel and a slim needle.
Polyester Tan 0.6 mm	Polyester	0.6 mm	Paraffin blend	50 m	Tan	$$
Polyester Tan 0.6 mm — Outdoor gear and straps that may get wet. The paraffin blend resists moisture better than beeswax. Good for field gear.
Polyester Grey 0.5 mm	Polyester	0.5 mm	Unwaxed	100 m	Grey	$
Polyester Grey 0.5 mm — Neutral seams on chrome-tan and grey-toned leather. A quiet colour that disappears on mid-tones. Strong enough for load-bearing seams.
Nylon Black 0.6 mm	Nylon	0.6 mm	Pre-waxed	30 m	Black	$$
Nylon Black 0.6 mm — Bags, straps and anything that will be handled hard. Nylon is the strongest of the three fibres and has a little stretch, which helps it lock.
Nylon Natural 0.5 mm	Nylon	0.5 mm	Pre-waxed	30 m	Natural	$$
Nylon Natural 0.5 mm — Everyday wallets and small goods. A good all-round nylon. The stretch means you should not pull the seam too tight.
Nylon Brown 0.8 mm	Nylon	0.8 mm	Pre-waxed	30 m	Brown	$$$
Nylon Brown 0.8 mm — Heavy belts and horse tack where strength is critical. A thick, tough nylon for large stitches. Pair it with a 5 mm chisel and a heavy needle.

Compare

How to read this

Tannage decides almost everything else. Vegetable-tanned leather takes tooling, dye and burnishing beautifully and is the default for anything carved or moulded. Chrome-tanned is softer, more uniform and more water-resistant, which suits bags and linings. Oil-tanned sits between the two and is the traditional choice for straps and anything that will be pulled on.

Temper is the stiffness of the hide. Firm leather holds a shape; soft leather drapes. A wallet wants firm, a bag wants soft.

Cost bands

Cost bands are relative, not prices: $ is the cheapest workable option, $$$ is the most expensive. This site sells nothing, so nothing here is quoted in currency — the band only tells you where a material sits relative to the others.

Sourcing. Ask your supplier where the hide came from and how it was tanned. Leather is a by-product, but that is not a licence to ignore welfare or the environmental cost of the tannery.

Educational use only. Hide & Stitch is an independent, non-commercial reference. Nothing here is for sale and nothing here is a substitute for competent in-person instruction. Edged tools, dyes, solvents and adhesives can cause serious injury — read and follow the manufacturer instructions and safety data sheets, and work with ventilation and appropriate protection. Material data is representative of common products and varies between suppliers and batches.

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