Before getting to the heart of this article, it is important to come back to an important word in the world of leather: "the prêtant".
The French term “prêtant” is used to refer to the elasticity of a leather with his ability not to distort. Indeed, when a leather is elastic it is said to have some prêtant.
To come back to our article, you should know that bovine leather exists in different forms, depending on the different parts of the animal.
Specifically, here are the different parts and terms that can be found in the leather world.
How do I recognize different parts of the leather?
Shoulder / "Collet"
The shoulder leather corresponds to the neck of the cow, which is why, visually, there are wrinkles.
You too, put your head back, you will see folds forming. It is exactly the same with animals. This is what makes leather look beautiful and unique.
Remember that the shoulder is a solid leather with varying thicknesses. Therefore, the thicker the shoulder, the less prêtant.
The leather Flank:
The flanks correspond to the belly of the beast, making it a part with slackening.
Indeed, when a beast eats, its belly widens before returning to its original shape, which is what explains the elasticity of this leather.
Therefore, flanks are not recommended for designs that require traction (leather belt, harness, shoes) etc.
The Butt :
Butt is the part below the shoulder that extends to the animal’s butt. It is the most resistant leather with few wrinkles and few loaners.
The back :
The back or "dosset" in French, corresponds to the back of the cow without the flanks (butt + shoulder).
It is rarely found in this format, it is usually cut in half lengthwise (half-back).
Back leather is usually used for riding, it allows to have length (180 cm to 250 cm approximately) and is very resistant.
La "culatte" :
"Culatte" is a rather rare product, it is composed of a half flank and a half butt.
The band :
The band corresponds to a half leather skin in the direction of the length, it is the most common product in leather goods, to summarize we will have a half shoulder + a half butt + a flank.
We invite you to read our other articles on our BLOG.
You will find tips, tricks and technical elements that will allow you to become a real expert in the subject.