Is Ostrich Leather Better Than Cow Leather? A Guide to Leather Products

Is ostrich leather better than cow leather? This guide will give you all the information you need.

Is Ostrich Leather Better Than Cow Leather?

Just like many other things, the nature and degree of leathers differ. You may have read a thing or two on the internet about ostrich leather and cow leather.  If you have, you’ve probably heard the claim that ostrich leather is stronger than cow leather. But is it true?

Let's look at some of the differences between the two and find out which one is better than the other.

Cowhide Leather

Cowhide leather is one of the most common types of leather from animals. Cowskin leather is created through the cowhide tanning process.

The leather is also known as the traditional cowboy boots leather as it is a common material used to make boots. This type of leather makes strong work boots because of their durability and difficulty to tear or puncture.

You can print it to imitate exotic leather such as lizard and snake leathers. It’s also a great material for sewing. Read our guide on how to sew leather for more information.

Ostrich Leather

Ostrich leather is a unique crafting material famous for its durability, flexibility, soft and bendable nature. Ostrich leather is one of the most exotic types of leather in the market. It creates distinctively beautiful leather products with a unique appearance.

Ostrich leather is unmatched for its firmness. It is one of the toughest leathers in the market. This leather can be separated into thin layers, remaining strong and creating lightweight garments.

Ostrich skin leather has gained popularity for being an exotic leather material. When an ostrich is slaughtered, the skin on the ostrich leg and body undergo the tanning process to produce gorgeous ostrich leather. Ostrich leg leather creates beautiful products due to its unique quill pattern, such as ostrich boots.

Ostrich leather has a unique look of elegance. If you put on a pair of ostrich work boots, you will get a feeling of great comfort due to the supple nature of the leather. In addition, the leather produces full quill ostrich cowboy boots that are handcrafted from unique grain leather and beautiful quill ostrich vamp construction. 

The main differentiating characteristic of ostrich leather is the quill mark. Full quill ostrich leather is a costly type of ostrich leather. The half quill has less of a quill pattern. The quill pattern is the outcome of the large follicles, which each had a feather.

One of the pros of ostrich leather is it will resist cracking. The material contains natural oils that contribute to its durability. The natural oils protect the leather from sun exposure.

According to the findings above, you will learn that ostrich leather is not only among the finest but also the most durable leather. Ostrich leather is one of the top range types of leather in the world because of its soft texture and high resistance. Cowhide leather is affordable and durable; however, ostrich leather surpasses its quality.

How Can You Tell the Difference Between Ostrich and Cow Leather?

• Ostrich leathers are exotic hence expensive than cow leathers. Ostrich leathers have a scaly texture and look. If you run your hands through the leather, you will feel bumps. 

• Cow leather is heavy even as a finished product and looks rugged. On the other hand, Ostrich leather is lighter even as a finished product.

• Cow leather is not as soft and smooth as ostrich leather. Ostrich leather is loved because of being smooth yet very strong.

Is Ostrich Leather Durable?

Despite being soft leather, ostrich leather is unequaled for its tactile strength. Ostrich leather is well known for being strong, flexible, durable, and more so supple.

Ostrich leather contains natural oils that resist cracking under high temperatures and prolonged exposure to the sun. The natural oils enhance the stiffness of the leather. 

Ostrich leather is a popular material for wallets, handbags, cowboy boots, motorcycle seats, belts, and more. These products often prove long-lasting, capable of being enjoyed for many years to come.

How Much Is Ostrich Leather?

Ostrich leather is one of the most exotic leathers available, thus expensive.  

Why is ostrich leather so expensive? Ostrich has beautiful follicles and less skin which makes the production process complicated and expensive. Another reason for this is that ostriches are rare to find compared to cattle.

Guide to Leather Types & Its Products

There are so many types of leather in the leather market with different qualities and benefits.

Selecting the correct leather for your project will give you great results. Below are the different leather types you need to be familiar with.

Full-Grain Leather

Full-grain leather is the highest quality of leather. It is made from the outside layer of the hide, also known as the grain. This part of leather does not undergo buffing to get rid of imperfection. Only hair is removed from the hide. 

If full-grain leather happens to have very few imperfections such as cuts, it becomes more appealing to the eye and hence sold at a very high price.

The outer layer has water resistance qualities. Full-grain leather has a natural patina that darkens with time to create a beautiful look. The products made from full-grain leather are saddlery, footwear, and furniture.

Top-Grain Leather

The cut in this leather is indistinguishable from full-grain leather. Top-grain leather undergoes buffing to remove any imperfections. It is softer and more flexible with different dyes applied to it. Buffing removes a lot of strength and water repellent qualities. 

Top-grain leather is used to make excellent quality and most expensive handbags, wallets and shoes.

Genuine Leather

Genuine leather can be obtained from any layer of the hide. It undergoes treatment onto the surface to bring out a uniform appearance. 

Genuine leather is buffed to remove imperfections on the surface, dyed, and stamped with leather stamping tools to give it a perfect final surface look. It is not top-quality leather because buffing removes the preferred qualities of leather. 

Genuine leather is often used to make belts. Learn more in our guide, How to Make a Leather Belt.

Split-Grain Leather

This leather is obtained from the lower level of the top-grain area of the hide. The natural surface of split-grain leather is not as thick, tight, and valuable as top-grain and full-grain.

Split-grain leather is used to produce leathers that are colored, embossed and surface altered in a significant way.

Bonded Leather

This is recycled leather made of leather scraps that are finely shredded and reconstructed together using latex onto a fiber sheet. This method affects the functionality and beauty of the finished product. Bonded Leather is used to make wallets, purses, wrist bands, and sunglass cases.

As a customer, getting value for your money is very important. If you are searching for excellent quality leather, then Stonestreet Leather has you covered. Check out our website and browse our variety of leathers to select from.