Three Grades of Genuine Leather                               

• Full-Grain Leather – This is the most expensive and highest grade of genuine leather that you can get. Since it uses the entire layer of the animal hide that hasn’t been buffed or sanded, it includes the imperfections and natural marks on the rawhide. It’s extremely tough and durable, making it ideal for heavy-duty use. Full-grain leather ages better compared to the two other grades.                                                            
• Split-Grain Leather – Sometimes called suede, split grain leather is the most affordable and has the lowest quality out of the three grades. Since the entire layer can be hard to work with, manufacturers split the hides into two, dividing it into the upper and lower layer. Split-grain leather uses the lower layer which is flexible and abrasion-resistant. To give it an artificial grain texture, it is pigmented and embossed.    
• Top-Grain Leather – Ranking between full and split-grain leathers, this is comprised of the upper layer of the animal hide. The imperfections of the rawhide are sanded away before being treated and dyed for a consistent look. Appearance-wise, it is on par with full-grain leather but, it doesn’t age as well.