There are basically four types of leather,
although there are other designations, such as suede,
reconstituted, etc. Italian leather is just leather from Italy.
Full-grain leather is the highest
quality and longest-lasting type. It is characterized by its
luxurious, smooth surface and it has few, if any, flaws. It is
the most popular type of leather. It has not been snuffed,
sanded, or buffed to remove any natural marks or imperfections
from its surface. It is used in making high-quality footwear
and furniture. The second layer or lower layer of the skin
left after removing the full grain layer is the split suede
and will be suede on both sides.
Top-grain leather is second highest
quality and what you will find in fine leather goods and
designer stores. It has better stain resistance and is less
expensive than full-grain leather.
Split leather
or corrected grain leather,
also known as genuine leather, is produced using the skin
layers that remain after the top is split off and from the
corium. Split leather tends to be tougher in texture due
to the fact that is resides under the top layers and is
mostly used in applications that do not require the
leather to be soft, like furniture backs and sides.
Usually, the surface is spray painted and embossed with a
leather-like pattern to resemble natural appearance.
Genuine leather is made
from real leather, but is lower in quality.
Bonded leather is the lowest and
cheapest grade of leather. It is made up of leftovers from the
hide, including dust and shavings. These are bonded together
using polyurethane or latex on top of a fiber sheet. It is
often spray-painted to look like full or top grain leather. It
is used on low end furniture and book bindings.
Incidentally, drop a
small amount of water on a sample. Real leather absorbs
moisture. If the good is fake, the water will puddle up on top,
but real leather will absorb a small drop of water in a few
seconds, showing it is genuine.