Lessons In Leather

What Does Leather Weight Mean?

Ever grab a piece of leather and think,

“Okay… but how thick is this really?”

If someone says “5 oz leather,” they’re talking about thickness, not weight. (No bison on a scale involved.) Leather "weight" is simply how thick a hide is. Before tools to accurately measure thickness, a one square foot of leather was cut from a hide then weighed.

This gave us the "weight" of the leather.

Thickness/weight is measured in:
Ounces (oz) – common in the US
Millimeters (mm) – common everywhere else
Quick rule:
1 oz ≈ 1/64 inch ≈ 0.4 mm

How Leather Thickness Is Measured
Leathercrafters don’t pinch leather and hope for the best. And we don't need to put a piece on a scale. We use tools.

Leather Thickness Gauges
Clamp-style tools with a dial or digital display. Slide the leather in, close it, read the number. Easy and consistent.
Pro tip: Measure in a few spots—leather will vary throughout the hide.

Leather Thickness Compared to Coins
Don't have a gauge. Most don't. They are pricey. But don't worry... you can use US coins as a visual reference:
(1) dime is approx. 3 oz.
(1) penny is approx. 3.5 oz.
(1) quarter is approx. 4 oz.
(1) nickel is approx. 4.5 oz.
Trying to figure out something thicker? Just stack your coins.

Not perfect science—but great for quick mental math at the bench and an easy way to try and match a hide you have when ordering more.

Keep in mind that the type of leather (deer, goat, buffalo, etc) does not determine what the leather weight is. We can process (split) hides to any desired weight. So it is possible to have a buffalo hide that is thinner than a deer hide. It all depends on the desired weight and end use.
Also, thickness does not determine hand or the feel/softness of a hide. This is also determined by the tanning and finishing process.

Since there are a lot of variables we always encourage our customers to reach out with any questions before ordering. We will gladly help find the right weight leather for your project.

How Leather Hides Are Measured

(And What Those Numbers Actually Mean)

If you’ve ever bought leather for a shirt, bag, or other projects and noticed prices listed by the square foot you’ve run into leather measurement.

It’s not complicated, but it is different from buying fabric off a neat little roll. L

Leather Is Measured by Area
Leather hides are measured by surface area, not by length or width—which matters a lot when you’re planning patterns, layouts, and yield for leathercraft projects.

That’s because hides are natural shapes—no straight edges, no perfect rectangles.

The most common units you’ll see are:

Square feet (sq ft) – common in the US
Square meters (sqm) – common internationally
If a hide is marked “22 sq ft,” that means the entire usable surface area of that hide adds up to 22 square feet.

What Those Numbers on the Hide Mean
Those handwritten or stamped numbers usually represent the total measured area of the hide.

Measuring to the Nearest Quarter Square Foot
Most commercial leather measuring machines calculate hide size to the nearest quarter of a square foot (0.25 sq ft).

The machine scans the entire hide surface digitally
The total area is calculated in square feet
The final number is rounded to the nearest 0.25 sq ft
For example:

A hide measuring 22.08 sq ft may be recorded as 22.00 sq ft
A hide measuring 22.13 sq ft may be recorded as 22.25 sq ft
A hide measuring 22.38 sq ft may be recorded as 22.50 sq ft

The last number on the size represents the quarter of a foot.

1=1/4, 2= 1/2, 3= 3/4

So if the hide is 5.25 square feet (SF) it might read 51

Holes and Cut-Outs Are Not Counted
Measuring machines do not scan holes, major cut-outs, or missing sections in a hide.

Areas where leather is completely missing are excluded from the measurement
You are not charged for open holes or gaps in the hide
Only the actual leather surface passing under the scanner is counted
Small natural marks or thin spots are still part of the measured area, but true holes are ignored by the machine.

This rounding and scanning standard keeps pricing consistent across suppliers and is widely accepted in the leather industry.