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Understanding the Four Grades of Leather in Leather Coats
When you are looking for the perfect leather coat, it helps to be armed with some general knowledge about the types of leather available. A key point to understand when shopping for a leather coat is the four grades of leather available on the market, and pros and cons of each choice.

The four grades of leather used in all leather goods, including leather coats, are bonded, split grain, top grain, and full grain, in order from the lowest quality leather to the highest quality choice. This is also generally the order from lowest price to highest price when shopping for a leather coat.

Bonded leather is leather that is made of bits or scraps of leather which are then bonded together into a single piece of leather. This is a leather manufacturer's way of using all of the scraps that result from cutting out leather coat forms and other garments. This makes a lesser quality leather coat, even though in the manufacturing process this type of leather may be made to look like a single piece of leather. It, however, lacks the natural strength of a single piece of hide, and is not the best choice for a leather coat.

If you are on a very tight budget, however, this choice may work for you as bonded leather is by far the least expensive leather on the market. It is still real leather, just not one continuous piece of animal skin.

Split grain leathers are the next grade up, where manufacturers typically split a hide into the outer most and inner most layers. The inner most layer of hide that is produced in this process is called split grain leather. Because it is a single piece of hide, instead of multiple pieces bonded together, split grain leathers offers more strength and better life than bonded leather, and can be an option when shopping for a leather coat. When something is labeled "genuine leather" it is typically a split grain or bonded material.

Top grain leathers are made of the outer most layer of the hide, processed or sanded to hide serious imperfections in the leather. Top grain leathers are stronger than split grain leathers because this outer layer of the hide is the most durable. Top grain leathers may be formed in the manufacturing process to look like exotic skins such as alligator or ostrich. This is a good choice if you are looking to buy a leather coat of an exotic animal, but want to save money by instead choosing an imitation exotic skin.

Full grain leathers are made of the outer most layer of the hide. Unlike top grain leathers, full grain leathers are not sanded or processed; rather, the beauty of the natural markings is left untouched.

In general, full grain leathers are preferable because they offer a combination of strength, durability and appearance. However, full grain leathers can also be the most expensive.

You, simply put, will get what you pay for when buying a leather coat, and you will have to pay a premium to get a full grain leather coat.