A Look at Leather and Factors That Determine Cost
Bikers love their leathers! That would be motorcycle jackets, pants, chaps, boots and gloves. The Harley Davidson brand on a piece of leather insures the quality and wearability of that piece. There's a wide varity of different, and also good, brands of biker leathers that you can find within your price range.. This article will give a short history of leather and the factors, other than brand, that determine the price of a given set of leathers.
Leather could well be one oldest natural materials known to man. The cavemen, that are all of our ancestors, used animal hides on their body for the protection of their bodies from extreme weather conditions as well as on their feet and hands to protect them from physical injury. Leather is made from the hide of a animal by a process known as tanning. This preserves the skin and prevents it from quickly going bad and decaying.
The industrialized manufactor of leather today is scientifically controlled. Ongoing research is being done today to ensure that the finished leather products are the best they can possible be, using the latest technology. Hides and skins used as comercial leather are usually the by product of animals that are raised for their food value and their hair and wool. The value of these hides is determined by the care and quality of the removal of the skins. This means that the tanner is not in control of the marketing of raw hides. Hides are traded commercially traded as a commodity on worldwide open markets, placing those in the tanning business in competition with other tanners. This markerplace sets the wholesale price of hides through supply and demand as is in any other commodity. When demand is up, prices go higher and the opposite is true when demand is low. As with all other products globaly traded, variations the world economy and the fluctuations in money value can cause major up and down changes in the hide market. Also the demand for meat products as food has an effest on the hide market.
It is estimated that at least half of the leather produced is used in the making of shoes and other footwear, about one quarter goe into the production of clothing, and another fifteen percent goes to the making of upholstery. The final ten percent is used for other leather goods and products. The durability and comfort of leather has made it ideal seating purposes. This would include using leather in the such industries as transportation, and home and office furniture.
The most leathers used today times are largely from cow, calf, pig, and goat hides that that are primarily raised for food. Before large comercial tanneries most leather was tanned from hides from wild animals such as bear, elk, and deer and that were trapped or hunted for the using the skins for clothing as well as meat for food.
Today the prefered upholstery used for both home and office seating furniture is leather tanned from cow hides. Quality leather for transportation industry seating is also desirable. This quality of leather is available and commands a much higher price. These quality and costly leather suits not only the apparel and furniture markets, but high end pleasure and comercial transportation seating as well.
A fairly new market for wild and exotic animal leather has become popular for expensive and unique apparel such as boots, belts, purses, and personal accessories. This leather can be made from the hides reptiles, large birds, sea anomals and mamals. Some examples of this exotic leather are snake, alligator, shark, eels, elephant, water buffalo, ostrich and emmu to name a few. The price will, of course will be determined by size of the piece and will range from moderate to very expensive.
Look for more articles with tips on the the maintance and care of leather in general and motorcycle rider and biker leathers.