Chrome-Tanned Leather
Chrome-Tanned Leather is hide tanned with chromium salts, held as wet blue (WB), full grain (FG), corrected grain (CG), split (SPL) and soft temper (SOFT).
Reference datasheet — Chrome-Tanned Leather is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the FG condition
Chrome-Tanned Leather tempers and conditions
Chrome-Tanned Leather is supplied in 3 conditions, soft to hard. FG is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 3 conditionsHide
| Condition · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness | Conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flesh split | Lower layer left after splitting — weaker and more porous but cheap and heat-shielding; the standard for welding gloves and aprons. | 12 | 60 | 0.13 W/m·K | ||
Heavily fatliquored garment / soft upholstery chrome leather | High fatliquor, low modulus and high drape — pick for garments, soft seating and flexible bellows rather than load-bearing parts. | 17 | 65 | 0.14 W/m·K | ||
FGDefault Full-grain finished chrome leather | Highest-strength, unsanded grain layer — default choice for shoe uppers, straps, gaskets and premium upholstery. | 26 | 48 | 0.16 W/m·K |
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways Chrome-Tanned Leather is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
CG | Corrected-grain / embossed pigmented chrome leather | Surface finish |
WB | Wet blue | Surface finish |
What is Chrome-Tanned Leather?
Chrome-Tanned Leather is hide tanned with chromium salts, held as wet blue (WB), full grain (FG), corrected grain (CG), split (SPL) and soft temper (SOFT). It is soft, flexible and water-resistant, which is why it is used for gloves, upholstery and flexible gasket and facing parts; forms include sides, panels, rolls and die-cut blanks. Density is 0.9 g/cm3 with tensile strength 26 MPa, elongation 48 % and modulus 0.3 GPa, with service to about 100 °C. It wet-forms and heat-sets poorly compared with vegetable-tanned leather, and laser cutting releases chromium-bearing fume; use vegetable-tanned hide where a moulded or tooled part is required. Chrome-Tanned Leather has a density of 0.9 g/cm³ (0.0325 lb/in³), heavier than 72% of natural material grades. Chrome-Tanned Leather has a tensile strength of 26 MPa (3.77 ksi), stronger than 57% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 48% and the elastic modulus is 0.3 GPa (0.0435 Msi).
What is Chrome-Tanned Leather used for?
- work gloves
- gaskets
- upholstery
- conveyor belt facing
- shoe uppers
Advantages
- Ductile — tolerates forming and impact — 48%, better than 98% of natural material grades
Limitations
- High embodied carbon — 12 kg CO₂/kg, worse than 93% of natural material grades
- Low stiffness — 0.3 GPa (0.0435 Msi), worse than 83% of natural material grades
Chrome-Tanned Leather properties
Typical room-temperature values for Chrome-Tanned Leather-FG; bars are the position among natural material grades.
Physical2
Chrome-Tanned Leather has a density of 0.9 g/cm³ (0.0325 lb/in³), heavier than 72% of natural material grades.
Mechanical6
Chrome-Tanned Leather has a tensile strength of 26 MPa (3.77 ksi), stronger than 57% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 48% and the elastic modulus is 0.3 GPa (0.0435 Msi).
Thermal4
Chrome-Tanned Leather is rated for continuous service to 100°C (212 °F). It conducts heat at 0.16 W/m·K (0.0924 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 64% of natural material grades.
Electrical1
Chrome-Tanned Leather has an electrical resistivity of 1×10⁹ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental1
Corrosion resistance is fair (40/100), worse than 57% of natural material grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Chrome-Tanned Leather takes about 140 MJ of energy and emits 12 kg of CO₂ — more than 100% of natural material grades. Typical recycled content is 0%.
Manufacturability2
Chrome-Tanned Leather's machinability is very good (78/100, worse than 57% of natural material grades).
Common Calculations3
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Working with Chrome-Tanned Leather
Is Chrome-Tanned Leather easy to machine?
Cut with steel-rule (clicker) dies, rotary/drag knife or CO2 laser at low power — laser cutting scorches and releases chromium-bearing fume, so extract and test edges.
Can Chrome-Tanned Leather be welded?
Not weldable; join by stitching, riveting, lacing or flexible adhesives (polychloroprene, PU) after roughing/skiving the bond area.
Can Chrome-Tanned Leather be formed, bent or molded?
Wet-forms and heat-sets poorly compared with veg-tan leather; shape by damp moulding below 60 °C, stitching or lasting over a form, and allow for 2–5 % shrinkage on drying.
Chrome-Tanned Leather chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| Cr2O3chromium(III) oxide on dry hide substance; ISO 5398 / GB/T 9098 | 3 – 5 | 4 |
| fatliquor & oilsISO 4048 dichloromethane extractables | 3 – 12 | 7 |
| moistureISO 4684, conditioned 20 °C/65 % RH | 10 – 16 | 14 |
| syntans / vegetable retanning agents | 0 – 8 | 4 |
| dyes, pigments & finish film | 0.5 – 6 | 2 |
| sulphated ash (excl. Cr) | 0.5 – 3 | 1.5 |
| Cr(VI)must be <3 mg/kg per EN ISO 17075 / REACH | 0 – 3×10⁻⁴ | 0 |
| collagen (hide protein)dry substance basis | ≥ 60 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on Chrome-Tanned Leather?
Dyed, fatliquored, then spray/roller-coated with pigment-PU or aniline finish, plated/embossed and glazed; edges are burnished, painted or folded rather than polished.
How much does Chrome-Tanned Leather cost?
Chrome-Tanned Leather is a high-cost natural material ($$$$), pricier than about 78% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Chrome-Tanned Leather — frequently asked
What is Chrome-Tanned Leather used for?
Chrome-Tanned Leather is typically used for work gloves, gaskets, upholstery, conveyor belt facing and shoe uppers. In short: softest structural leather; water-resistant tannage; poor wet-forming vs veg-tan.
What is the tensile strength of Chrome-Tanned Leather?
Chrome-Tanned Leather has a typical tensile strength of 26 MPa (3.77 ksi) — stronger than 57% of natural material grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 3 listed tempers.
Is Chrome-Tanned Leather easy to machine?
Yes — machinability is rated very good (78/100, worse than 57% of natural material grades). Cut with steel-rule (clicker) dies, rotary/drag knife or CO2 laser at low power — laser cutting scorches and releases chromium-bearing fume, so extract and test edges.
Can Chrome-Tanned Leather be welded?
Not weldable; join by stitching, riveting, lacing or flexible adhesives (polychloroprene, PU) after roughing/skiving the bond area.
What surface finishes work on Chrome-Tanned Leather?
Dyed, fatliquored, then spray/roller-coated with pigment-PU or aniline finish, plated/embossed and glazed; edges are burnished, painted or folded rather than polished.
Can Chrome-Tanned Leather be formed, bent or molded?
Wet-forms and heat-sets poorly compared with veg-tan leather; shape by damp moulding below 60 °C, stitching or lasting over a form, and allow for 2–5 % shrinkage on drying.
What is the maximum service temperature of Chrome-Tanned Leather?
Chrome-Tanned Leather is rated for continuous use to about 100°C (212 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does Chrome-Tanned Leather cost?
Chrome-Tanned Leather is a high-cost natural material ($$$$), pricier than about 78% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- ISO 3376 Leather — Determination of tensile strength and percentage extension — ISO (2020)
- ISO 3380 Leather — Determination of shrinkage temperature up to 100 °C — ISO (2015)
- ISO 5398 Leather — Chemical determination of chromic oxide content — ISO (2018)
- EN ISO 17075 Leather — Chemical determination of chromium(VI) content — ISO (2017)
- Principles of Leather Manufacture / Leather Technologist's Pocket Book — SLTC (2011)
- CES EduPack natural materials records (leather) — Granta Design/Ansys (2022)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.