Rawhide
Rawhide is untanned dried animal hide, an extremely tough and stiff natural collagen material with roughly 70 MPa tensile strength, 12 % elongation and a 1.2 GPa modulus.
Reference datasheet — Rawhide 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.
Rawhide tempers and conditions
Rawhide is supplied in 2 conditions, soft to hard.
Compare all 2 conditionsHide
| Condition · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness | Conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Compressed / laminated rawhide mallet plug | Pick for hammer and mallet faces: discs of hide compressed and bonded into a dense, high-impact, non-marring plug. | 55 | 8 | 0.19 W/m·K | ||
Thin calf/goat rawhide | Pick for drum heads, banjo heads and fine lacing where 0.3–1.5 mm thickness and uniform tension response matter. | 90 | 15 | 0.16 W/m·K |
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways Rawhide is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
DRYDefault | Air-dried natural rawhide | Surface finish |
WET | Soaked / wet-formed rawhide | Surface finish |
What is Rawhide?
Rawhide is untanned dried animal hide, an extremely tough and stiff natural collagen material with roughly 70 MPa tensile strength, 12 % elongation and a 1.2 GPa modulus. It is used where a non-marring but hard striking or wear face is needed, and is supplied as dry sheet and strip, wet (soaking) stock, compressed blocks and thin lace stock (DRY, WET, COMP, THIN). Limits are a service temperature of about 70 °C, strong moisture sensitivity with swelling and mould growth when wet, and poor machinability (score 40) compared with felt or bonded leather board. Modern replacements for mallet faces and drive facings are usually cast polyurethane or nylon. Rawhide has a density of 1.05 g/cm³ (0.0379 lb/in³), heavier than 79% of natural material grades. Rawhide has a tensile strength of 70 MPa (10.2 ksi), stronger than 67% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 12% and the elastic modulus is 1.2 GPa (0.174 Msi).
What is Rawhide used for?
- mallet heads
- drum skins
- lacing/thongs
- gear/pulley facing (historical)
Advantages
- Ductile — tolerates forming and impact — 12%, better than 83% of natural material grades
- Conducts heat well — 0.17 W/m·K (0.0982 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 76% of natural material grades
Limitations
- Difficult to machine — 40/100, worse than 94% of natural material grades
- High embodied carbon — 12 kg CO₂/kg, worse than 93% of natural material grades
- Limited service temperature — 70°C (158 °F), worse than 80% of natural material grades
- Low stiffness — 1.2 GPa (0.174 Msi), worse than 79% of natural material grades
- Heavy — 1.05 g/cm³ (0.0379 lb/in³), worse than 79% of natural material grades
Rawhide properties
Typical room-temperature values; bars are the position among natural material grades.
Physical2
Rawhide has a density of 1.05 g/cm³ (0.0379 lb/in³), heavier than 79% of natural material grades.
Mechanical7
Rawhide has a tensile strength of 70 MPa (10.2 ksi), stronger than 67% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 12% and the elastic modulus is 1.2 GPa (0.174 Msi).
Thermal5
Rawhide is rated for continuous service to 70°C (158 °F). It conducts heat at 0.17 W/m·K (0.0982 BTU/hr·ft·°F), better than 76% of natural material grades. Thermal expansion is 60 µm/m·K (33.3 µin/in·°F).
Electrical2
Rawhide is an electrical insulator with a dielectric strength of 8 kV/mm (203.2 V/mil) and a resistivity of 1×10⁹ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental1
Corrosion resistance is fair (45/100), better than 53% of natural material grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Rawhide takes about 45 MJ of energy and emits 12 kg of CO₂ — more than 87% of natural material grades. Typical recycled content is 100%.
Manufacturability2
Rawhide's machinability is fair (40/100, worse than 94% of natural material grades).
Common Calculations4
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Working with Rawhide
Is Rawhide easy to machine?
Cut dry with sharp knives, punches or die/laser (watch scorch odour); light turning and drilling possible but keep speeds low to avoid heat-shrinking the collagen.
Can Rawhide be welded?
Not weldable — join by lacing, riveting, sewing, or hide-glue/PVA/contact adhesive bonding.
Can Rawhide be formed, bent or molded?
Soak in cool water until pliable, stretch or mould over a form, then air-dry under tension — it hardens and holds the shape (shrinks a few percent).
Rawhide 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 |
|---|---|---|
| collagen (type I protein)dry-matter basis, after dehairing/fleshing | 80 – 93 | 88 |
| moisture (bound water)equilibrium at ~20 °C / 60 % RH; strongly affects stiffness | 8 – 16 | 12 |
| fat / lipids | 0.5 – 4 | 2 |
| non-collagenous protein (elastin, kerati | 1 – 5 | 2 |
| ash / mineral residuelime/salt residues from curing | 0.3 – 2 | 1 |
What surface finishes work on Rawhide?
Sand and burnish for a horn-like surface; seal with shellac, wax, oil or varnish to block moisture uptake and mould growth; do not dry above ~60 °C.
How much does Rawhide cost?
Rawhide is a premium-cost natural material ($$$), cheaper than about 51% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Rawhide — frequently asked
What is Rawhide used for?
Rawhide is typically used for mallet heads, drum skins, lacing/thongs and gear/pulley facing (historical). In short: toughest natural hide; non-marring strike face; hardens to shape on drying.
What is the tensile strength of Rawhide?
Rawhide has a typical tensile strength of 70 MPa (10.2 ksi) — stronger than 67% of natural material grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 2 listed tempers.
Is Rawhide easy to machine?
Not especially — machinability is rated fair (40/100, worse than 94% of natural material grades). Cut dry with sharp knives, punches or die/laser (watch scorch odour); light turning and drilling possible but keep speeds low to avoid heat-shrinking the collagen.
Can Rawhide be welded?
Not weldable — join by lacing, riveting, sewing, or hide-glue/PVA/contact adhesive bonding.
What surface finishes work on Rawhide?
Sand and burnish for a horn-like surface; seal with shellac, wax, oil or varnish to block moisture uptake and mould growth; do not dry above ~60 °C.
Can Rawhide be formed, bent or molded?
Soak in cool water until pliable, stretch or mould over a form, then air-dry under tension — it hardens and holds the shape (shrinks a few percent).
What is the maximum service temperature of Rawhide?
Rawhide is rated for continuous use to about 70°C (158 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does Rawhide cost?
Rawhide is a premium-cost natural material ($$$), cheaper than about 51% 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
- ASM Engineered Materials Handbook — natural and biological materials data — ASM International (1988)
- The Mechanical Design of Organisms / collagen tissue mechanics data — Princeton University Press (1979)
- Leather and hide property compilations (SLTC/UNIDO leather processing data) — UNIDO (2010)
- Rawhide mallet and hammer-face insert product data — Garland / Nupla tool catalogues (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.