Question on quality between cuts

[DoubleKCustomLeathercraft]

Can someone explain to me why a back (double bend) would cost more than a side of the same tannery and grade? 

A quick search on Google states the back cut is a more consistent piece with less waste like the belt section of a side. Then proceeds to magically repeat that statement in a couple different ways. 

The bend is cut out of a side, so why would a side be less expensive or lower quality if they're graded the same? 

[chuck123wapati]

That's really the reason. They aren't lying. It's a better quality piece of leather than a whole side. A double bend is cut out of both sides, not just one, and is approximately the same size as a side; it takes more work to produce and is the best piece of the whole hide with much less waste. A guy can envision chicken at the store. Whole chickens are cheaper than boned breasts or any cuts for the same reasons. So an  A-grade belly or shoulder just isn't as good a cut as an A-grade bend; no one wants them, basically, so they won't sell at the same price.

Edited 13 hours ago by chuck123wapati

[DoubleKCustomLeathercraft]

Chuck

I honestly thought the back cut was only one side not both. So that totally makes sense. I should have known, but this new distributor I'm using doesn't have great explanations on the site and it was too late to call when the question popped into my head. I can always count on the knowledge here. 

Thank you

[DoubleKCustomLeathercraft]

Chuck,

I would love to meet you sometime. You are always one of the first to respond and you have a lot of useful knowledge. Thanks for being a great member here. I'm done sucking up lol

So here's what I found on what this company is calling a back. It's not the double bend like you had mentioned. My mistake is asking Google, which is only as smart ad a toddler sometimes. When I asked the question, Google stated that the back cut is also known as a double bend. 

In this diagram the company sent me with a bunch of samples, it shows the back section as B/D or C/E. This is where my confusion in pricing comes in. It's just a trimmed side, no belly, no neck (head.) So I'm trying to understand why I would pay more for less at this point. Sure the belly is a source of wasted material, but there's still usable leather. I get the double bend being more of a premium, since hind quarters are usually the better sections of a side. Which is what i originally thought until... Google lol.