Why Is Leather So Expensive?!?!

[Mactechbri]

With as many Big-Macs, Whoppers, Big Bufords, and Wendy burgers are sold Why is leather soo dagone expensive?

Bri

[dirtclod]

I wish it wasn't so high to. When i started a #1 hide was 50.00. But just like the rest of us they have to pay electric, phone, water, profit and property tax bills. Plus if the workers are lucky they get paid insurance. Not to mention up keep on eqiument and new stuff to and i'd say that's just a small part of it espically if their a tannery in the states. Kinda like why does a 10 thousand car or truck cost 25 to 35 thousand or more.

Edited October 24, 2011 by dirtclod

[bruce johnson]

Part of it is supply and demand. Cattle numbers are near or at record lows in major cattle producing areas here and abroad. Sustained drought has affected several areas. Some cattle ranches are being sold and turned into orchards and vineyards here. They will never see cattle again. I had a really nice talk with a guy from Argentina a month ago, Apparently the same thing is going on down there in what used to be cattle country. On the flip side, cattle prices are pretty much at great prices if you have them to sell.

[KAYAK45]

With as many Big-Macs, Whoppers, Big Bufords, and Wendy burgers are sold Why is leather soo dagone expensive?

Bri

Same as divorces, i guess. They're worth it.

[terrymac]

If you think leather is high now, give it a year and you will wish we had these prices again. With the major sell off off cattle numbers due to the drought in Texas and other places, cattle numbers are going to be way down. It is simply supply and demand. Less cattle, more people means increased prices. Good news is the rains will return, ranchers will restock, and hopefully prices will come back down.

Terry

[Leather Girl]

Leather has always been high here and I don't expect it to ever go down.

Leather girl

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

High prices was the reason my Mom stopped doing leather work back around the 80's.

I am sure that a lot of the cost is due to regulations forced onto the tanneries here in the US.

[rickybobby]

There are many regulations for tanners and the cost of production has gone way up. The good news is because of the regulations there is not as much pollution being dumped in to the watershed, streams, and rivers as previous years. The down side is the additional cost to your customers for their goods.

If you are pricing your finished goods correctly, you should be MAKING 25% on the leather in addition to your labor.

If you are not in business and making things for yourself, family and friends, then the leather is costing you more.:poofan:

Just my .02cents

Rick

Edited October 27, 2011 by rickybobby

[RidersChoiceSaddleCo]

As there are only a few tanneries left the the USA, I don't think the EPA regulations are the driving force behind leather pricing. From what I understand from tanners and distributors here and overseas, the above mentioned shortage of hides coupled with the expanding markets in China and India are driving prices ever higher. Couple that with higher transportation cost and you have the perfect storm. The real problem to me is the quality of the leather that ends up at local distributors. It seems the furniture, vehicle, and clothing industries worldwide get the pick of the litter and sometimes we are left to sort through pallets of scratched up and branded hides. I looked through three pallets of skirting sides just last week to get 50 that were clean enough to use. It's kind of like gold, you wish you had the vision to buy truckloads of it when it was 35.00. But I suppose gold would be easier to store.

[celticleather]

I think much of the cost of leather is linked to the production, rather than the cost of the raw skins. Most of the hides I use come from the UK's last oak-bark tannery, where the leather is pretty much 'handmade', and the process is extremely labour-intensive. This is reflected in the price, which is fairly high compared to products from other tanneries in the UK, but the quality is unsurpassed.

There's a little photo-essay at http://www.bbc.co.uk...ctures-14442109, which outlines some of the processes that the hides go through in their 12-month progression from raw skin to top-quality leather.