The short answer
Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned with natural tannins from bark, wood and leaves. It takes weeks, gives a firm leather and darkens richly with age. Chrome-tanned leather is tanned with chromium salts, often in about a day. It is softer, more even in color and more water-resistant, but changes less over time.
Tanning is what turns a raw hide into leather. There are several ways to do it, but two account for most of the leather used in bags. Knowing which one you are holding tells you how a bag will feel on the first day and how it will look years later.
What tanning does
Tanning treats the protein fibres of a hide so it no longer decays and stays flexible when dry. Without it, a hide rots when wet and turns hard when it dries.
Tanning is the process that turns animal hide into leather by treating its protein fibres, most often with plant tannins or mineral salts.
Vegetable tanning
Vegetable tanning uses tannins, natural compounds found in bark, wood, leaves and fruit. Hides soak in tannin baths of increasing strength over weeks, which makes it the older and slower method.
Vegetable-tanned leather is leather tanned with natural plant tannins instead of mineral salts.
The result is a firm, full-bodied leather with a warm, woody smell. It holds its shape well, takes a smooth burnished edge, and reacts to light, touch and use. That reaction is what people love about it: over time it darkens and develops a deep patina. The same openness means it marks and spots more easily, especially when new and when wet.
Chrome tanning
Chrome tanning uses chromium salts and is much faster, often finished in about a day. Most leather made today is chrome-tanned.
Chrome-tanned leather is leather tanned with chromium salts, a fast method that gives soft, even leather.
Chrome-tanned leather is soft and supple from the start, comes in a wide, even range of colors and resists water better. It stays much the same over the years: it wears, but it does not develop the same deep patina.
Side by side
Vegetable-tanned leather is firmer and ages more visibly; chrome-tanned leather is softer, more even and changes less.
| Quality | Vegetable-tanned | Chrome-tanned |
|---|---|---|
| Tanned with | Plant tannins | Chromium salts |
| Time | Weeks | Often about a day |
| When new | Firm, full-bodied | Soft, supple |
| Color | Warm, natural tones | Wide, even range |
| With age | Darkens into a patina | Changes little |
| Water | Spots easily when new | More resistant |
| Cut edges | Can be burnished smooth | Usually painted |
Which is better for a bag?
Neither is better in every way. It depends on what you want from the bag.
- Choose vegetable-tanned for a structured bag that keeps its shape and shows its years through a patina.
- Choose chrome-tanned for a soft, relaxed bag in a particular color that looks much the same for years and shrugs off a little rain.
Some leathers use both methods, often sold as combination-tanned. Whatever the tanning, the grade matters most for how long a bag lasts: full-grain outlasts lower grades either way. Read what the grades mean.
How to tell them apart
A few checks help, though a label or the maker is the surest source.
- EdgeA cut edge of vegetable-tanned leather is usually brown all the way through. Chrome-tanned leather often shows a pale or grey-blue core unless it was dyed through.
- FeelVegetable-tanned leather feels firm and holds a fold; chrome-tanned leather feels soft and springs back.
- SmellVegetable-tanned leather has a warm, woody smell. Chrome-tanned leather smells milder.
- LabelMakers who use vegetable-tanned leather usually say so.
Caring for each
Both need the same basic care: a dry wipe, occasional conditioning and slow drying after rain. Vegetable-tanned leather needs a little more care with water, because it spots more easily when new. Our care routine works for both.
Want to know how a particular Velvinci bag is tanned? Write to us through the Contact page and we will tell you.
Questions
Is vegetable-tanned leather better than chrome-tanned?
Not in every way. It is firmer and ages with a richer patina; chrome-tanned leather is softer, more even in color and more water-resistant.
Why does vegetable-tanned leather cost more?
The process takes weeks instead of about a day, so each hide stays in the tannery far longer.
Does vegetable-tanned leather get darker?
Yes. Light, touch and use darken it over time into a patina. That is expected and part of its character.
Is chrome-tanned leather real leather?
Yes. Chrome tanning is simply a different way of turning hide into leather. The grade, such as full-grain, matters most for how long a bag lasts.