# "Vegetable tanned" leather?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetable-tanned-leather/278122>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 4, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetable-tanned-leather/278122 "2004-12-04T23:38:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetable-tanned-leather/278122/1 "2004-12-04T23:38:07Z")

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A simple question: how is “vegetable tanned” leather made, and how does the process and the endproduct differ from the (presumably) regular way of doing it? The insoles of my shoes say “vegetable tanned,” sparking this question.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetable-tanned-leather/278122/2 "2004-12-05T00:34:22Z")

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Vegetable tanned leather is tanned using vegetable based products, as opposed to mineral based oils. It yields a harder, less flexible leather better suited to shoes, belts and leather you want to tool (press images into). [Here’s](http://www.bayerleather.com/lea/en/basics/principles_of_leather_manufacturing/what_is_tanning/) some info.

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**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetable-tanned-leather/278122/3 "2004-12-05T00:40:49Z")

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A quick search turned up these. The first describes vegtable vs mineral tanning and the second brain tanning of buckskins.

[http://oror.essortment.com/leathertanning\_rdcu.htm](http://oror.essortment.com/leathertanning_rdcu.htm)

> **[The History of Brain Tan - Traditional Tanners](http://www.braintan.com/articles/history/history.html)**
>
> The History of Brain Tan Adapted for the web from a chapter in Deerskins into Buckskinsby Matt Richards When most people think of buckskin they envision long fringed Indians on horseback or adventurous frontiersmen on a remote mountain hunt....