# Why is leather so expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853 "2013-11-13T20:46:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/1 "2013-11-13T20:46:26Z")
You’d think that leather is basically a free byproduct of the beef industry. McDonalds, Wendys, and Burger King alone slaughter enough cows annually to keep us all in shoes. Add in steakhouses, grocery stores and all the other dead cows. That must be millions of hides annually just in the production of tasty beef. But, leather is very expensive. Two hundred bucks at least for a quality leather jacket. The cost of a leather car interior (remember those Corinthian Leather commercials Ricardo Montalban did 35 years ago?) Try paying for that today. Want to buy a leather sofa? You better save up a long, long time. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIL3fbGbU2o) Oddly enough leather consumption seems to be in decline. I haven’t owned a real leather jacket in 20 years. Most of my shoes are some kind of man made product. I have a couple pairs of leather dress shoes in the closet. Are all the hides from all those Big Macs on Hooves just getting thrown away? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/2 "2013-11-13T20:57:59Z")
My best guess was: it’s expensive to process, perhaps moreso than synthetic fibers or cotton/linen/wool. Unlike cotton, linen and wool, there’s only so much leather per cow. Once you eat the cow, you’ve got to grow another one to get more leather. I’m guessing it’s more expensive to grow cows than cotton or flax. Sheep just get shorn and grow more wool, so they are cost effective. (I wonder why we don’t eat more mutton and lamb in this country – sheep seem so much more cost efficient and productive compared to cows, but I digress.) Anyway, I thought surely there’s more to it, and then I found [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=86149&highlight=leather). And [this](http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=35184). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/3 "2013-11-13T21:06:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Are all the hides from all those Big Macs on Hooves just getting thrown away? I’m sure you could get a lovely raw hide from a processor for pennies. Do you have absolutely no idea how raw hide becomes a leather couch? Or do you think it just falls off the cow that way? ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/4 "2013-11-13T21:07:22Z")
the Jews ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/5 "2013-11-13T21:32:49Z")
The old method of tanning was staking it out in the sun. Scraping off the hair etc. The tradesmen were called tanners. I’d imagine a lot of that work is machine automated now. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’m sure you could get a lovely raw hide from a processor for pennies. > > Do you have absolutely no idea how raw hide becomes a leather couch? Or do you think it just falls off the cow that way? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/6 "2013-11-13T21:41:28Z")
Here you go: [A 5-minute “How it’s Made” segment on how leather is made.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0MR2fyYRk) I wouldn’t want to work there. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/7 "2013-11-13T21:49:34Z")
Great video thanks! I see they don’t use urine anymore for tanning? Or dung. I bet that smelled delightful. 😉 This is the old ancient method used for thousands of years. > **[Tanning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanning)** > > Tanning may refer to: > [@](#): > > Skins typically arrived at the tannery dried stiff and dirty with soil and gore. First, the ancient tanners would soak the skins in water to clean and soften them. Then they would pound and scour the skin to remove any remaining flesh and fat. Next, the tanner needed to remove the hair fibers from the skin. This was done by either soaking the skin in urine, painting it with an alkaline lime mixture, or simply allowing the skin to putrefy for several months then dipping it in a salt solution. After the hair fibers were loosened, the tanners scraped them off with a knife. > > Once the hair was removed, the tanners would bate the material by pounding dung into the skin or soaking the skin in a solution of animal brains. Among the kinds of dung commonly used were that of dogs or pigeons. Sometimes the dung was mixed with water in a large vat, and the prepared skins were kneaded in the dung water until they became supple, but not too soft. The ancient tanner might use his bare feet to knead the skins in the dung water, and the kneading could last two or three hours. > > It was this combination of urine, animal feces and decaying flesh that made ancient tanneries so odoriferous. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/8 "2013-11-13T21:53:30Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > the Jews What does this mean? ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/9 "2013-11-13T22:05:06Z")
International bankers control the prices of everything isn’t this common knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/10 "2013-11-13T23:29:55Z")
The vast majority of steers butchered to create meat for McDonald’s and pretty much everybody else are the product of stockyard feeding practices. Meaning, they’re crammed into a pen their entire lives, fed corn three times a day, and spend their entire lives ankle-deep in their own poop. The hides of these steers is covered in poop & other unsavory substances and it’s everything the modern meat processing industry can do to separate the skin from the meat without contamination. You would not want to use leather from one of these guys. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/11 "2013-11-14T01:23:32Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > the Jews This is a warning for you. Don’t make these type of posts again (posts designed to get reactions). ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/12 "2013-11-14T01:26:24Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The vast majority of steers butchered to create meat for McDonald’s and pretty much everybody else are the product of stockyard feeding practices. Meaning, they’re crammed into a pen their entire lives, fed corn three times a day, and spend their entire lives ankle-deep in their own poop. The hides of these steers is covered in poop & other unsavory substances and it’s everything the modern meat processing industry can do to separate the skin from the meat without contamination. You would not want to use leather from one of these guys. You use that leather every day. Just like you use plywood, pencils, shampoo, deodorant, cellophane, car polish, paint, air filters, plastics, and any number of other products rendered from cattle carcasses. It’s an entire industry ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/13 "2013-11-14T01:38:01Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The vast majority of steers butchered to create meat for McDonald’s and pretty much everybody else are the product of stockyard feeding practices. Meaning, they’re crammed into a pen their entire lives, fed corn three times a day, and spend their entire lives ankle-deep in their own poop. The hides of these steers is covered in poop & other unsavory substances and it’s everything the modern meat processing industry can do to separate the skin from the meat without contamination. You would not want to use leather from one of these guys. After watching the linked video above I can’t agree with this. The processing of the hides undergo many, many steps that would ensure the end product is acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/14 "2013-11-14T01:41:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The vast majority of steers butchered to create meat for McDonald’s and pretty much everybody else are the product of stockyard feeding practices. Meaning, they’re crammed into a pen their entire lives, fed corn three times a day, and spend their entire lives ankle-deep in their own poop. The hides of these steers is covered in poop & other unsavory substances and it’s everything the modern meat processing industry can do to separate the skin from the meat without contamination. You would not want to use leather from one of these guys. Covered in poop and pee? But they’ve already started the process! But really, this just makes me sad. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/15 "2013-11-14T02:25:50Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > But really, this just makes me sad. ☹ Why? ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/16 "2013-11-14T02:35:12Z")
Are you serious or am I being whooshed? We all die but, never to be free? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/17 "2013-11-14T02:46:44Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Are you serious or am I being whooshed? We all die but, never to be free? Huh? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/18 "2013-11-14T03:33:03Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The vast majority of steers butchered to create meat for McDonald’s and pretty much everybody else are the product of stockyard feeding practices. Meaning, they’re crammed into a pen their entire lives, fed corn three times a day, and spend their entire lives ankle-deep in their own poop. The hides of these steers is covered in poop & other unsavory substances and it’s everything the modern meat processing industry can do to separate the skin from the meat without contamination. You would not want to use leather from one of these guys. Still better than a hide from a rendering plant. [http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/videos/blown-up-cow.htm](http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/videos/blown-up-cow.htm) That had to be the single most nasty “Dirty Jobs” episode, bar none. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/19 "2013-11-14T04:22:07Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > You use that leather every day. Just like you use plywood, pencils, shampoo, deodorant, cellophane, car polish, paint, air filters, plastics, and any number of other products rendered from cattle carcasses. > > It’s an entire industry True, and I bet most cowhides aren’t leather-quality anyway. Do slaughterhouses have people who examine the hides (from other animals too) to determine this? That’s a serious question. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853/20 "2013-11-14T04:23:49Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Still better than a hide from a rendering plant. > > [http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/videos/blown-up-cow.htm](http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/dirty-jobs/videos/blown-up-cow.htm) > > That had to be the single most nasty “Dirty Jobs” episode, bar none. My vote goes to the one where he was castrating newborn lambs with his teeth. :eek: A surprising number of people believe that sheep, alpacas, etc. are killed for their fiber. No, they aren’t, except for shearling which is a variation of leather, with the hair attached. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-leather-so-expensive/673853.md?page=2)