Pig leather

Pig leather - Pigskin - Pig suede - Pork- Pork suede

Globally, there are about 950 million pigs (as of 2005) and almost 100% are slaughtered annually. Pigs are slaughtered at the age of 6 to 10 months. Pig suede is ranked fourth, with about 5 to 7% of world production. Pig leather is ranked fourth in the world's total leather production, after cow, sheep and goat leather.

Chinese pork dish. - Greek-style pork.

The leather of domestic pigs, commonly called pork, is distinguished from the wild boar. Peccary leather is the most representative for the leather industry. The European domestic pig, especially, provides a leather which is very rich in fat. Domestic pigs are only slightly hairy. The grouped holes of the hair pores are a characteristic of pig leather. Usually the hair follicles are grouped in packs of 3. The fibre structure within the pigskin is very different. The leather is loose and spongy on the head, while on the flank it is sometimes horny.

Domestic pig.

Pig suede. - Well recognizable: the hair pores.

Wild boar skin.

Peccary

Peccary is the name for pig leather from the hides of wild South American nelfer pigs. The term "peccary" originates from the indigenous Brazilian Tupi language and roughly describes "an animal that treads many paths in the forest". Due to the free life in nature, the leather often has scars and other defects, which should be regarded as an authenticity feature. Peccary is used for valuable gloves due to its suppleness. It is also a popular source of food because of its aromatic meat.

Peccary pig. Soft glove leather of the peccary with visible hair pores (available at www.heinzbauer.com).

Peccary should not be confused with the similar carpincho leather, which is of a South American large rodent type.

Pig leather clothing

Pig leather is most commonly used in clothing. In addition to lambskin and goat suede, it is the most common type of leather in leather clothing. All three leather types are light and not too warm and therefore ideal for leisure wear. Cow leather is mainly used for motorcycle suits. It is significantly thicker and tear proof and, for safety reasons, the first choice. The leather of the peccary is used predominantly for high-quality gloves.

Pig leather is also processed heavily in the cheaper segment of the leather clothing market, mostly as suede, but occasionally also as pigmented smooth leather. Pig leather is cheaper than lamb leather. Pig leather is less tear-resistant compared to high-quality lamb and goat leather. Pig leather also has a more cardboard-like haptic.