Leather can be made to absorb water, resist water or be completely waterproof. Most leathers manufactured for the shoe, bag, upholstery, and leather goods industries offer a degree of water resistance that enables the leather to get wet yet, after drying, retain the properties of elasticity and shape.,

Cow leather can have a great variation of thicknesses because they can be split into layers. When split thin, leather can be used for garments, gloves, and leather goods. Medium-thickness leathers, on the other hand, are more widely used for upholstery, automotive parts, shoes, bags, and leather goods, whereas thick leathers are used for footwear soles and crafts.

The softness of the leather is usually associated with its thickness. The thinner the leather, the softer it will be. But other variables make the leather softer, particularly the type of tannage: generally speaking chrome tanned will be softer; aldehyde-type tanning is less soft, and vegetable-tanned leather firmer.

One of the main reasons why leather is comfortable on human skin is because of its strong thermal insulation capabilities. Heat insulation is a measure of the rate at which heat passes through a material. And because leather contains a large volume of air (which is a poor conductor of heat), the heat travels incredibly slowly through the material.

Another factor that makes leather such a favourable material is because of its ability to be moulded into a new shape. It can be made to either stiffen or can be made to be flexible and will retain its new shape as required. This is very important in footwear, since both feet are rarely exactly the same size and shape. With a little wear they soon adapt to fit perfectly.

Many variations to the color, texture, feel, smell, surface resistance, and handle of leather make this product extremely unique and valuable. Leathers can be as natural as observed in pure vegetable leather or as refined with outstanding performance as an automotive seat. Leather is fashionable in all colors while maintaining outstanding technical performance.