Leather & Synthetic leather types
Many new types of material (PU, bonded PU & PVC) are now on the market and vary in naming throughout the furniture industry. Some imitation leather names: PLEATHER, LEATHER TOUCH, BONDED LEATHER, LEATHER BOND, LEATHER LOOK, ECO LEATHER etc. etc.
At Furniture Warehouse we are very careful with these naming and prefer to call LEATHER what it is and to remove the word leather from any imitation materials that are definitely not LEATHER. Please be careful when offered a product with the word “leather” added in the name as this is totally misleading.
Please note that PU (Poly urethane) is a very good and strong material and is actually becoming the preferred material choice in the world due to its price and eco friendliness compared to real leather.
- Leather: or “leather hide”. Thick and durable (very expensive) : Genuine leather
- Bonded PU: Poly-urethane with a bonded backing to make the material thicker (medium price range). A good leather look and feel is achieved with this very affordable and durable material.
- PU: Poly-urethane. No bonded backing so the material will be thinner than Bonded PU (budget price range). A good leather look is achieved with this affordable material.
- PVC: Thin/ plastic material that do not “breathe” as well as PU (will cling to your skin) (low budget range). A reasonable leather look is achieved with this material