How We Grade Our Leathers

We breakdown our top FMCo leathers to help you understand our leather quality.

GRADE A

Premium leathers:

• Platinum Naked Cowhide
• Diamond Naked Cowhide
• Malibu Naked Cowhide
• Napa Naked Cowhide
• Vintage Naked Cowhide

GRADE B

Average leathers, common throughout the motorcycle community:

• Plain Milled Cowhide
• Soft Milled Cowhide 

GRADE C

Stiff low-end leather found at bike rallies, swap meets; made to be affordable:

• Split Cowhide
• Economy/Rally Grade Leathers

These are the various types of leathers used in making motorcycle garments, specifically cowhide. FMCo produces riding-grade leathers for its durability and strength. We also stand behind the leather jackets and vests we produce with an industry leading lifetime warranty. 

FMCo Naked Cowhide Leather

Naked cowhide leather is what First Mfg Co specializes in producing. Its a soft leather that feels natural to the touch. This cowhide has been drum dyed, but no other treatments or finishes are applied. Some leathers are corrected by sanding to remove imperfections, but not naked leather. Naked leather is hand-selected for uniformity, and only the best hides qualify and will be used to make naked leather garments. Even though they are specially selected they are not defect-free; they just have fewer imperfections. Naked motorcycle garments are made from full-grain hides that have not needed to be grain-corrected, retaining their natural markings. This is why it is the most expensive leather. Our new "Platinum Leather" describes a thicker naked cowhide item. All naked cowhide garments are premium quality, our Platinum and Malibu refer to the thickest and slightly softer versions.

FMCo Milled Cowhide

Milled cowhide leather is a  top-grain quality leather. It can be divided into two categories: Soft Milled and Plain Milled. Soft milled leather is better quality as it is softer and thicker than plain milled cowhide leather. Milled cowhide is more available and therefore affordable, the cowhide used to make milled leather does not need to be perfect. The milled cowhides are corrected via processes (such as sanding) to have a more uniform appearance. The term "milled" separates nicer cowhide from cheaper cowhide leathers (such as split skin). Milled refers to the part of production where the leather is put into a milling machine and rotated, similar to your dryer at home (without air and heat). This tumbling process softens the leather and brings out the natural lines.

 Leather Thickness Matters

The larger the number, the thicker the leather.

• 0.5mm = lightweight leather
• 0.9mm is a middleweight leather ( our standard leather )
• 1.3 -1.4mm is our heavyweight leather

 “mm” does not refer to ruler measurements. Leather is measured by weight. 1 ounce of leather = 1/64 inch = 0.4mm. This measurement assumes that one square foot of leather will weigh a certain number of ounces and have a uniform thickness.