What Is Horween Leather? How It Is Made and What It Is Worth

Horween leather is leather made by the Horween Leather Company, a tannery founded in Chicago in 1905 and run by the same family for five generations. It is not a type of hide: about 85% of its output is cowhide, with horsehide, calf and bison as well. Its best-known leathers are Chromexcel, a hot-stuffed pull-up cowhide, and Genuine Shell Cordovan, a horsehide leather that takes at least six months to make.

This page is part of our guide to leather types, grades and quality. It explains how Horween builds its leathers and how to judge the price. For how it compares with other premium leathers, see the best leathers in the world.

Horween at a glance

The main Horween leathers

What is Chromexcel?

Horween calls Chromexcel "the original pull-up leather". Tannery Row credits its rich pull-up to the oil and wax blend hot-stuffed into the leather.

Its age is told two ways. Horween says the formulas were developed nearly 100 years ago, while Wikipedia dates Aniline Chromexcel to 1911. Both put it in the early 20th century.

One UK reseller says Chromexcel goes through at least 89 separate processes over 28 working days, with a bark retannage. We did not find that figure on Horween's own home page, so treat it as the reseller's statement.

What is Horween Shell Cordovan?

Shell cordovan comes from the shell, a layer on a horse's rump, and does not crease like ordinary leather. Horween's shells are steeped in vegetable liquors, hot stuffed, dried on glass frames, hand curried and shaved, hand dyed and hand glazed. The whole process takes at least six months.

How Horween leather is made differently

Three construction choices set it apart, by Horween's own account. It uses native hides, chosen for grain and yield. It does the whole job from raw, cured hide to finished leather in one plant. And several of its leathers rely on slow hand steps, such as hot stuffing and hand glazing.

Most modern leather is chrome tanned, which takes about a day. Horween's range spans straight chrome (baseball glove), vegetable (Essex, Dublin, cordovan) and leathers with added oils and waxes (Chromexcel).

What Horween leather costs, and whether it is worth it

At Tannery Row, which says it is Horween's exclusive US retail partner, a side of Chromexcel is listed from $279 for 16.5-20 sq ft. By our arithmetic, that is about $14-17 per sq ft at retail, single-side.

For scale, one European tannery quotes full-grain aniline upper leather at EUR 2.50-4.00 per sq ft ex-tannery. The two prices are not like for like: one is a retail single side, the other a wholesale indicative range before freight or duty. Still, it shows that a maker using Horween pays well above commodity leather. For how leather prices are built, see how much leather costs.

Is it worth it? Judge the piece, not the tannery name:

• The cut still matters. Horween sides are sold as first quality, but fibers are tighter along the spine than at the belly, and marks gather at the belly and neck. Where the maker cuts decides what you get.
• Construction matters as much. Edge finishing, stitching and lining decide how a belt or jacket ages. See how to identify high-quality leather goods.
• Shell cordovan has a real build difference. Its six-month process and crease resistance are specific, checkable traits.

Horween leather vs. regular leather

Getting a leather jacket rather than a raw side

Horween is a tannery: it turns raw hides into finished leather for other makers to cut and sew. If you want a made-to-order jacket and want to choose the hide, Leather Collection hand-stitches jackets in cowhide, sheepskin, lambskin or goatskin. It does not say which tannery supplies them, so ask before ordering.

FAQ

What animal is Horween leather?

Mostly cow: about 85% of Horween's leather is cowhide. It also tans horsehide, the source of its shell cordovan, plus smaller amounts of calf and bison.

Is Horween Shell Cordovan worth it?

It costs more because it is a different material, not just a brand: a horse rump layer that resists creasing, made over at least six months. Whether that is worth it depends on the maker's work as well as the leather.

How durable is Chromexcel leather?

Tannery Row lists it as extremely durable and resistant to hardening and salt stains. That is a seller's description; we have not tested it ourselves.

What is the lowest quality of leather called?

Bonded leather, made of shredded scraps on a backing. See leather grades explained for the full ladder.