A Brief Introduction To Artificial Leather
Artificial leather is the earliest substitute invented for leather fabrics. It is made of PVC plus plasticizers and other additives by calendering and compounding on cloth. Its advantages are low price, rich colors and various patterns, and its disadvantages are that it is easy to harden and become brittle. PU synthetic leather is used to replace PVC artificial leather, and its price is higher than PVC artificial leather. In terms of chemical structure, it is closer to leather fabrics. It does not use plasticizers to achieve softness, so it will not harden or become brittle. At the same time, it has the advantages of rich colors and various patterns. The price is cheaper than leather fabrics, so it is popular with consumers.
There is also PU matching leather. Generally, the reverse side is the second layer of cowhide, and a layer of PU resin is coated on the surface, so it is also called film cowhide. It is relatively cheap and has a high utilization rate. It is also made into various grades with the change of technology, such as imported second-layer cowhide. Due to its unique technology, stable quality, and novel varieties, it is currently a high-end leather, and its price and grade are not inferior to the first layer of genuine leather. PU leather and genuine leather bags have their own characteristics. PU leather bags have beautiful appearance, are easy to take care of, and are cheap, but they are not wear-resistant and easy to break; genuine leather is expensive and troublesome to take care of, but it is durable.
There are two ways to distinguish between leather fabrics and PVC artificial leather and PU synthetic leather: one is the hardness of the leather. Genuine leather is very soft, and PU is hard, so most PU is used in leather shoes; the second is to distinguish them by burning and melting. The method is to take a small piece of fabric and put it on the fire. The leather fabric will not melt, while PVC artificial leather and PU synthetic leather will melt.
The difference between PVC artificial leather and PU leather can be distinguished by soaking in gasoline. The method is to take a small piece of fabric, put it in gasoline for half an hour, and then take it out. If it is PVC artificial leather, it will become hard and brittle, and if it is PU synthetic leather, it will not become hard and brittle.
