Did you know that leather comes in different thicknesses?
It's interchangeably referred to as thickness or weight (I originally learned it in weights, so that's how I think of it now). Here's a chart showing the conversion of weight in ounces to thickness in millimeters:
The chart above also shows the different thicknesses and projects that work well at each weight. Different products work well with certain weights. There are several reasons for that. A thinner leather may be used when multiple layers are involved and you want to avoid it getting too bulky (like a wallet). A thicker leather will typically have more stiffness to it supplying more structure (such as a belt or holster).
In order to achieve a specific thickness, leather goes through a process called splitting. Simply put, the bottom layer is cut off to achieve the weight or thickness desired. Here I've shown a variety of thicknesses from very thin to very thick.
Now you know that leather can come in different thicknesses, you can determine the thickness used for your leather good!
Want to make sure you are buying quality leather products? Learn about the best leather and other types of leather and which ones to avoid.