Salted Ostrich Skins
Supplying the worldwide tanning industry with salted ostrich skins

Whether you are considering purchasing finished ostrich skins for use in crafts or fashion items, or you want to become an ostrich farmer, it is important to know the grading scale that is used for grading skins. The main area that is graded is called the crown. That is the saddle area of the ostrich which contains most of the follicles. It is divided into four quarters for determining grade. The rest of the skin is also graded, and is called the smooth part because of the lack of follicles.

The highest quality is the super premium. This grade is rare, and is visibly flawless in all four quarters, as well as the smooth part.

The next highest is premium. This has all four quarters visibly flawless, but may have some defects on the smooth area, but they are not very noticeable.

Next is Grade One. This has at least three of the quarters free of defects, and a maximum of one defect smaller than 40 millimeters in diameter, so long as it isn’t a hole. It can have one small healed wound, as well as a few defects in the smooth area.

Grade Two has at least two of the quarters that are adjacent free of defects. It can have only one of the following: one defect smaller than 80 millimeters in two adjacent quarters, two defects smaller than 40 millimeters in two adjacent quarters, or two healed wounds that are smaller than the distance between three quills. It can also have a few defects in the smooth area.

Grade Three has to have at least one quarter that is free of defects. It can have only one of the following: one defect in one quarter that is smaller than 120 millimeters, two defects in any quarters if one is smaller than 80 millimeters and the other is smaller than 40 millimeters, three defects in one quarter if they are each smaller than 40 millimeters, and three healed wounds that are smaller than the distance between four quills. It can have any number of defects in the smooth area.

Grades Four and Five have approximately the same parameters as Grade Three, but in Grade Four, the affected skin area has to fall between 25 and 50% of the total skin area. In Grade Five, the affected skin area has to be smaller than 50%, but is in slightly worse condition than Grade Four.

If ostrich skins are worse than a Grade Five, they are considered a Lesser Grade, and are basically worthless.

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Like with all types of leather, ostrich skins have a set of standards that determine their grade and cost. Having a grading system is important because it encourages both the farmers and the tanneries to produce the best possible skins. A high grade skin will completely cover the cost of the bird’s feed which makes the meat and feathers pure profit, while a low grade could actually prevent the farmer from making a profit on that bird.

It is a 5 point grading scale, with 1 being the highest grade and 5 being the lowest. The skins are graded on the amount of scars and other blemishes the skins have. Things like follicle size, skin size or thickness, and the age of the bird when slaughtered are barely taken into account, as those are usually a preference for each buyer. 

It is important to understand the different types of defects that occur, so they can be prevented in the future. There are 3 different sizes of defects that are specifically defined. These are measured by diameter in millimeters. They are 40, 80, and 120 millimeters.

Some things that are considered defects are cuts or holes all the way through the skin, scars, scratches, scabs, or unhealed wounds which disrupt the grain pattern. These are all injuries that are sometimes caused by other birds, but more often by sharp sticks or improper fencing. These are easily preventable by keeping pasture areas clean and fences in good repair. A rough surface can also appear which can be caused by sunburns because the birds do not have sufficient shade.

There are other defects that are caused by other birds, such as a rough surface that is because of feather pecking. Some defects can be caused by various diseases or bacteria, such as rashes, pit marks, sueded grain, and inoculation marks. Tick bites are another defect that can be seen. They are distinguished by small well-defined holes that have swollen edges and are typically behind a quill. Most of these can be avoided if the birds are well-cared for. If the farmer is aware of tick bites or rashes showing up, he should immediately eliminate the source of these problems to prevent future down-grading of skins.

Each skin will be graded based on the number and size of the blemishes, so great care must be taken to prevent any defects on a given bird. For the most part, if an injury is smaller than the distance between two quills and blends in well enough with the grain pattern, it will not be considered a defect. With a better understanding of the origins of defects on ostrich skins, the farmer can do a better job of preventing them.

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ostrich skins that have been tanned are becoming more popular in the fashion industry today, but many people may not know much about it. If you are considering farming ostriches or working with ostrich leather, it is important to understand the origins of ostrich leather.

Ostrich leather comes from African ostriches. These ostriches are farmed for their feathers, meat, and skin. Ostrich farming began back in 1850 in South Africa and was successful at first because of a high demand for the feathers for military uniforms and fancy hats. Since then, the ostrich farming industry saw highs and lows as different parts of the bird were in demand at different times. In recent times, there has been an increase in demand for exotic leathers in the fashion industry, including ostrich leather, which has ostrich skins in demand again.

Compared to cow and horse hides, ostrich skins have a small area of skin, usually about 16 square feet (1.5 square meters). They are distinct from other leathers because the feather follicles give it a bumpy texture. The amount and size of these follicles, as well as the thickness of the skin, is dependent on the age of the bird when they are slaughtered. Because of its smaller size and unique qualities, great care is taken during the tanning process to preserve all of the skin, which makes the tanning time and skills greater than most leathers. That is what makes it a luxury product.

The production of ostrich leather occurs in a total of 36 steps, which are divided into 3 stages. The first stage involves 15 steps, of soaking, cleaning, salting, and tanning the hide. At this stage, tanners carefully clean the skin to remove all remaining bits of flesh, and use chromium salts to dry out the skin. They then use a tanning solution to tan the leather. The second stage has 10 steps, and includes the fine cutting around the edges, and the bleaching and dyeing of the skin. It is once again dried, and is measured afterwards. The third stage has 11 steps, which is when it is finished and softened by being conditioned, graded, and packed.

Most of this is done in South African tanneries, which process over 200,000 skins every year. The finished ostrich skins are then sent to Eastern Asia and Europe to be made into various items such as purses, wallets, gloves, shoes, luggage, and upholstery. 

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Processing and tanning ostrich skins is radically different from most other types of animal skins that are tanned, especially cows, deer, and rabbits. Ostrich skin is considered a luxury or exotic skin, and is used in many high-end fashion industries, much like alligator skins are. To truly appreciate them, it’s important to understand the care that goes into tanning each hide.

Batch sizes are much smaller when processing ostrich skins. Each hide is given careful care to be sure it is properly cut and tanned. The process times are also much longer, and each hide is allowed ample time to properly tan, unlike cow hide processing plants which process as many hides as possible in the smallest amount of time as possible.

There is a different way of grading and measuring ostrich skins. It is sold by the centimeter, which means that they are carefully measured to guarantee the maximum amount of hide is saved per each skin. That helps exotic tanneries get the most out of each hide, and it also means that each tanner has to be an expert at using the machines and cutting down the hides into usable amounts.

Because of the value of each and every ostrich skin, the tannery is extremely careful with the amount of chemicals used every step of the way. If they were to use too many or too few chemicals at any point, there would be damage done to the skin, and an inferior product would be produced.

There are many different regulations on the quality of all exotic skins, including ostrich skins. Each ostrich skin is inspected and tagged throughout the entire process. The goal of each tanner is to produce the highest possible quality of skins, and having multiple inspections helps to encourage that.

Each tanner has a slightly different way of tanning, and that will show up slightly in his or her work. It’s a trademark, and proves that tanning ostrich hides is truly a form of art. The hides are typically bleached to remove pigmentation, and are often dyed as a part of the finishing process. This is what produces the wide variety of bright colors that appear on purses and boots and other fashion goods that use ostrich leather.

The finishing process is just are carefully done as the tanning process, and they use many types of dyes, glazes, and tools to make sure each of the ostrich skins that come through their tannery is of the highest possible quality.

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REF:09I_OST001 WET SALTED ostrich skins FROM SPAIN
Average size: 15 sq.ft.
Selection in raw: 65% A, 20% B, 10% C, 5% D
Availability: 800 skins
Price: US90 Grade A/B/C and US30 for Grade D CFR interntional port
Offer last updated: 15th May 2011

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We also supply cow hides, calf skins, buffalo hides, cow head skins, cow trimmings, wet blue hides, goat skins, lamb skins, greasy wool, rabbit skins, deer skins, pig skins, and horse hides

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