Knowledge Center

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Can you imagine how confusing it would be if every country that buys fur lived by a different standard and spoke about fur in different terms?  To eliminate that confusion, the Internationl Fur Community adopted a set of standards for each species of fur bearer.  That way a fur buyer from China could speak with someone in Canada  about some furs from Alaska or Finland and everyone knew exactly what they are talking about.  

The goal of this section is to help educate you, a potential buyer of fur pelts, on some of the standards and what they mean in laymens terms.  At the very least, I hope you gain enough knowledge to ask the seller questions to better understand the quality of the pelts you are buying.

The short answer to that question is NO.  The fur industry measures pelts from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail.  The base of the tail is that point where the back squares off and the tail begins.  Sometimes the base is longer on one side of the tail than the other side.  In that case, the shorter side is used to calculate the size of the pelt.  

For Example:  You see a listing for a raccoon pelt that is 39 inches long from the nose to the tip of the tail.  If you look at the chart above you would see that this pelt is a 4X.  In reality, this pelt measures 27 1/2 inches to the base of the tail and would be graded an XL.  This is important (or should be) to know and understand because there is a big price difference between a 4X and a XL.  

The only exception I am aware of is how a beaver is measured.  Beaver are measured both lengh plus the width.  The sum of the two measurements is the size. 

 For Example:  You have a beaver that is 30 " long + 23" wide = 53 inches.  If we look at the chart above we see that beaver size is LM.  

Potential questions to ask a seller would be:

 1. How long is the pelt from the nose to the base of the tail? (check it against the chart)

The chart in the picture above is from the Fur Harvestors Auction website.  If you click on the Find Out More button to the right it will take you to the complete list.

Even though there is a chart that describes the different kinds of damage it's important to keep in mind that damage can be very subjective.  What is slight damage to one fur grader might be damaged with large imperfections to another grader.  I'm sure there is less variation among the professional graders, and a little more variation among those of us that don't see 10's of thousands of pelts every year.  That's why when buying pelts you may want to ask some questions of the seller that advertises a pelt that is slight damaged.

When grading fur for the International Fur Auction, there are typically two types of damage in a pelt.  There is damage to the fur itself, damage to the leather, or a combination of both.  However, when grading tanned (also known as dressed) fur there becomes another dimension of damage and that's tannery damage. In the picture above this otter has  good prime hair, but eight (8) holes in the leather.  I would consider this one a Good Quality with Large Imperfection.  On the other hand, you could have a pelt with perfect leather but the hair is mangy.  I would consider that one as Extensive Damage.  The otter in the image above shows a large dark area in the leather.  This is tanning damage.  When this otter pelt was tanned it was shaved way to thin.  This makes the leather very weak and not suitable for sewing.  In a case like this, the pelt should be graded as very bad damage and be severally discounted.

What questions to ask the seller depends on how you want to use the pelt. If it's for a wall hanger you may get by with some small holes in the leather, but good quality hair is essential.  If it's for a hat or gloves you may ask the seller to send you some pictures of the damage.  Of course you want good hair, and depending where the leather is damaged you might be ok.  Damage in the belly area on a raccoon isn't usually a problem for garments.  However, other species of fur bearers like mink, fox, otter, coyote, beaver, etc. could create unusable fur and that would be a waste.

Bottom line on damage is this.  If there are no pictures that describe the damage, ask the seller for some, and make sure to look for tanning damage.   Quality pelts are not cheap and as a buyer you deserve full disclosure on what you are purchasing.  

If you click on the Find Out More button to the right it will take you to the complete list of damage  from the Fur Harvestors Auction website

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert on tanning hides.  However, over the years I have tanned enough of my own hides to know that I simply can't do it myself near as good as a professional tannery can.  With that said, the focus of this section will be on some basic information to help you know what questions to ask when you are shopping for a pelt.

Three Key Types of Tanning to Make Leather

1. Chrome Tanning - This is the most common and economical method for making leather.

2. Vegetable Tanning - This method is the oldest.  It uses the tannin from tree bark, nuts, and shrubs to tan the leather.  It is a very lengthly process that produces beautiful and often high end leather .

3. Chrome-Free Tanning - This would include brain tanning and alum tanning.

      - Brain Tanning is an ancient method that uses the brain of the animal to tan its hide.

      - Alum Tanning is just as the name implies...it uses alum to do the tanning.  This is a       common method in commercial tanneries that specialize in garment quality fur pelts.

What is the Best Method for Garment Quality Pelts?

The answer to that is most likely debateable, but I would have a preference to the alum simply because that is what my tannery uses, and I love the quality of their work!  

Some Red Flags to Watch For...

Pelts that have been tanned at a professional commercial tannery WILL NOT have any animal odor or grease present.  They WILL have a pleasant leather smell and the hair will be soft, silky and clean.  If the listing says something like, "this skunk pelt has a slight skunk smell but you can expect that", or "the pelt is slightly greasy" it's time to ask some questions.  Reading reviews is also a good way to learn about the tanning quality.

If you click on the Find Out More button to the right, it will take you to a video tour of a fur tannery.

I asked an old apple orchard farmer one time why his cider was so good.  He said, "most people use their seconds to make cider.  I don't do that, I use my best apples.  The way I figure it, trash in...trash out".  That philosophy certainly holds true when making a quality garment.  Start with a good quality pelt!

SAGA Furs of Finland calls this step "stretching and nailing".  I have also heard it referred too as "blocking" the pelt.  Whatever you choose to call it, this step is always done and never skipped.

The next step is to trace the pattern on the leather side on the skin.

When cutting fur always cut on the leather side with a razor knife.  Only cut deep enough to cut the leather.  We don't want to cut the hair.

Sew the side bands together.  I tie the knots with a douible square knot then glue the knot just to make sure it doesn't come untied.

Sew the top to the side bands. Once again, I tie the knots with a douible square knot then glue the knot just to make sure it doesn't come untied.

Sew the tail to the back of the hat.  Once again, tie and glue the knots.

Using the same hat pattern, trace it out on your liner material and sew it together.

Sew the liner in to the hat.  Once again, tie and glue the knots.

You should stop sewing the liner in the hat at each side of the tail.  This will give you a small opening to pull the hat through to finish it.