• Source: calf
• Processing: chrome-tanned 
• Thickness: 1.4 - 1.8 mm
• Stiffness: 🖤 🖤🖤 🖤 4 Star
• Properties: firm yet soft to touch, delicate and attractive grain pattern
• Uses: bags, shoes, small leather goods 

Box calf leather is named after late-19th century English shoe craftsman Joseph Box. This leather is frequently used by Hermès to fashion their luxury bags (  Vintage Kellys—almost all were carefully crafted from box calf leather).  Also, the vast majority of quality men’s shoes are made from this kind of leather.

This leather remains a staple in the world of high fashion today, beloved by fashionistas and especially common on neutral-colored H bags. Box calf leather is the epitome of timelessness and class. Whereas other leather styles and textures can obscure the leather’s original character, box calf leather maintains it.

Box leather is chrome-tanned with an aniline finish, which gives the leather a distinguishing shine that transforms from a beautiful matte to a shiny gloss depending upon lighting.

Although box calf leather is more pliable than vegetable-tanned leather, traditionally  it offers more stiffness and rigidity than other chrome-tanned leathers. The aniline finishing tends to magnify any defects or imperfections in the leather, which disqualifies most low-quality leathers or leathers that have been subjected to processes such as splitting, buffing and other corrective techniques. For this reason, box calf leather has maintained a reputation for high-quality. Although traditional box calf leather is susceptible to scratches and other forms of exposure, modern manufacturers have started to apply a special coating to improve leather’s resistance to water, heat, and water.