FAQs

We kindly inform all our customers that during this period there have been unpleasant episodes of computer scams that extort data by sending new bank details to customers with fake e-mail addresses.

Potentially this is due to one being unknowingly spied on by external parties with particular regard to email communications regarding supplies and payments. The scammers read your correspondence with suppliers, create a similar but fake email address of the supplier which then appears as the sender, and instructs the customers via e-mail with a change of the bank details and inviting you to make the payment of invoices or balances of orders ready for shipment to the “new bank account details”.

Being misled, you make the money transfer to the bank account that belonging to the scammers, and after that your payments are no longer traceable as the wire transfers are “diverted”.

You will understand that CTL Leather cannot be responsible for the incorrect money transfer, and we invite you to pay attention to such emails as a precautionary measure. We suggest you:

1. Carefully check the sender of the emails you receive, especially if you reply directly without typing the complete address;
2. Should you receive a communication from the supplier for a change in banking or payment details, communicate with the supplier via telephone to confirm the changes are really effective;
3. Protect your computer network appropriately with up-to-date firewall, anti-virus and antispam software, as well as choose an e-mail provider that provides high-level security filters.

The minimum amount that may be ordered is one hide. For perforated leathers, the minimum is one half hide.

CTL attempts to keep overage to under 10% as a rule, less so on larger orders.

However, as we do not cut hides, and each hide size is unique, overage can sometimes exceed 10% particularly for small order quantities.

With your direction at time of order placement, CTL can pick appropriately to meet your requirements by using specified minimum and maximum thresholds.

Converting Fabric Yards to Square Feet:

Leather is sold by the square foot, and is a natural material with each hide size being unique and varying in size. The fact that leather is irregularly shaped causes a waste factor in the cutting of leather.

The industry has a developed a standard formula for converting fabric yardage to leather square footage which factors in waste:

1 linear yard of 54″ wide fabric = 18 square feet of leather.

If you know your yardage requirement, multiple that number by 18 to obtain your leather requirement.

This is a general rule of thumb, however, as each leather article is different, please use this information purely for reference. CTL Leather is not and will not be held responsible for overages or udnerages.

Converting Square Meters to Square Feet

1 square meter = 10.764 square feet

To convert Square Meters to square feet, multiply the number of square meters by 10.764 to obtain the equivalent in square feet.

No. Leather comes in varying sizes and shapes, much of which depends on the origin of the raw material. Please contact us for additional information.

Yield and waste will vary upon the application of leather and its origin. Leather typically has a slightly higher waste than fabric, but there are multiple factors involved including the type of leather and size of parts to be cut. It is often best to consult your furniture manufacturer for specific questions.

For color differences, this is often due to the calibration of your computer screen for displaying color, though it may also be a result of dye lot variation for some leathers.

Texture variation in some leathers is typically the result of where the sample was cut from within the hide. In this case, large grain will appear near the edge of the hide, whereas small grain will appear towards the center of the hide.

The sample book should only be used as a guide of the leathers that we carry. Many leathers, such as aniline leathers, will vary in color between production lots.

Hence, for our our aniline and semi-aniline leathers, we do recommend that you obtain a Cutting for Approval (CFA) prior to placing your order so that you can obtain a current dye lot sample.

Samples for Approval (SFAs) are cuttings from our leather articles where the production lot is not specific. These should be used as an indication of article type and color only.

Cuttings for Approval (CFAs) are actual cuttings from the current dye lot. These should be used as more “exact” matches to what will be shipped on your order.

Just send us a piece of what you are trying to match, and we will send you our closest matches from our 1000+ in-stock colors, or we can produce a custom match for your approval (minimum quantities apply).

If the leather is in stock, the order will be processed within 24-48hrs, depending on the complexity of the order and the volume of orders being processed at that time. We also offer the capability to consolidate multiple orders and ship on a pre-arranged basis to reduce overall shipping costs.

CTL packs and ships its leathers in a variety of ways based on the type of leather and requirement by customer. Please contact us for specific information.

CTL Leather accepts cheque, direct debit, wire transfer or credit card payments (Visa, Mastercard) for purchase.

Please note that there is a 3% charge for credit card processing fees that will be applied to transactions over $3000.00.

For first time customers, proforma and COD certified options are also available. Net terms may be established upon credit approval after the first order.

Click here to download our Credit Application

You may change your order before it ships. Please contact our customer service department at 416.449.4770.

Upon request, we will hold your specified amount of leather for ten business days, insuring that the inventory is available to you when you need it.

Please contact our customer service department at orders@ctlleather.com with various details (PO, Packing Slip) along with pictures. Phone # also, but detail we will request the email/pictures.

Yes, you are able to pickup your order so long as you arrange beforehand by minimum 24hrs.

Please contact the retailer you purchased the product from.

If you are not completely satisfied with your CTL Leather purchase, you may return it via prepaid freight for a refund or exchange within 30 days of the ship date.

Please call in advance to receive authorization for the return. All returns must be unused and in original condition with the tags still attached. Your return or exchange will be processed in approximately 2 business days.

To return items, please refer to the Returns section on our website or contact us to arrange a return.

We stand behind the workmanship and integrity of our products. CTL Leather’s products are made with the highest standards and rigorous quality assurance in mind. Our products are guaranteed against manufacturing and material defects resulting from normal use. If a manufacturing defect occurs in one of our products within one year of purchase, after an assessment at an independent lab, if the results show that the product is defective, we will gladly exchange or repair the product. With time, however, leather will naturally distress. We cannot guarantee items against everyday wear and tear.

Our leathers are sold according to its area per square foot (ft²). Leather is measured by placing the hide through electronic measuring machines to determine their surface area to the quarter of a square foot. The hide is then stamped with the measurement as 50.00, 50.1, 50.2, and 50.3 on the hide which equates in square feet to 50.00, 50.25, 50.50, and 50.75 ft².

Thickness is measured using a thickness gauge in units of millimeters, and is usually given as a range such as 1.0 to 1.2mm due to the inherent variability of the material.

For some industries, hide thickness is described in terms of its weight per square foot in units of ounces. To determine the weight in ounces, use the conversion of 1 oz/ft = 1/64 inch (0.4mm). Therefore, a leather that is described as 3 to 4 oz, is equivalent to 3/64 to 4/64 inches thick, or 1.2 to 1.6 mm thick.

See the following table for quick conversions:

VEGAN LEATHER

Vegan ‘leather’, which is not leather AT ALL, is widely touted as an ethical, eco-friendly and equivalent alternative to real leather. Vegan ‘leather’ is promoted as if it is an adequate and unquestionably better option than the real thing. But what most campaigns so conveniently omit, and consumers are therefore less aware of, is that these professed ‘vegan leathers’ are of course loaded with chemicals, and their environmental impact is often a lot more severe than that of leather. They are either synthetics – essentially plastics – or bio-based, but even then require a host of chemical treatments, or they would simply rot away.

The image of this beautiful, traditional, ancient, natural, lasting and renewable material – leather, which is a by-product of another industry, is being detracted by some industries.

Leather is a natural by-product : Modern leather manufacturing recycles over 270 million cow hides each year. These are a by-product of the food industry and without the ability of the leather industry to transform them into leather, over 7 million tonnes would go to landfill with huge environmental and biological impact. Leather makes a sustainable contribution to a society that needs to consume less, reuse more and a recycle everything. Leather at end of life will biodegrade, depending on type in between 10 & 50 years. We see leather trims being creatively incorporated into wall coverings, shoes, clothes, plus more and more companies are recycling the leather component from footwear and leather goods into something new.