🐄 Leather Hide Yield Estimator
Hides always have some waste from edges, brands, scars, and shape. Enter your hide's total square footage and expected usable yield percentage to estimate usable area.
How usable area is worked out
Hides are sold by the nominal square foot, but the edges are the animal's shape: neck wrinkles, brands, scars, bug bite and the thin stretchy belly. The estimator applies your yield figure straight to the measured area:
usable sq ft = total sq ft × (yield % / 100)The defaults, 20 sq ft at 75 %, give 15.0 sq ft. That figure is what sets your real material cost: a 20 sq ft side at $7 per foot is $140, and $140 over 15 usable feet is $9.33 per foot actually cut — a third more than the sticker price. US hides are stamped in feet and eighths, so a hide marked 23 5 is 23⅝ sq ft; European stock is quoted in square decimetres, at 9.29 dm² per square foot.
Picking a yield figure
| What you are cutting | Typical yield |
|---|---|
| Small nested parts — card cases, key fobs | 85–90 % |
| Mixed panels and short straps | 70–80 % |
| Bag panels needing clean, even grain | 60–70 % |
| Long belt blanks from a side | 50–60 % |
Shape drives the number more than hide quality does. A 48 in belt blank must run the length of the back, where the fibre is tight, so the belly and neck of that side become offcuts even though the leather is sound.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet is a side of leather?
Usually 20–25 sq ft. A side is half a hide, cut down the backbone; a whole hide runs 45–55 sq ft, a double shoulder 12–16 and a single shoulder 6–9.
How much of a leather hide is actually usable?
Plan on 70–80 % for a side of veg-tan cut into mixed parts. Small pieces that nest tightly reach 85–90 %; long straps that must come from the back drop you to 50–60 %.
How do I convert square feet of leather to square metres?
Divide by 10.764. A 22 sq ft side is 2.04 m², or 204 dm² in the units most European tanneries price by.