Oiling (leather processing)
title: "Oiling (leather processing)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["leathermaking"] topic_path: "general/leathermaking" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oiling_(leather_processing)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
Oiling is a process whereby leather is hand coated (usually by brush or tampon) with either a raw (un-emulsified) oil or a combination of raw oil, blended with emulsified oils and a penetrating aid. Hand oils can include fragrant oils that help with the smell associated with the leather, e.g., pine oil. Hand oils commonly consist of sulfated vegetable oils, e.g. sulfated castor oil.
Oiling provides the leather with lubrication to increase their softness allowing it to flex repeatedly without cracking. Leather fibres that are dry and un-lubricated break very easily. Oiling does impart colour and an element of water resistance. Oiling would normally be performed on full grain aniline leathers. The most common type of leather oiled is vegetable tanned leather.
References
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::