Abstract

Area measurement is the basis on which leather is traded. The tanner bases his costing on the cost of the raw material, chemicals used, labour, effluent costs and overheads and profits or losses are determined by the area yield of the particular batch of leather. The customer buys the leather on the basis of the area measurement but the real value to him is the area he incorporates in the articles he sells plus the value (if any) of the off-cuts or unused leather. This paper considers the actual measurement of the surface area, the pre-conditioning and the influence of conditions of transport and storage before eventual use. Area measurement itself is an empirical method and it is important to specify the conditions of measurement and to realise the influence that the changes in conditions can have when eventually the leather is remeasured.