By-cast leather vs other forms of leather?

Answer 1

Bycast or Bicast leather is a piece of bottom split leather which has a polyurethane coating bonded to it.

The thickness of this coating will determine whether or not it can be sold as leather (in the UK)

The coating is very vulnerable to body oils and must eb protected with a good protector together with regular cleaning to prolong its life. Once the top coating has been damaged it is very difficult to fix it.

BI-CAST

• A split leather with a polymer coating.
• The polymer coating is created as a separate layer and then applied with adhesives, rather than being applied by spraying several thin coats as in ordinary leather. This results in a very even finish on a leather of generally poor quality.
• The thickness of the polymer layer will determine whether it can be sold as leather or re-categorised as leather laminate

source: http://www.LTTsolutions.net

Answer 2

By-cast leather is made from split leather with a polyurethane coating, making it more affordable and easier to clean than full-grain leather. However, it is less durable and may peel over time compared to genuine leather. Other forms of leather, such as full-grain and top-grain, are higher quality and more durable but come at a higher price point.

Answer 3

To cut costs and present to the consumer a "leather" product at a low price, many in the leather furniture industry have turned to an inexpensive material known as bi-cast. Over the last few years there has been an explosion of bi-cast (bicast, bycast) "leather" made in China and sold throughout the world. Bicast products are manufactured by bonding a thick polyurethane coating to a split-hide leather or composite leather substrate. Split hide and composite leather are both significantly inferior to top grain leather. Bi-cast (sometimes referred to as PU Leather) is fundamentally a man-made synthetic upholstery product. Here's a good analogy: Bi-cast is to natural leather what particle board is to hardwood. Bi-cast products have the visual aesthetics of expensive, natural top-grain leather, but at substantially less cost; so it appears very attractive to the unsuspecting consumer. With natural leather, the strength and durability comes from the epidermis (outer layer) of the hide. Because bi-cast is a polyurethane-coated split (inner layer), this "leather wanna-be" does not have the strength or durability people normally associate with leather. Consequently, bi-cast products do not have the life expectancy of natural leather. Its structural integrity can be shockingly short-lived. As a leather furniture repair and restoration expert, I have seen occasions where the polyurethane coating peels, or the substrate material splits and tears in as little as 3-6 months. Much like particle board, when the bi-cast product's inherent weakness surfaces, it is time to replace the furniture as repair or restoration are not viable options with this material. So, in that regard, bi-cast upholstered furniture should be considered a throw-away item.

Answer 4

By-cast leather is a low grade of split leather that has a layer of polyurethane(plastic) put on the top. It is commonly used in furniture because it is much cheaper and cleans easier that real leather.

Some other forms of leather are:

-Full grain leather, which consists of a single cow hide that has not been sanded or split. This is considered very high quality leather and is very durable but more expensive.

-Bonded leather, which is made of leather fibers and a binding agent to create an inexpensive leather-like look. This is not very strong and does not have all of the good qualities of real leather.

-Corrected leather, this leather has imperfections on the surface. Because of this manufacturers sand or buff off the top layer of hide and then stamp the remaining piece of leather with a grain pattern. It is less expensive than full grain leather but will still hold up better than bonded leather will.