Furs: Colloquial vs. Leather Industry Terminology
The term "furs" can be distinguished between its colloquial use and its use in leather industry terminology.
When people speak colloquially about furs, they usually refer to the hides of animals that still have fur or hair, such as lambskin, cowhide, bear fur, etc. In colloquial language, the skin refers to the outer layer of all animals and humans.
In the leather trade, the term "furs" refers to the tanned hides of small animals, such as calves, goats, sheep, lambs, etc. This term is used regardless of whether or not the skin still has hair on it.
Additional sources (last access on 14.03.2019):
- leder-info(punkt)de/index.php/Felle
- leder-info(punkt)de/index.php/Haut
- lederzentrum.de/wiki/index.php/Oberhaut