Cowhide: divided into yellow cowhide, water buffalo leather, etc. Generally, yellow cowhide has better strength than water buffalo leather. According to the age of cattle, cowhide can be divided into fetal cowhide, calf leather, medium cowhide, and large cowhide. Generally, the younger the age of a cow, the more expensive the price and grade of the leather, but it does not mean that the higher the price, the better the strength of the leather. Cowhide can generally be divided into a top layer and a second layer. The top layer is generally used to make leather shoe uppers, and the second layer is generally used to make sports shoes and leather shoe pads. Because the second layer cowhide is made by adding artificial leather to the top layer cowhide, and the material is different from the top layer cowhide, the price of the top layer cowhide is much higher than that of the second layer cowhide.

     Sheepskin: divided into two categories: sheepskin and goat skin. Generally, goat skin has better firmness than sheepskin, while sheepskin has better softness and wearing comfort than goat skin. Compared to cowhide, sheepskin is generally not distinguished by the age of the sheep.
     Pig skin: generally used less in shoe uppers and relatively more in children's shoes. Pig skin has a lower price and is generally used to make lining in adult shoes. Pig skin generally has two layers: the first layer has better strength, while the second layer has poorer strength. However, the price of the first layer is about five times higher than that of the second layer.
    Other animal skins: such as crocodile skin, kangaroo skin, deer skin, lizard skin, snake skin, pearl fish skin, ostrich body skin, ostrich foot skin, frog skin. Due to the scarcity of skin sources, shoes made from these animal skins are often more expensive, but it does not mean that these skins are very durable to wear.
Classification of artificial leather: Generally made by artificial synthesis, the fabric used to make shoe uppers is collectively referred to as artificial leather. It is commonly believed that shoe upper fabrics other than natural leather are made of synthetic leather. Generally speaking, artificial leather has a lower price and poorer comfort and breathability compared to natural leather. But there are also a very small number of artificial leather products that are more expensive than natural leather due to their complex manufacturing process.