Overview
ISO/TR 2822-3:2017 - Leather - Raw cattle hides and calf skins - Part 3: Guidelines for grading on the basis of defects - is a technical report from ISO that provides practical, visual and descriptive guidance for grading raw cattle hides and calf skins according to visible defects. The document defines terms, recommended trimming and preservation methods, a defect-based classification system (First to Fourth grade and Rejects), and pictorial schematics to support consistent hide grading across the supply chain.
Key Topics
- Scope and purpose
- Guidelines for grading hides and skins based solely on visible defects to support quality control and pricing.
- Terms and definitions
- Clear definitions for hide-specific issues such as fallen hide, pritch hole, healed warble, flay mark, knive mark, latent defect, pattern, trimming and curing.
- Trimming requirements
- Presentation expectations (e.g., head removed behind ears, shanks cut above knee/hock, tail ≤ 25 cm from butt, no excess fat/flesh).
- Preservation methods
- Recommended techniques: frame or suspension drying, stack salting, brining, dry salting, freezing.
- Classification by defects
- Four grade levels plus rejects, with quantitative guidance:
- First grade: good pattern, well cured, no brand marks, ≤ five blind warbles, utilizable area ≥ 90%.
- Second grade: acceptable small belly/neck holes, one brand allowed within 18 cm of perimeter, utilizable area ≥ 80%.
- Third grade: defects up to ~30% area, utilizable area ≥ 70%.
- Fourth grade: defects covering up to 50% of hide; very poor pattern/curing.
- Rejects: hides with more defects than fourth grade or