Chicago, Illinois, USA-based tannery, veg-tan, chrome-tan, and combination-tan
particularly known among shoemakers for shell cordovan and combination-tanned Chromexcel
focuses on heavier leathers
Tannages
Chromexcel Family
- Beaufort (not as oily, cementable)
- Buccaneer (water resistant)
- Cavalier (not as oily, brighter colors)
- Excel (no chrome)
- Natural M (additional pit tan)
- Plainsman (grainier, less pull-up)
- Wooly (oilier, with lanolin, grainier)
Straight Vegetable
- Cordovan
- Essex Line
- Essex
- Dublin (hot plated)
- Derby (tumbled)
- Rockford
- Vermont
- Vintage
Straight Chrome
- Chromepak
- Driftwood
- Featherlite
- Glove
Grading
Side Grading
Two System: Traditional and SATRA Grading
Traditional
- TR (normal)
- SP (specials, cosmetic flaws, but cuttable, discounted)
- R (rejects, pulled out of customer orders, go to, e.g. Maverick)
SATRA Grading
- TR roughly 1–4
- A1, A2, B3, B4, C5, D6 (special)
- cuttable
- based on a reference shape designed to approximate shoe pattern pieces
- originally a shoe standard
- each shipment should be, on average, 85% cuttable
Cordovan Grading
- sold by piece, not square foot
- grade based on footage range
- XXL (3ft+), XL, L, M, S, XS, XXS (1-1.1 ft)
- old grading system was 1–5