If you have bought a well-made American boot, wallet, or baseball glove in the last hundred years, odds are the leather came from a single five-story brick building on Chicago's South Side. That building is the Horween Leather Company, and it has been family-owned since 1905.
What Horween Is
Horween is one of the last full-service tanneries in the United States. Almost every other American tannery has closed, consolidated, or shifted production offshore. Horween still does everything on site: soaking, liming, tanning, retanning, fat liquoring, coloring, and finishing. The process for some of their leathers takes 28 days. Horween Leather Company
The company was founded by Isidore Horween, a Ukrainian immigrant, in 1905. It is still run by the Horween family — currently the fifth generation. The tannery sits in a designated historic district and the equipment in some rooms has not changed in 60 years.
Chromexcel
Horween's most famous leather is Chromexcel. It is a pull-up leather with a rich, waxy hand and a characteristic "burnish" that appears when you bend it. Chromexcel is what you see on Red Wing Beckman boots, Alden shell cordovan alternatives, Wolverine 1000 Mile boots, Mitchell Leather wallets, and countless other heritage goods.
The process: the hides are chrome tanned first (for durability and flexibility), then retanned with vegetable extracts, then stuffed with oils, waxes, and greases using a proprietary "hot stuffing" process. The stuffing happens in heated drums that drive the oils deep into the fiber structure. This is what gives Chromexcel its pull-up — bend it, and the oils move, creating a lighter mark that slowly darkens as the oils migrate back.
Chromexcel is not the most durable leather, and it is not the most waterproof. But it has a hand that no other leather replicates, and it develops a patina that is impossible to fake.
Shell Cordovan
Horween is the only American tannery producing shell cordovan, and one of only three or four in the world. Shell cordovan is not made from the outer skin of the horse. It comes from a dense connective tissue membrane on the horse's rump, which is cut out, soaked, and tanned separately. The yield per horse is tiny — two "shells" about the size of a dinner plate.
The process takes six months. The shells go through extended vegetable tanning, are hand-curried with hot oil and tallow, shaved, glazed, and polished. The result is a leather that does not crease — it rolls. Shell cordovan wallets and boots from Alden can last 30-40 years with basic care. Heddels - Shell Cordovan Guide
A pair of Alden shell cordovan boots runs $800-1,200. That is expensive. It is also the cheapest way to own a shell cordovan boot because Alden is the only mainstream American maker that works with shell in volume.
Football Leather
Horween is the exclusive supplier of leather for the NFL football. Every football used in an NFL game is made from Horween leather, assembled by Wilson in Ada, Ohio. They have held this contract continuously since 1941. Same tannery, same city, same factory. NFL Football Operations
They also supply leather for NBA basketballs, NCAA footballs, and Rawlings baseball gloves. If you have ever caught a pop fly in an American-made glove, you have touched Horween leather.
Other Leathers to Know
Dublin. A full-grain vegetable tanned leather. Stiffer than Chromexcel, develops an aggressive patina. Used for heritage wallets and belts.
Essex. Horween's pure vegetable tanned leather. Rich, develops the deepest patina. Used by high-end makers like Frank Clegg and Ashland Leather.
Derby. Similar to Chromexcel but with a different oil/wax mix. Slightly firmer and less waxy.
Latigo. A combination-tanned leather designed for saddlery. Extremely durable, stands up to weather.
Why It Matters
Horween is not just a good tannery. It is one of the last American tanneries of its kind, and its closing would mean the end of an entire category of domestic leather goods. Every time you buy a wallet, belt, or boot made with Horween leather, you are keeping that building running.
For goods made with Horween, see best American-made boots and best American-made wallets.