Hey all,

I did a search on the forum and came across this topic and Tab said :

So I was wondering if you guys can tell me which of the above materials would be most like the leather used on safety boots / army boots and if anyone could recommend a good place to source some, there's a place in town near me that sells some PVC and stuff but not the smooth kind i'm looking for and it was £12 for 1m x 52" (I have no idea if that's a good price) but I'm probably only needing about half that.

Any help you guys can give would be great.

Not sure what material is similar but I do know Fabric Land sell pleather and PVC at half the price you were quoted

Safety boots and army boots are usually made from real leather. Leather comes in many thickness's, which means it's perfect for shoe making. It can also be moulded.

ebay is actually a fantastic place to get leather from, but you need to know what you're after.

I've bought PVC in my nearest material shops can be £60-£10 per metre, Also ebay is good for pleather and pvc

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.



I was actually just looking for some pleather or something. Just something that looks enough like a leather boot to not look out of place when attached to it. I was wanting to avoid having to get actual leather because I would imagine that it would more difficult to work with than pleather. I tried looking on Ebay for smooth pleather that looked like leather but no luck.

Edit: sorry, yeah rereading my original post I wasn't that clear about what I was asking for.

Ok it seems like I was searching for the wrong thing. Pleather doesn't seem to be abundant but PVC and Leatherette is aplenty so I've ordered some samples off The Bay and I'll let you all know how I get on.

Yeah - just to note, "pleather" tends to be the US term. Most UK places will have it listed as "leatherette".

Ahhhhh, that'll explain it then. I'll note that down for the future. Thanks very much.

Ah, if it's just stuff to attach to boots then it's a whole new story! Sorry, I thought you were looking for something to actually make them from.

Try fabric land and local shops to see if you can find something.

I'd recommend this ebay store actually:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280672835670&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

I recently ordered a sample of this, and it's damn good stuff. They send free samples if you send a stamped addressed envelope to them, and the turn around was very fast. Good if you want a specific colour.

Believe it or not leather is actually much easier to work with than leatherette/pvc/vinyl. It's softer and more durable as faux stuff has a habit of ripping. It's more expensive though, so if you're worried about messing up go for the cheaper option.

No worries, thanks for the info.

I got one of the leather samples from Ebay and it's huge so I've just got to plan it out now. I've got loads of craft foam lying about so I'll probably size it up before purchasing anything.

I'll maybe give real leather a go. I'll need to check how it compares price wise