Chamois leather

Chamois leather (British pronunciation: /ˈʃæmwɑː/ or American pronunciation: /ʃæmˈwɑː/) — sometimes known as a wash-leather or by the trade name "Shammy" (/ˈʃæmi/) — is a type of porous leather, traditionally the skin of the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), a type of European mountain goat. The leather is favored for its gentle, non-abrasive composition and absorption properties. It has a range of uses:

Imitation chamois leather is made using other leathers (such as the domestic goat, sheep or pig), and synthetic chamois leather is usually made from polyvinyl alcohol or non-woven viscose rayon.

The British Standard BS 6715: 1991 defines chamois leather as:

In the United States, the term chamois without any qualification is restricted to the flesh split of the sheep or lambskin tanned solely with oils (US Federal Standard CS99-1970).

Chamois leather is often counterfeited with goat or pig skin, the practice of which is a particular profession called by the French chamoiser.

In India Chamois is mainly made from Goat skins. The raw fish oil is used to process chamois and main source of oil is Sardine since Cod fish is not available in Seas surrounding India. Chamois leather in India has standards specified by Bureau of Indian Standards and if meets the parameters set, will qualify to get ISI mark which is government recognised quality symbol.

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