- Main article: Tanning
Leather is a crafting material found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Leather is used mainly in the creation of armor and Leather Strips. Leather can also be used to improve Hide Armor, Leather Armor, Shrouded Armor, and the Thieves Guild Armor at a workbench. Enchanted Armor requires the Arcane Blacksmith perk to upgrade. Most leather crafting creates weight. To minimize carry weight, tan leather either when it is needed or when it can be stored. Sabre Cat Pelts and Fox Pelts are tied for the most efficient weight to leather ratio. Each unit of weight in pelts yields two leather.
Acquisition
Leather can be obtained by tanning animal pelts and hides at a Tanning Rack, or it can be bought from merchants or hunters throughout Skyrim. rabbits and mammoths do not drop pelts, but giants tend to carry them because that is what they wear.
Harbingers of the Companions can garner multiple pelts quickly by repeatedly replaying the radiant quest, "Animal Extermination", given by Aela the Huntress. Not all of these quests are against creatures that drop pelts, however.
Stolen pelts
Pelts stolen from NPCs can be crafted into legitimate leather, and stolen leather can be turned into legitimate leather strips or armor. This is not specific to leather, however; any stolen material that is crafted loses its stolen status.
List of hides
| Pelt Type | Weight 
|
Value 
|
Quantity | Leather Produced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Pelt | 3 | 50 | 1 | 4 |
| Cave Bear Pelt | 3 | 60 | 1 |
4 |
| Snow Bear Pelt | 3 | 75 | 1 |
4 |
| Cow Hide | 2 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| Deer Hide (Deer) | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| Deer Hide (Elk) | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| Fox Pelt | 0.5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Goat Hide | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Horse Hide | 2 | 15 | 1 | 3 |
| Ice Wolf Pelt | 1 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| Sabre Cat Pelt | 2 | 25 | 1 | 4 |
| Sabre Cat Snow Pelt | 2 | 40 | 1 | 4 |
| Snow Fox Pelt | 0.5 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Wolf Pelt | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 |