How do you know the size of a cowhide rug?

Good question - Every hide has a different organic shape. The size is measured by a machine at the tannery that scans the surface area of each hide. This gives us the amount of leather in a hide.  

As you can see in the photo to the right, the hide is fed through rollers and the machine then moves little hammers (like inside a piano) which touch the leather. The sensor knows when it touches leather or metal and measures on the dial. A leather technician puts a sticker on each hide so we know how large it is.

Understanding how we measure cowhide

We use square metres as the way of measuring and pricing the hides. A small hide is around 2 metres 'square', a medium hide is around 3 metres 'square', a large hide is around 4 metres 'square' and an extra large hide can be over 5 metres 'square'.

As shown in the diagram below, we measure from the widest points across the back legs and head to tail. We supply these measurements in metric metres. This is to help you work out the correct size for a room setting or interior space. Don't forget that it is perfectly OK for the sticking out parts (legs etc.) to go under furniture. This helps to anchor a room setting of furniture.