Chamois leather (/ˈʃæmi/)^[1] is a type of porous leather, traditionally the skin of thechamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), a type of European mountain goat, but today made almost exclusively from the flesh split of a sheepskin.

TheBritish Standard BS 6715: 1991^[2] defines chamois leather as:

Leather made from the flesh split of sheepskin or lambskin, or from sheepskin or lambskin from which the grain (the top split) has been removed byfrizing, andtanned by processes involving oxidation of marine oils in the skin.

In the United States, the termchamois without any qualification is restricted to the flesh split of the sheep or lambskin tanned solely with oils (US Federal Standard CS99-1970).^[3]

Chamois leather is often counterfeited with goat or pig skin, the practice of which is a particular profession called by the Frenchchamoiser.^[4]

The termchamois as used to refer to specially-prepared leather originated sometime before 1709,^[5] referring to the prepared skin of any goat-like animal,^[6] specifically theEuropean antelope—commonly called the "chamois"—and exclusively used by theglovemaking industry of southwestFrance. It was discovered that when tanned in the localcod oil of nearbyBiarritz, the result was a material of unprecedented absorbency. This leather was fashioned into soft white gloves designed for carriage footmen, who were responsible for the care and polishing ofcarriages. This industry usage later transferred to thechauffeurs of the "horseless carriages" invented in the early 1900s. The popularity of chamois leather greatly increased with the advent of mass-producedautomobile windshields, which needed to be washed frequently for visibility purposes, but were inconvenient and time-consuming to dry through alternative means.^[7]

Genuine chamois leather has almost no abrasive properties, and can be used as a very absorbent drying material for anyautomobile surface. This has made it a popular product for car cleaning and drying.^[8][9][10]

The elasticity of the skin's pores, which are very close together, allow it to be used in micro-filtration. Its waterabsorbency and low friction make it good for other uses, such as incycling shorts (although most modern cycling shorts now use synthetic "chamois" leather).^[11][12] It was also used in purifyingmercury, which is done by passing it through the pores of the skin.^[4]

Chamois was historically used as a gasoline filter.^[13] When soaked with cleangasoline, chamois will not allow water to pass through its surface fibers. This property is used to filter fuel that has been stored in drums prone to ingress of water, or from any other doubtful source. The technique is to provide a large-mouthed funnel with a wide outlet surface that supports a woven wire base, or metal plate with a grid of holes. The lower part of the funnel is tapered to fit the receptacle or tank-filler aperture.^[14]

A suitably sized chamois skin is soaked in clean fuel and placed over the grid in the funnel and brought up the sides, forming a bowl, to prevent any leakage past the skin. Fuel can then be pumped into the top of the funnel by thefuel dispenser and watched for signs of water accumulation. The process can be stopped to lift out the assembly from the tank and the trapped water removed so that the job can be continued. Chamois leather is used thus as afuel filter by boaters,^[15]auto detailers, and aircraft refuelers, particularly of a past age when aircraft were flown into very remote areas.

Chamois leather is widely used for drying and buffing vehicles after washing.

Small pieces of chamois leather (often called "chamois cloth") are commonly used as blending tools by artists drawing withcharcoal.^[16] The leather blends the charcoal more softly and cleanly than the artist's fingers, which can leave smudges.^[17] The chamois is also used to lighten the drawing (or portions of it) by removing some charcoal in a more subtle and nuanced way than most erasers could. The charcoal can be washed from the leather using soap and water.

Chamois leather is used around professional film andvideo cameraviewfinders, as it provides comfort and absorbs sweat fromcamera operators who spend a long time with their eye planted on the viewfinder.

Divers use towels made of chamois leather to dry themselves between dives, as they can be quickly dried by squeezing or wringing them.^{[citation needed]}