The key criterion is whether the material retains enough structural integrity and size to be bonded, pressed, or otherwise fabricated into a leather article. Fine dust, buffing powder, and very small irregular parings that cannot be reconstituted into composition leather fall under this heading. Larger, structurally coherent offcuts that can be used in composition leather production are classified elsewhere. The distinction is often made based on particle size and fiber length.

Leather meal (hydrolyzed leather powder) has historically been used as a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer and, in some markets, as an animal feed ingredient. In the US, use as an animal feed ingredient would trigger FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine review, and chrome-tanned leather waste raises additional concerns about hexavalent chromium content. Importers intending to use leather waste in food, feed, or fertilizer applications should verify applicable EPA, FDA, and state-level requirements before entry.