Alcantara vs Suede

[diegom6]

Thanks for the hint on this subject guys. Looks like alcantare is the way to go :p

[SFGadgetGuy]

Alcantara is a manufacture brand of man made suede, suede is a type of leather, ultrasuede is another type of man made suede.

I use both ultra suede and alcantara brand suede in my upholstery work and there is a definite difference in the quality, feel and look from alcantara suede and other man made suedes. It also feels different then real suede.

Alcantara has a double rub wear rating of 200000 ultrasuede is 100000 real suede will start to have shiny shots on rub areas and isn't really a good choice for automotive interiors.

Alcantara is an approved material for a lot of the high line car manufacturers

[AndrewBird]

Suede is a type of leather. Alcantara is a brand name for artificial suede. So they are the same thing as far as appearance goes, but I believe Alcantara is designed to be used in interiors and is therefore more durable and holds up better to wear and UV light.

[StereoInstaller1]

Looks: same
Costs: same
Feel: same
UV protection: 80% same, suede loses.

[diegom6]

So, what's the main difference between both? Do they look similar, feels about the same? Costs? Wich is more unique or expensive? Wich wears out faster?

I ask this because I have heared both names for a while now and never knew what are the main differences if exists.

Maybe photos to compare?

Thanks