Top-grain means from the uppermost leather layer but split from the highest level. It is slightly more affordable and less durable than the full-grain kind. It can be used to make enhanced or corrected grain products. However, all corrected grain leather is not top-grain leather.

True top-grain leather is ideal for nubuck products such as leather jackets, boots, and luggage.

Corrected grain leather can be top-grain or from the lower layers of the hide.

Correction of leather simply means removing the intrinsic qualities of natural hide, also known as scars or imperfections, by sanding or buffing, which damages the natural protection of the hide, making it less resistant and durable. Therefore, any leather that has been modified, fixed, or remodeled in any way is known as corrected grain leather.

Leather, sold in the market labeled as genuine leather, is actually split leather, taken from varying levels of the hide. It may originate from top-grain, the lower softer sections where suede comes from, or even somewhere in between.

These qualities make genuine leather weaker, more inferior, and not so attractive looking as compared to full-grain leather. If genuine leather is on one end the quality spectrum full-grain is on the other end. While genuine leather is low quality, full grain is the elite, prime variety.