Size:

Goat rawhide is a lightweight skin averaging 1-2 oz per square foot. An average hide is approximately 6 to 7 square feet or about 2 to 2.5 ft x 2.5 to 3 ft. The hide pictured is for illustrative purposes and may not be the exact rawhide you will receive, but it will be similar. 

It is common for individual goat rawhides to have some scrapes, scars, or small holes. This reflects the spirit of that animal and is what will make your project truly unique.

This full goat rawhide does not include the neck and leg portions. This makes the hide a more uniform size and shipping charges more economical.

Uses:

Goat rawhide is good for lightweight projects and is an economical alternative to calf or deer rawhide, which is very similar in thickness. It is best for parchment, small women’s drum heads which gives the drum a higher pitch, lamp shade covers, quiver liners, and small items such as rattles.

Dry rawhide is very rigid because it is the skin with the hair removed that has been cured by drying,, but not tanned. Rawhide will feel stiff when dried, but will soften if you soak it in water.

When soaked in water it becomes pliable, allowing it to be molded or shaped and easily sewn. During the drying process, rawhide shrinks, stiffens and generally retains whatever shape it was given when wet.

If you soak more than you need, you can let it dry out again and reuse it later, but the color will get darker with each sucessive soaking. When wet, it should be used within 24 hours, or at least change the water every 12-24 hours. If you leave it in water too long, it will begin to grow bacteria, which weakens the skin and makes it turn smelly.

Rawhide can be further tanned into leather using traditional brain tan and smoke methods or commercial preservatives, or used as is.